Grand Central has submitted an application to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to launch a new direct rail service between Manchester Piccadilly and London St Pancras.

If granted, the application would enable the introduction of new connections for underserved communities, as well as am to give passengers greater choice in their travel plans.

If the proposal is granted, services would begin in 2029

© Arriva

The proposed service would see five trains a day travel in each direction, connecting towns and cities across the North West, Staffordshire and the East Midlands with the capital, as well as giving residents in Congleton and Uttoxeter their first direct trains to London.

In order to avoid adding additional trains to the West Coast Main Line, the service would instead opt to make use of spare off-peak capacity on the Midland Main Line, and the proposal itself aims to demonstrate how open access operators might unlock new connections and improve passenger choice by making better use of the existing railway network.

Trains would call at Stockport, Macclesfield, Congleton, Stoke-on-Trent, Uttoxeter, Derby, Loughborough, Leicester, Wellingborough and Luton Airport Parkway, with the service anticipated to improve accessibility to Alton Towers Resort by serving all three stations recommended to visitors: Uttoxeter, Stoke-on-Trent and Derby.

Elsewhere, the proposal would see the introduction of a direct connection between Luton Airport, the North West and Staffordshire, whilst also restoring long-distance services to Luton Airport Parkway and Wellingborough. Passengers could also connect to Paris with a single change at St Pancras.

The proposed timetable aims to take account of existing platform capacity at Manchester Piccadilly and London St Pancras, and, if the application is granted, Grand Central would seek rack access rights for seven years, with services planned to begin in May 2029.

Chris Brandon, Director at Grand Central, said:

For nearly 20 years, Grand Central has demonstrated the difference direct rail connections can make to communities like Sunderland, Hartlepool and Bradford. We want to bring those same benefits to more places, giving passengers greater choice and opening up new opportunities to travel sustainably on public transport.

This is an exciting and innovative proposal that would make better use of existing railway capacity to connect communities that have lacked direct long-distance rail links. By bringing new investment and competition to the network, at no additional cost to the taxpayer, we can deliver real benefits for passengers and the places we serve.

We look forward to working with the ORR and Network Rail as they consider our application.

This latest application comes following another proposal from Arriva, Grand Central’s parent company, for a new direct service between Newcastle and Brighton, which is currently under consideration by the ORR. If approved, this service would provide five trains a day in each direction, connecting the North East, Midlands and South Coast via Gatwick Airport, and restoring a direct link lost in 2008.

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