Alliance Rail Holdings
Formation | 2009 |
---|---|
Location | |
Managing Director
|
Ian Yeowart |
Parent organization
|
Arriva UK Trains |
Website | www.alliancerail.co.uk |
Alliance Rail Holdings[1] is developing plans to operate passenger trains in the United Kingdom through its subsidiaries Great North Western Railway Company Limited (GNWR)[2] and Great North Eastern Railway Company Limited (GNER).[3] They were planned to start from December 2013.[4] The company is seeking access rights of up to 30 years to reflect the investment proposed.[5]
Alliance has undertaken detailed timetabling and economic work to support its application to the Office of Rail Regulation. This work will also provide the opportunity to review the potential for the re-introduction of a more regular inter-city service at locations such as Nuneaton and Tamworth, and also offer new direct services between West Yorkshire and London Euston.
Alliance is headed by Ian Yeowart,[6] founder and former managing director of Grand Central Railway. A new development team was announced on 12 August 2010.[7] The venture is majority owned by Arriva.[8]
In January 2015, the Office of Rail Regulation rejected the Great North Western proposal.[9] However, a revised Great North Western Proposal was approved in August 2015, with services to begin in 2018.[10]
Contents
Proposed services
Great North Eastern Railway
GNER, resurrecting the name of the defunct Sea Containers subsidiary, is currently planning to run between London King's Cross and Cleethorpes/Bradford Forster Square/Ilkley/Edinburgh.
It also proposed in 2009 to operate services between London King's Cross and Scarborough via Malton/Bridlington via Yorkshire Coast Line/Skegness via Grantham and Boston/Sheffield via Grantham and Alfreton/Grimsby Town via Collingham/Newcastle and Middlesbrough via Yarm, but these were rejected in 2010, by the Office Rail of Regulation. It also proposed in December 2013 that they will run services between Kings Cross and Skipton via Garforth and Keighley, but were withdrawn in 2014, by the Office Rail of Regulation.
The current planned timetable is:
- 2-hourly to Ilkley: King's Cross, Doncaster, East Leeds (Parkway), Leeds, Kirkstall Forge, Guiseley and Ilkley.
- 2-hourly to Bradford Forster Square: King's Cross, Doncaster, East Leeds (Parkway), Leeds, Kirkstall Forge, Shipley and Bradford Forster Square.
- 4 daily to Cleethorpes: King's Cross, Doncaster, Scunthorpe, Habrough, Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes.[11]
- Hourly to Edinburgh: King's Cross, Newcastle and Edinburgh.[12]
The previous planned timetable was:
- 4 daily to Sheffield: King's Cross, Grantham, Nottingham, Langley Mill, Alfreton, Chesterfield, Dronfield and Sheffield.
- Hourly to Newcastle: King's Cross, Newcastle.
- 4 daily to Middlesbrough: King's Cross, Doncaster, York, Thirsk, Northallerton, Yarm, Eaglescliffe, Thornaby and Middlesbrough.
- 2 daily to Scarborough via Malton: King's Cross, Doncaster, York, Malton, Seamer and Scarborough.
- 2 daily to Bridlington via Yorkshire Coast Line: King's Cross, Doncaster, Selby, Brough, Hull, Beverley and Bridlington.
- 1 daily to Skipton via Garforth, York and Harrogate: Kings Cross, Doncaster, East Leeds (Parkway), Garforth, Leeds, Kirlstall Forge, Shipley, Keighley and Skipton.
- 2 daily to Glasgow Central via Skipton, Settle and Carlisle : Kings Cross, Doncaster, East Leeds (Parkway), Garforth, Leeds, Kirlstall Forge, Shipley, Keighley, Skipton, Hellifield, Settle, Appleby West, Carlisle, Lockerbie and Glasgow Central .
- 1 daily to Skegness via Grantham and Boston: King's Cross, Grantham, Sleaford, Boston and Skegness.
- 2 daily to Grimsby Town via Newark North Gate and Market Rasen: King's Cross, Grantham, Newark North Gate, Collingham, Market Rasen, Barnetby, Habrough and Grimsby Town.
Great North Western Railway
In 2010, GNWR planned to operate services between Euston and Bradford/Halifax/Barrow-in-Furness/Workington/Whitehaven/Windermere/Southport and Morecambe, however these were rejected in 2011 by the Office Rail of Regulation.
In June 2014 GNWR successfully concluded negotiations with Network Rail for access paths to run between Euston and Blackpool/Huddersfield and Leeds from 2017 using Pendolino trains.[13][14] However, in January 2015 and despite Network Rail support, the Office of Rail Regulation refused all proposed GNWR services and the application for reasons that included protection of the revenues of Virgin Trains (the incumbent inter-city operator on the WCML) and thence payments to the Department for Transport. Also because of capacity issues.[9] On 7 August 2015 the ORR announced that Alliance Rail had been given permission to run between London Euston and Blackpool calling at Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Preston, Kirkham and Wesham, Poulton-le-Fylde and Blackpool, starting in 2018.[citation needed]
The proposed timetable would have been:
- 6 daily to Blackpool North: Euston, Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Preston, Kirkham and Wesham, Poulton-le-Fylde and Blackpool North.
- 6 daily to Leeds: Euston, Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Newton-le-Willows, Eccles, Manchester Victoria, Stalybridge, Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Leeds.
- 1 daily to Huddersfield: Euston, Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Newton-le-Willows, Eccles, Manchester Victoria, Stalybridge and Huddersfield.
- 2 daily to Bradford Interchange: Euston, Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Newton-le-Willows, Eccles, Manchester Victoria, Huddersfield, Brighouse, Halifax and Bradford Interchange.
- 1 daily to Halifax: Euston, Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Newton-le-Willows, Eccles, Manchester Victoria, Stalybridge, Huddersfield, Brighouse and Halifax.
- 1 daily to Windermere: Euston, Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme Lake District, Kendal and Windermere.
- 1 daily to Morecambe: Euston, Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Preston, Lancaster and Morecambe.
- 1 daily to Barrow-in-Furness: Euston, Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Preston, Lancaster, Carnforth and Barrow-in-Furness.
- 1 daily to Whitehaven: Euston, Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Preston, Lancaster, Carnforth and Whitehaven.
- 1 daily to Workington: Euston, Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Preston, Lancaster, Carnforth, Whitehaven and Workington.
- 1 daily to Southport: Euston, Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan Wallgate and Southport.
Rolling stock
In 2010 it was proposed that services be operated by dual-mode (diesel + electric) Polaris trains,[5][15] capable of 140 miles per hour (230 km/h).[16] Sixteen trainsets were expected to be ordered, with a capacity of up to 350 passengers each.[17] However, the Polaris deal was not finalised and Alliance has indicated that it is investigating updated UK Pendolino sets from Alstom.[12]
Alliance is looking to use trains that can operate at maximum line speed, with six carriages. A mixture of first- and standard-class seating is proposed. On the Pennine route, four-car trains would be required.[18]
References
- ↑ Companies House extract company no 7026295 Alliance Rail Holdings Limited
- ↑ Companies House extract company no 6938935 Great North Western Railway Company Limited
- ↑ Companies House extract company no 6938889 Great North Eastern Railway Company Limited
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- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "West Coast Main Line open-access bid rejected". International Rail Journal (London). 8 January 2015.
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- ↑ http://www.alliancerail.co.uk/wp-content/themes/alliance/GNWR%20Application/track%20access%20contract/track%20access%20contract.pdf
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