Grand Union has begun industry consultation over a proposal to operate five open access services a day between Cardiff and Edinburgh, and separately is looking at rolling stock options for its planned London - Carmarthen and London - Stirling services.
(Permalink) Cardiff Carmarthen Edinburgh Grand Union London Stirling

Carmarthen and Stirling have a few things in common. Medieval settlements with rich histories. Ancient castles worth visiting. Scenes of insurrection against the once-imperial English featuring the likes of Owain Glyndwr and William Wallace.

Less obvious are the similarities between the west Wales county town and central Scottish city to, say, Hull, Halifax, Bradford or Sunderland. One for the trainspotters maybe, but they are all towns and cities that after railway privatisation three decades ago had no, or limited, direct services to London, leaving them off the main rail network maps and with a sense of being left behind in general.

The four English locations have been reconnected and Carmarthen will be soon. Now Stirling, a jewel in the crown of the Central Lowlands, is the subject of the latest attempt to bring a new connection to the nations rail map.

[Full article may require subscription. -RS JY notes that 'The Clansman' formerly provided this service.]
(Permalink) Grand Union Stirling

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has opened up the Great Western Main Line to competition and enabled a significant increase in rail services between London and South Wales. The rail regulator has approved the introduction of new train services between London, Cardiff and South West Wales from the end of 2024. The services will be operated by a new open access operator, Grand Union Trains, bringing competition to the Great Western route out of Paddington. Passengers travelling between London, Bristol Parkway, Severn Tunnel Junction, Newport, Cardiff, Gowerton, Llanelli and Carmarthen will benefit from an extra five daily return services and greater choice of operator. The decision opens up the Great Western Main Line to competition for the first time, with potential benefits in terms of lower fares, improved service quality and innovation for all passengers using the route. The application, submitted to ORR in June 2022, was disputed by Network Rail due to concerns about capacity on the network. But following careful consideration and analysis, ORR has directed Network Rail to enter into a contract with Grand Union. Grand Union has committed to significant investment in new trains. As an open access train operator, however, it will not get paid subsidies from public funds, unlike current operators along the route.
(Permalink) Bristol Parkway Cardiff Carmarthen Gowerton Grand Union Great Western Railway Main Line Llanelli London Newport ORR Severn Tunnel Junction