Green light for new Blackpool to London rail service

RAIL regulators have approved an application for a new direct passenger service between Blackpool and London.

The application to operate six return train services each day, including weekends, was submitted by Alliance Rail Holdings subsidiary Great North Western Railway (GNWR), an Arriva company and a sister company of Grand Central, which already operates services betweenthe North East and West Yorkshire to London.

The new services, which will start in May 2018, will also call at Poulton-le-Fylde, Kirkham & Wesham, Preston and Crewe, as well as Midlands locations Lichfield, Tamworth, Nuneaton and Milton Keynes.

Alliance has welcomed the decision by the Office of Rail Regulation, which announced the decision today.

Alliance managing director Ian Yeowart said: “We are naturally delighted that the ORR has approved our application to deliver a new direct rail service linking Blackpool and London.

“The introduction of these new services will further grow the market for rail travel. As well as bringing new direct services to a number of locations, notably Blackpool, it will give passengers further choice.

“Experience on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) with Grand Central has shown how this stimulates the market and helps put pressure on prices, a fact noted by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in its recent rail review.”

No decision has been yet on the branding of the new service.

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