GRAND UNION TARGETS ‘91s’ TO STIRLING

News Front

OPEN ACCESS operator Grand Union Trains has notified the Office of Rail and Road of its ambition to operate a new service between Stirling and London Euston via the West Coast main line from May 2021.

The service of three or four trains per day would call at Larbert, Greenfaulds, Whifflet, Motherwell, Lockerbie, Carlisle, Preston, Crewe, Nuneaton and Milton Keynes. Depending on final pathing, the first Up service would depart Stirling at around 05.30 with services every three to four hours and the last departure around 16.30. The first departure from Euston would be at 08.33 with the last Down service at around 16.38. Grand Union proposes to use Class 91s hauling up to nine coaches and a driving van trailer to operate the service.

Grand Union is led by former Alliance Rail Managing Director Ian Yeowart. This is the company’s second open access proposal, following plans submitted to ORR for a service from London Paddington via the Great Western main line, initially using Class 91s/Mk 4s as far as Cardiff but later extended to Llanelli using bi-mode Class 802s. This service is also proposed for a May 2021 start.