Grand Central ramps up train services between Bradford and London

RAIL passengers in West Yorkshire will benefit from extra seats as train operator Grand Central returns to its pre-COVID service levels in the coming week.

The York-based company will launch a third daily return service between Bradford and London Kings Cross on Sunday (September 13), with a fourth return service set to begin on September 20.

The re-introductions will bring Grand Central’s West Riding route back to its pre-lockdown service levels, following a four-month self-imposed period of hibernation at the height of COVID-19 restrictions.

Grand Central Managing Director, Richard McClean said the return of full service on the West Riding  route, as well as the company’s North East route, was a significant milestone.

“The return of these particular services is part of our wider plan to bring Grand Central’s timetable back up to where it was pre-lockdown,” he said. “Our West Riding route reaches several communities in the region which aren’t served by some of the bigger operators.

“In bringing back these services we’re not just providing a link between communities in West Yorkshire and London, we’re doubling our seating capacity on the route, which is vital in enabling social distancing and ensuring customer confidence as more people return to using trains.”

Grand Central took the decision to pause services to reduce outgoings and protect jobs, until lockdown restrictions eased. Before lockdown Grand Central operated 18 daily services between the north and London (16 on Sundays) and welcomed nearly 30,000 passengers per week.  This year marks the 10^th anniversary of the operator’s West Riding Route.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Grand Central Railway Company Limited is an established train operator which provides direct rail connections from towns and cities in Yorkshire and the North East England with London.

Customer satisfaction levels are consistently high and the rail company was named Britain’s best value rail operator for the tenth time in the Spring 2020 National Rail Passenger Survey. In 2020 the same survey saw Grand Central rated overall best operator for customer satisfaction

Grand Central operates West Riding services between Bradford Interchange, Low Moor, Halifax, Brighouse, Mirfield, Wakefield Kirkgate, Pontefract Monkhill, Doncaster and London King’s Cross. The rail operator also operates North East services between Sunderland, Hartlepool, Eaglescliffe, Northallerton, Thirsk, York and London King’s Cross.

Grand Central is part of the Arriva group. Arriva is one of the leading providers of passenger transport in Europe, employing over 53,000 people and delivering 2 billion passenger journeys a year across 14 European countries. We are part of Deutsche Bahn (DB), one of the world’s leading passenger and logistics companies, and are responsible for DB's regional passenger transport services outside Germany.

Richard Catton  I  PR & Partnerships Executive  I  Grand Central

M: 07866 173 964  |    E: richard.catton@grandcentralrail.com