21.01.15
First Hull Trains secures three-year extension on Hull-London route
First Hull Trains, the open-access rail operator, has secured a three-year extension on its contract to run direct services from Hull to London King’s Cross until 2019.
The company was first granted the rights to operate the services in 2000 and last received an extension to its track access rights in 2010 to see them through until 2016.
Will Dunnett, managing director at First Hull Trains said: “We’re delighted to be able to continue providing industry-leading rail services to our customers until 2019. It’s another welcome boost for Hull, and great news both for our employees and for our customers who are at the heart of our operation. We will continue to keep introducing passenger benefits to ensure we are delivering better, improved services.”
The news comes a week after First Hull Trains ran a successful ‘test service’ as part of their application for a new direct London service from Beverley. The company is hoping to get the go ahead from the Office of Rail Regulation by the end of the month.
The proposed service would run from Monday to Friday. Trains will leave Beverley at 6.02am, calling at Hull, Brough, Howden, Doncaster, Retford and Grantham. They will arrive at London King’s Cross at 9.16am.
Return journeys will follow the same route, leaving London in the evenings at 6.50pm and reaching the town at 9.46pm.
First Hull Trains is also celebrating a record year of growth of 6.7% with 21,000 more passenger journeys than in the same quarter last year.
Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at [email protected]