Grand Central launch fifth Sunderland to London service -

GRAND Central’s bid to run five daily return trains between Sunderland and London is back on track and providing a jobs boost for the city.

After months of negotiations, travellers will finally have the choice of five services departing for the capital every day of the week, starting this Sunday.

Seven new employees have been recruited locally to staff the service and in an added boost to Sunderland’s economy, Grand Central are set to open a new office in the city at the end of the month.

Their new Sunniside home will boast meeting rooms, a training suite and a mess room.

Plans to add an extra service to the four existing daily returns were revealed exclusively by the Echo last year and in October, the Office of Rail Regulation approved the operators bid.

A fifth train has been running on Saturdays since December but Network Rail could not find a slot from Monday to Friday, meaning the service has been terminating at Hartlepool.

Grand Central bosses spoke of their determination to see the new service extended, describing Sunderland as key to their business model.

Managing director Richard McClean said: “We are delighted that from this Sunday we can give passengers in Sunderland the choice of five services to and from London each day.

“We have been working closely with Network Rail since December to extend this service to serve the people of Sunderland seven days a week. I’m delighted we can now offer this to our loyal passengers.”

The new service will leave Sunderland at 2.06pm on weekday afternoons, arriving at London Kings Cross at 6.11pm.

Meanwhile, a train will head north from London at 11.21am Monday to Friday.

Gary Hutchinson, chairman of the Sunderland committee of the North East Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the news.

“I think it’s great to see the service extending, proving the demand is there and anything that improves connectivity with the capital is a good thing.

“It is also great to see them locating their new office in Sunderland and hiring Sunderland people as part of this expansion and I hope we see more of the same.

“I hope people will support the new service and repay the confidence Grand Central have shown in Sunderland.”

Leader of Sunderland City Council, Paul Watson, added: “We welcome the introduction of this additional direct return rail service from Sunderland to London, which is good news for Sunderland.

“Thanks to the hard work of Grand Central in improving regional and national rail links, Sunderland is now a better connected city. This is vital to our economic future, and the railway system has a massive part to play in that future.

“We want Sunderland to be recognised for its strengths as a business and visitor destination, this addition to the service fits in with this vision.”

Source - http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/busin...-1-5683104

The new timetable effective from tomorrow (19 May) can be found online at Grand Central Rail - http://www.grandcentralrail.com/

A plain white Astromega with tinted windows heading North on the A1 around Doncaster and a TFL Gemini heading South - both on trade plates

Departures:
TOM1314
TCX6536
EZY6427
KLM952
BA1321
BE461
AF1559
LS583
EZE4641
EZE4030
TCX6108
TOM1364
EZY547
TCX6002
EZY565
EZE4621
EZY6407
EZE4028
BE422
BE142
KLM954
BA1325
LS515
EZE4801
EZY6401
EZE4032
BE702
RYR173
KLM958
AF1059
BA1327
EZY6419
KLM960
EK36
TOM1376
EZE4036
BE465
EZE4625
TOM1378
LS569
LS523
BA1333
RYR9346
BE146
EZE4627
EZY6447
EZY6453
AF1159
KLM964
EZE4095
EZE4038
EW3457
BE467
BA1335
BE428
EZE4094
QA544
TCX6014
EZY555
EZY569
BE148
RYR175

Arrivals:
TBC

High Speed Two (HS2) is a proposed rail network to link London Euston to the West Midlands and Northern England. The plan is to increase the capacity and speed of journeys to London, which will dramatically bring the UK's Victorian railway infrastructure into the 21st century.

• The Government gave the go-ahead for a UK High Speed Rail network – called High Speed Two (HS2) – on 10 January 2012.
  
• HS2 will be a Y-shaped rail network providing direct, high capacity, high speed links between London, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, with intermediate stations in the East Midlands (Toton) and South Yorkshire (Sheffield Meadowhall). There will also be direct links to the Continent via the High Speed 1 (HS1) line.
  
• HS2 will improve capacity across the rail network, shorten journey times between Britain’s major population centres, boost the economy and create thousands of jobs.
  
• HS2 will be built in two phases. The line between London and the West Midlands and a connection to High Speed 1 are expected to open in 2026 (HS2 Phase One), followed in 2032-33, by the onward legs to Manchester and Leeds.
  
• Phase One of HS2 will cost around £16.3bn to construct (2011 prices).
  
• The full network, including Phase Two and the link to High Speed 1 and the Channel Tunnel but without a direct Heathrow connection, will cost £33.1bn to construct (2011 prices).
  
• The construction costs of HS2 would be spread over two decades, and on this basis would involve an average level of annual spend of about £2 billion a year.
  

High Speed Two Limited is the company responsible for the realisation of HS2, and their website can be found here.

"We are determined to get cracking with HS2. We have already completed the consultation on Phase 1, and in 2013 we will begin seeking powers from Parliament to construct the line between London and the West Midlands. The first shovels will hit the ground in 2017 and the first high speed trains should be speeding along the tracks between Birmingham and London by 2026."

As a part of the HS2 proposal, redevelopment of London Euston is planned to transform into a vibrant destination for HS2 trains from the West Midlands and Northern England - further details here.

The planned network is highly controversial and is not without fierce opposition. A campaign known as STOP HS2 exists against the proposed development of this new rail network.

Stop HS2 claim that the strategic economic benefits of HS2 are unproven:

• It is not a low carbon solution.
  
• It has a business case based on false assumptions.
  
• It will benefit very few, at a time when a great many are expected to suffer.
  
• It will cause huge environmental damage.
  
• It will commit future generations to huge subsidies, increasing the national debt.
  
• It will not move much travel from planes or cars, and assumes many more journeys.
  
• It will make our country more dependent on the London economy.
  
• It will increase energy consumption.
  
• It has alternatives that deliver greater benefits at less cost and less damage.
  
• It does not learn from the financial failure of HS1, the only comparable project.
  
• It will crowd out crucial investment in transport, which is needed and beneficial.
  
• It ignores the Internet, which is changing the way we communicate, - and how mobile technologies enable people to work when travelling.
  

This clipping appeared in the Metro newspaper yesterday (14/05/13) -

[attachment=4431]

What are your opinions on the HS2 proposal? Do any members have friends or family who live or have businesses on the route and face disruption?

---

News and latest developments on HS2 will be posted in this thread -

"The Secretary of State has extended the Phase Two EHS consultation. The new closing date is 20 May 2013."

Further details can be found here.

Over the last two days, I have been unable to access the site at home using my BT boardband. It's only now, out and about using the 3G on my phone that I can access it. Could the admins please look into the problem?

The findings of a Premier League football club survey, relating to public transport infrastructure and access on a matchday have been published - with Newcastle United winning the award for their Toon Travel scheme.

Www.bettertransport.org.uk/football

News, debate and discussion on South West's Bus Operations.


I don't know if you've saw in the news, but a large fire overnight at the Western Greyhound depot in Cornwall destroyed a third of the entire fleet, 37 vehicles in total.

Optare Solos, Solo SRs, East Lancs Pyoneers, Plaxton Beaver 2s and 4 of the 6 Truro P&R Mercedes Citaros were destroyed. I don't know what the state of the former GNE Plaxton Presidents that were acquired from the Oxford Bus Company are like however.

The below links show reports and pictures of the wreckage.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...buses.html

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/fire-bus-depot-...42216.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-22506806

Do any of you have a type of bus you like/d travelling on the most?
What about the ones you dislike?

Old school 70's/80s buses are my personal favourite.
In no particular order, MCW Metrobus, ECW Olympian, National Mk2 (used to bang my head on the Mk1 luggage racks) and the Atlanteans were mine.
I quite like the Sxxx OFT type Olympians and enjoyed a ride on the Deltas/Vectas and Sigmas/Lances too. Always hoped for a ride on the last remaining Delta based at Washington before it went, but never had any joy.

Dislikes - anything small! Although I didnt dislike the Metrorider, the original Go-ahead Minilinks, the Merc minibuses, darts and the soulless modern midi-buses aren't favourites at all.
The Spectra rear down stairs seats at the very back had no padding and were shockingly uncomforable, so they fall into this category, alongside the Solo's (my first journey on one resulted in me sitting at the back, seeing a mate walking outside, turning around to wave and saying hello to a solid backed bus... Other passengers noticed my mistake)

Anybody collect these or even pick the odd one up? I tend to pick the odd one up if I'm a fan of the branding or vehicle, but tend to stick with North East or TfL stuff. I'm hoping GNE commission something new like the green Angel.

Jet2 have leased G-POWI from Titan for this summer at Newcastle, supposedly it's covering for a 733 which has not been is condition as expected after purchase from last operator. It's a wet lease so the crews on it will be Titan too. It has been liveried though however extremely basic with white body below red lettering. Should be interesting to see if Jet2 also use this as a trial run for Airbus overall as so far they operate an all Boeing fleet of 733/QC/F , 738 and 752s!!!