Hull Trains: Back our Bid

First Hull Trains, the main operator between Hull and London Kings Cross have launched a 'Back our Bid' campaign. They have 7 weekday services between Hull and London, though the paths for two of these services are only guarenteed until 2010. There is a chance these paths could be reallocated away from Hull Trains. The 'Back our Bid' campaign has been launched to petition the Office for Rail Regulation to award these two paths on long term basis to Hull Trains.

The East Coast Main Line has seen a flurry of application for new services recently but they can not all be accomodated. There are multiple applications to serve the South Bank alone, as posted earlier in the year - http://humbertransport.blogspot.com/2008/06/race-to-link-south-humber-with-london.html
There are also other applications for services to West Yorkshire, Scarborough, the North East and Scotland from operators including Grand Central, Harrogate Trains (a brand of Hull Trains), proposed new start up Platinum Trains and National Express East Coast.

The Office of Rail Regulation has the task of deciding what destinations and operators should get these valuable paths, and the fear of Hull Trains is that they will loose two of their existing paths in order to provide other destinations and operators with a share of the precious East Coast Main Line paths. And it's quite easy to envisage the arguements - "Hull will still have five services a day on Hull Trains, plus one a day on National Express, we have none, or only one a day"

Many of the applications for East Coast Main Line paths propose new or improved services for places that could benefit in the same way Hull has done with Hull Trains and a frequent London service, and I would hope no one in the local area opposes rival applications because they do not want other places to benefit. However not every one can get what they want and if the local area wants seven services a day to London, it needs to show it's support. It's a shame not everyone can get what they want, and that some places will loose out, but without major investment in an upgrade of the East Coast Main Line, or a new high speed line to London, this is the harsh reality of our railways today.

Web Link to back the bid - http://www.hulltrains.co.uk/backourbid/index.php