New train services could be launched between London and Greater Manchester to encourage more people to switch from road transport to rail.
Transport company FirstGroup has announced a plan to operate six return Lumo trains a day between London Euston and Rochdale via Manchester Victoria.
The last time Rochdale had a direct link to London via Manchester city center station was in 2000.
Services would also call at Eccles, Newton-le-Willows and Warrington Bank Quay. Eccles station provides connectivity for the MediaCity area of Salford.
FirstGroup said it would use new trains built in the UK, powered by electricity and batteries.
Transport company FirstGroup has announced a plan to operate six return trains a day between London Euston and Rochdale via Manchester Victoria. The services would be operated under FirstGroup’s Lumo brand. Above, a Lumo train in Grantham
It is estimated that the services, which could begin as early as 2027, would provide 1.6 million people in the North West with a “convenient and competitively priced direct rail service to London from closer stations”, helping to spur a shift in the mode of transport. from coach and car trips to the railway.
The Lumo brand currently operates between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh.
Lumo, which launched in October 2021, is open access, meaning it receives no taxpayer-funded subsidies and assumes all revenue risks.
Most train operators in England charge a management fee, with the UK government responsible for costs and revenue.
FirstGroup also runs open access operator Hull Trains.
The company has submitted an application to the Office of Rail and Road seeking permission to start the London-Rochdale route.
The Lumo brand currently circulates between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh
FirstGroup chief executive Graham Sutherland said: “We have extensive experience in managing open access rail operations and we want to bring our successful Lumo service to this new route connecting Rochdale and London.
‘We have seen the level of growth and opportunities that is possible with open access, as well as the positive effect it has on the wider market, including the economic and environmental benefits.
‘In addition, the new service will help drive the modal shift from road to rail between the North West and London.
“We will work closely with stakeholders as we develop our application and champion this new service.”
This brings to eight the number of new open access rail routes proposed in Britain.
The Government is planning measures to encourage new schemes, such as providing more certainty over the duration of application assessments, reconsidering the balance of costs required between ratepayers and operators and ensuring that all unused road access spaces are available.
Railways Minister Huw Merriman told the PA news agency last month that open access services “give customers more choice and that crucially increases the number of passengers we receive”.