'CHARD Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 At this link, for example: http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/9344895.York_train_operator_Grand_Central_bought_by_Arriva/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Bit of a shame to see an original open access operator snapped up by a big corporate, but I guess it may have been needed what with GC not making a profit and all.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy C Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 What a shame, Vulcan and myself used them last November for the short hop between Halifax and Wakefield to visit a certain show pub there. (We actually didnt get to the show on the Saturday) We will be using them again this year for the same trip. Found them so good. service was brilliant and the train manager, a sikh with the broadest Brat'ford accent you have ever heard was a scream and service personified. What amused us was that they seemed to stop at every signal post between Bradford and Donny, then non stop to the smoke, which caused us to re-christen them "Yorkshire railways" with hats tipped inthe direction of the brilliant Hale and Pace Yorkshire Airways sketch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPjJFv1NDBg Hope they dont change too much! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snow White Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 You have to wonder if there is any future for independent open access operators in the current climate. Their only future at the moment seems to be to allow the existing big operators to get a toehold in a rival's territory - which is surely not what was intended? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Their only future at the moment seems to be to allow the existing big operators to get a toehold in a rival's territory - which is surely not what was intended? Quite I suppose on the plus side it says they don't plan to change anything....but I think you can reasonably hang an unspoken big fat "yet" on the end of that quote! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 Hmmmm... Sister companies with access to Class 67s and MkIII LHCS that's popular not just with passengers, but also the MD, Tom Clift... One sister, Chiltern, already using these in anger on the Birmingham expresses. Expensive-to-run mixed fleet of leased HST and 180 -vs- tame loco-hauled sets from the company stable? Interesting times. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted November 4, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 4, 2011 Hmm - does this now mean that passes will be allowed on Grand Central trains I wonder (as Arriva is party to ATOC while GC wasn't)? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Said locos aren't (currently) passed to travel on the ECML at the speeds required for the GC paths Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 That's a bonus then - of a sort. Looks like the existing arrangement of Adelante and MTU power until 2016 is here to stay! EDIT: as an aside, catch the Newton Heath 180s while you can, anyone who's interested. One unit's already stood down ahead of its planned 19/11 off-lease, the others are planned to go one and two weeks later respectively. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted November 4, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 4, 2011 That's a bonus then - of a sort. Looks like the existing arrangement of Adelante and MTU power until 2016 is here to stay! EDIT: as an aside, catch the Newton Heath 180s while you can, anyone who's interested. One unit's already stood down ahead of its planned 19/11 off-lease, the others are planned to go one and two weeks later respectively. Staying aside - due to the unpopularity of the 180's at NH - they'll probably get rid of them sooner than that if they can. There are about 10 ex-Centro and London Midland 150's already moved in, with another 8 to come shortly. Cheers, Mick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 Tyseley's finest have not been well received at NH. (One assumes) a falling-off in cleaning diligence and periods stood idle for a few units, has led to an infestation of creepy-crawlies that needs to be addressed before some are released to traffic Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted November 4, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 4, 2011 I quite liked the stealth livery; I suppose that will go? P Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Accurascale Fran Posted November 4, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 4, 2011 What a shame, Vulcan and myself used them last November for the short hop between Halifax and Wakefield to visit a certain show pub there. (We actually didnt get to the show on the Saturday) We will be using them again this year for the same trip. Found them so good. service was brilliant and the train manager, a sikh with the broadest Brat'ford accent you have ever heard was a scream and service personified. What amused us was that they seemed to stop at every signal post between Bradford and Donny, then non stop to the smoke, which caused us to re-christen them "Yorkshire railways" with hats tipped inthe direction of the brilliant Hale and Pace Yorkshire Airways sketch: Hope they dont change too much! So that's where Ryanair got their business ideas from? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 I quite liked the stealth livery; I suppose that will go? P No need to believe it will, Arriva as a brand only features heavily in Wales. It's absent from the CrossCountry image, and last time I looked it didn't appear on LNWR's premises either, at least not prominently. I think GC have established something strong in that identity - anyone visiting their HQ would be struck by this - and I expect it will stay. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmthtrains - David Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Interesting news. The statement says the current MD will stay and basically GC will be as it is now, just with new owners (and more cash). Given that Arriva are owned by DB, they now have a lot of trains running in this country! David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWJ Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 I guess this means we can say goodbye to the adequate leg-room, seats which line up with windows, buffet car, reasonably-priced walk-up fares, carriages without noisy engines underneath, etc. etc... On the plus side, hopefully Arriva will have the clout to face up to East Coast and get some decent paths. Whenever I get the 0820 from York to London, which is supposed to be non-stop, it gets looped south of Grantham and slows to a crawl to let a stopping EC service overtake! I think we know who's wearing the trousers on this "competitive" railway line... Cheers, Will Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted November 4, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 4, 2011 Interesting news. The statement says the current MD will stay and basically GC will be as it is now, just with new owners (and more cash). Given that Arriva are owned by DB, they now have a lot of trains running in this country! David I would have been very surprised if it had said that the MD was not staying - in respect of GC's senior management it is instructive to be aware of where and with whom they have worked in past jobs (some parts of 'the railway' are still a small world). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catkins Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 On the plus side, hopefully Arriva will have the clout to face up to East Coast and get some decent paths. Whenever I get the 0820 from York to London, which is supposed to be non-stop, it gets looped south of Grantham and slows to a crawl to let a stopping EC service overtake! I think we know who's wearing the trousers on this "competitive" railway line... Cheers, Will There are theories about the pathing on the ECML, with NR being a not for profit organisation, East Coast Trains being a trading name for DOR - the government organisation that is a part of the Dept. of Transport, who also have a hand in NR! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xerces Fobe2 Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 DB is slowly buying up or winning franchises in the UK, I much prefer them to some of their competitors XF Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted November 4, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 4, 2011 There are theories about the pathing on the ECML, with NR being a not for profit organisation, East Coast Trains being a trading name for DOR - the government organisation that is a part of the Dept. of Transport, who also have a hand in NR! It is far, far more complex than that. Firstly ECML has effectively become the flag bearer for open access (because the business opportunities are there), secondly the main franchised operator has, whoever holds the franchise, to produce consistent and continuing evidence of core route growth for a variety of reasons, thirdly line capacity constraints ( a feature, in various ways, of the ECML since Ivatt's time) are going to always play a potentially significant role, and finally constrained terminal capacity at the southern end of the route is bound to have had a significant impact on the way capacity is used/allocated. I don't necessarily think that the way capacity has been dished out following various NR studies is the optimum answer but for all that it has to be recognised as what it is - a compromise born of a series of constraints and business compromises (and not because some organisation is beholden to another - I'm sorry but that sort of argument doesn't wash nowadays). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakydoke Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 DB is slowly buying up or winning franchises in the UK.... They're buying up companies, but they haven't actually won any franchises themselves so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMJ Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 A possible idea is that they (DB) are intending building up the GC brand. It may be that they are looking at getting the EC franchise and then selling on GC. I think that the franchises should be like Scotland that has a standard livery and only the franchise owners name changes. As I have said in the past the GNER and GC liveries are the most practical rail paint schemes currently on line. On friday I got a silver EC and the ends show up the muck whereas there was a GNER blue set next to me and the same muck doesn't show. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xerces Fobe2 Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I wonder if Elaine Holt is moving to DB? After a far from impressive tenure at FCC she has done some stirling work on East Coast and is leaving them at the end of the year. XF Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsforever Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 DB is becoming the national railway company if they gain either ECML or WCML maybe things will be improved especialy on theECML its a shame to see the demise of GC but it the way of the world. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xerces Fobe2 Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 DB - Please bid for the Great Western franchise! XF Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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