Hull Trains[2] is an open-access railway operator in England owned by the multinational transport company FirstGroup.[3] It operates long-distance passenger services between Hull Paragon / Beverley and London King's Cross. It has a track-access agreement until December 2032.
Hull Trains was originally established in 1999 in the aftermath of the privatisation of British Rail in response to the low volume of trains between Hull and London King's Cross operated by the incumbent franchise. Their initial track-access agreement was granted in December 1999, permitting operations to be launched on 25 September 2000. Hull Trains' track-access agreement has been extended multiple times since commencing operations. Ownership was originally divided between an 80 per cent stake held by the train operating company (TOC) GB Railways, while the former British Rail managers Mike Jones and John Nelson held the remainder. A majority stake in the company was acquired by FirstGroup in August 2003, leading to its rebranding as First Hull Trains five years later. FirstGroup made it a wholly-owned subsidiary by buying out the other shareholder in the venture during August 2014; that same year, the Hull Trains name was readopted.
Hull Trains initially ran three services per day; in response to passenger numbers, this was progressively expanded to as many as seven services per day by December 2006. In addition to increasing service frequency, the number of cars per train was also raised to boost capacity. Hull Trains initially operated a small fleet of three-car Class 170 Turbostardiesel multiple units (DMUs); six years later, it exchanged these for four-car Class 222 Pioneer DMUs, followed by several five-car Class 180 Adelante DMUs and InterCity 125 HST sets. Early services were limited to a maximum speed of 100mph (160km/h), but the introduction of the Class 222 enabled speeds to be raised to 125mph (201km/h). As of 2022[update], Hull Trains' services are operated by a fleet of five Class 802 Paragonbi-mode multiple units (BMUs). In 2020 and 2021, multiple temporary suspensions of service were enacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regular services resumed on 12 April 2021.
In December 1999, a four-year track-access agreement was granted to Hull Trains by the Office of Rail Regulation. According to rail industry periodical Rail Express, the application had been vigorously resisted by the incumbent train operators, such as West Anglia Great Northern.[8] Furthermore, national infrastructure owner Railtrack had allegedly demonstrated a poor ability in identifying potential paths for the service. In Hull Trains' favour was the support of several prominent figures, including members of parliament, who were keen to support an initiative that would provide Hull with improved transportation.[8]
On 25 September 2000, Hull Trains officially launched its operations with its first service departing King's Cross station.[9][10] Early passenger numbers were encouraging. However, an early blow to the company came in the form of widespread disruption resulting from the Hatfield rail crash; months of speed limitations and temporary line closures heavily impacted services, albeit softened somewhat by compensation payments for lost income issued by Railtrack.[8]
In its first year of operation, Hull Trains reportedly carried roughly 80,000 passengers.[11] During September 2002, Hull Trains' track-access agreement was extended by ten years.[12]
In August 2003, through the purchase of GB Railways by the British transport conglomerate FirstGroup in exchange for £22million, the latter business took possession of their majority shareholding in Hull Trains.[13][14][15][16] During 2005, Hull Trains celebrated carrying its one-millionth passenger.[11]
In June 2008, Hull Trains was rebranded as First Hull Trains, as well as adopting FirstGroup's corporate blue, pink and white colours as its livery.[17] During January 2009, the firm's access rights were extended until December 2014,[18] and in February 2010, these rights were further extended until December 2016.[19] That same year, its services comprised 1.25million seats annually.[8]
In August 2014, FirstGroup purchased the remaining 20% shareholding in the business. In January 2015, the track access agreement was extended until December 2019.[20] That same year, the firm also resumed trading as Hull Trains. During March 2016, First Hull Trains obtained approval for a further 10-year open-access agreement until 2029,[21] allowing it to proceed with ordering five Class 802 electro-diesel multiple-unit trains which had been announced by the operator on 3 September 2015.[22][23]
In 2017, Hull Trains was named the Best UK Train Operator, having scored a 97% satisfaction rate for its services, according to the National Rail Passenger Survey.[11]
At late March 2020, Hull Trains temporarily suspended all services due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[24] Throughout the pandemic, there was concern that the company would be unable to survive without help from the government.[25] However, Hull Trains was able to resume services on 21 August 2020.[26] In October 2020, a three-year extension on Hull Trains' access rights was granted.[27]
Following the implementation of a second lockdown directed by the British government, Hull Trains announced on 2 November 2020 that it would once again be temporarily suspending all services from 5 November 2020.[28] After the second lockdown ended, Hull Trains resumed service on 3 December 2020 with a limited timetable.[29] Following a third lockdown's implementation, Hull Trains announced on 5 January 2021 that it would be once again temporarily suspending all services from 9 January 2021.[30] Regular services resumed on 12 April 2021.[31][32]
In August 2021 the track access agreement was extended until December 2032.[1]
1 train per day at weekends and some Bank Holidays. Retford is not called at on first Saturday southbound service.
Hull Trains began operating three services per day on 25 September 2000. In December 2002, a fourth daily service started, followed by a fifth in May 2004, a sixth in May 2005, and a seventh in December 2006.[33][34]
On 4 February 2015, one service per weekday was extended from Hull Paragon to Beverley in each direction.[35] In December 2015, one service was extended to Beverley at weekends.[36][37] In May 2019, a further service in each direction was extended from Hull Paragon to Beverley on weekdays.[38][39][40]
In 2008, First Hull Trains applied for track access rights to run services between Harrogate and London King's Cross via York under the First Harrogate Trains banner and from Cleethorpes to King's Cross via Lincoln and Spalding.[42][43][44] In January 2009, the Office of Rail Regulation released its decisions on the ECML route planning and rejected First Harrogate Trains' application.[45][8]
2024: Sheffield
On 5 January 2024, Hull Trains announced that it had submitted an application for a new service between London King's Cross and Sheffield.[46][47] The trains would also serve Woodhouse and Worksop. The company plans to start this service in the second half of 2025.
In September 2015, Hull Trains announced a £60million order for five new five-car bi-mode high-speed trains from Hitachi Rail with seating for 320 people.[48][49] In its proposed track access application, Hull Trains confirmed that these would be Class 802.[50] In August 2019, Hull Trains announced that it would branding its new trains as the 'Paragon' fleet.[51] The first unit entered service on 5 December 2019, with the Class 180 fleet not seeing service again following service suspension on 19 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[52]
In the Class 802 units, coach A is standard seating with wheelchair accommodation, coach B and coach C are both standard seating, coach D is both standard- and first-class seating and coach E is completely first-class seating with wheelchair accommodation.[53] The units do not have a cafe bar compared to the Class 180 units they replaced.[54]
When Hull Trains was initially established, one early obstacle was a shortage of viable rolling stock.[8]Brush Traction was approached with a request to build additional Class 43 power cars, but this proved to be uneconomic due to the need for extensive updates to comply with up-to-date safety legislation; instead, successful negotiations were completed to lease 3-car Class 170 Turbostars from sister GB Railways company Anglia Railways. Hull Trains commenced operations on 25 September 2000 with a fleet of Class 170 trains.[8] There was at least one occurrence of an Anglia Railways Class 86 and Mark 2 set operating as far as Doncaster.[57][58]
When the Strategic Rail Authority changed its policy on allowing train operating company assets to be hired out, Hull Trains needed to acquire its own fleet. It ordered four 3-car Class 170 Turbostars, the first entering service in March 2004.[59][8] These were intended only as an interim solution as four 4-car Class 222 Pioneers were ordered at the same time, but because the former were part of a speculative order already placed by Porterbrook they would be available in time.[60][61][62][63]
The Class 170 Turbostars entered service in March 2004.[59] It was planned that after being replaced, they would then be used on new services, but these services were never introduced, so the Class 170 trains were transferred to First ScotRail.[64][65] The Class 222 Pioneers entered service from May 2005.[66][67] Their introduction allowed for the maximum speed of Hull Trains' services to be increased from 100 to 125mph (161 to 201km/h), both shortening journey times and being more easy to slot around high speed services on the East Coast Main Line.[8]
During 2006, the number of first class passenger seats on each train was increased from 22 to 33 by reconfiguring their interiors, which included the removal of some standard class seating.[8] In January 2007, a Class 222 Pioneer was damaged when it was dropped off a maintenance jack; it would ultimately take two years to repair.[68][69] After a period of making do with only three trains, in January 2008 a Class 86 electric locomotive was hired from the AC Locomotive Group to haul a set of Mark 3s hired from Cargo-D for weekend London King's Cross to Doncaster services.[70][71][72]
The first set of five-car Class 180 Adelante units entered service with First Hull Trains in April 2008. In total, four sets were introduced releasing the locomotive-hauled fleet and the three Class 222 Pioneer sets.[73][74] The latter was transferred to East Midlands Trains along with the unit that was damaged.[75]
The Class 180s enabled First Hull Trains to provide more capacity by its additional carriage, but when the units first arrived they were plagued by technical difficulties, and a period of poor reliability for the company followed.[8] However, reliability later improved and the Class 180s were also given a refresh internally with new seat covers and a deep clean. New catering facilities for first class were also provided, and externally the units were repainted in FirstGroup's neon blue livery.[8]
Following further reliability problems with the Class 180s, an InterCity 125 HST set was hired from Great Western Railway in February 2019.[76] In April 2019, Hull Trains introduced another HST set to its network following more reliability problems.[77] Both of these HST sets returned to GWR in December 2019.[78]
Following the introduction of the Class 802 units, the Class 180 units were transferred in stages to East Midlands Railway to replace EMR's three six-carriage HSTs inherited from Grand Central. The first two units transferred to Derby Etches Park in January 2020 after a period in storage at Crofton Depot,[79] and the final two followed in summer 2020.[citation needed]
Maintenance of the Class 180 Adelantes was undertaken at Old Oak Common Depot alongside First Great Western's fleet until this depot closed in 2018.[80][81] Two sets (or occasionally three if there were no sets on maintenance) were stabled and serviced each night in Hull sidings by Hull Trains staff (where there were usually two fitters on at night to undertake basic fault repair and diagnostics) with fuelling and emptying of toilet tanks being undertaken at Arriva Rail North's Botanic Gardens TMD. The third service set was stabled at either Bounds Green or Old Oak Common as service requirements dictated. A day fitter was based at Hull from Bombardier at Crofton TMD.
The Class 802s are maintained by Hitachi at Bounds Green depot[82] with overnight servicing continuing to take place at Northern Trains Hull Botanic Gardens TMD.
Related Research Articles
The railway system in Great Britain is the oldest railway system in the world. The first locomotive-hauled public railway opened in 1825, which was followed by an era of rapid expansion. Most of the track is managed by Network Rail, which in 2024 had a network of 9,848 miles (15,849 km) of standard-gauge lines, of which 3,810 miles (6,130 km) were electrified. In addition, some cities have separate metro, light rail and tram systems, among them the historic London Underground and the Glasgow Subway. There are also many private railways, some of them narrow-gauge, which are primarily short lines for tourists. The main rail network is connected with that of continental Europe by the Channel Tunnel and High Speed 1, opened in 1994 and 2007 respectively.
Anglia Railways was a train operating company in England, owned by GB Railways and later FirstGroup, that operated the Anglia franchise from January 1997 until March 2004.
Great North Eastern Railway, often referred to as GNER, was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, owned by Sea Containers, that operated the InterCity East Coast franchise on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, North East England and Scotland from April 1996 until December 2007.
The InterCity 125 or High Speed Train (HST) is a diesel-powered high-speed passenger train built by British Rail Engineering Limited between 1975 and 1982. A total of 95 sets were produced, each comprising two Class 43 power cars, one at each end, and a rake of seven or eight Mark 3 coaches. The name is derived from its top operational speed of 125 mph (201 km/h). At times, the sets have been classified as British Rail Classes 253, 254 and 255.
First Greater Western, trading as Great Western Railway (GWR), is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that provides services in the Greater Western franchise area. It manages 197 stations and its trains call at over 270. GWR operates long-distance inter-city services along the Great Western Main Line to and from the West of England and South Wales, inter-city services from London to the West Country via the Reading–Taunton line, and the Night Riviera sleeper service between London and Penzance. It provides outer-suburban services in West London; commuter services from its London terminus at London Paddington to the Thames Valley region, including parts of Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire; and regional services throughout the West of England and South Wales to the South coast of England. Great Western Railway also operates the Heathrow Express service.
The British Rail Class 170 Turbostar is a British diesel-hydraulic multiple unit passenger train designed and built by Adtranz, and later by Bombardier Transportation, at Derby Litchurch Lane Works.
The British Rail Class 180 is a class of 14 diesel-hydraulic multiple unit passenger trains manufactured by Alstom at its Washwood Heath factory in 2000–01 for First Great Western (FGW). They are part of the Coradia 1000 family, along with the Class 175.
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The British Rail Mark 3 is a type of passenger carriage developed in response to growing competition from airlines and the car in the 1970s. A variant of the Mark 3 became the rolling stock for the High Speed Train (HST).
The British Rail Class 222 Meridian is a group of 5- or 7- car diesel-electric multiple-unit high-speed passenger train capable of 125 mph (200 km/h). Twenty-seven sets were built by Bombardier Transportation in Bruges, Belgium.
The British Rail Class 43 (HST) is the TOPS classification used for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train diesel-electric power cars, built by British Rail Engineering Limited from 1975 to 1982, and in service in the UK since 1976.
Hull Paragon Interchange is a transport interchange providing rail, bus and coach services located in the city centre of Kingston upon Hull, England. The G. T. Andrews-designed station was originally named Paragon Station, and together with the adjoining Station Hotel, it opened in 1847 as the new Hull terminus for the growing traffic of the York and North Midland (Y&NMR) leased to the Hull and Selby Railway (H&S). As well as trains to the west, the station was the terminus of the Y&NMR and H&S railway's Hull to Scarborough Line. From the 1860s the station also became the terminus of the Hull and Holderness and Hull and Hornsea railways.
Cottingham railway station serves the village of Cottingham in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Located on the Yorkshire Coast Line, it is managed by Northern. The station serves the northern suburbs of Hull and generates much commuter traffic.
Grand Central is an open-access train operating company in the United Kingdom. A subsidiary of Arriva UK Trains, it has operated passenger rail services since December 2007.
The Bombardier Voyager is a family of high-speed 125 mph diesel-electric multiple units built in Belgium by Bombardier Transportation, for service on the railway network of the United Kingdom. Construction of the Voyager family took place between 2000 and 2005, consisting of three classes - the Class 220 Voyager, the Class 221 Super Voyager and the Class 222 Meridian.
CrossCountry is a British train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the current CrossCountry franchise.
East Midlands Trains (EMT) was a British train operating company owned by the transport group Stagecoach, which operated the East Midlands franchise between November 2007 and August 2019.
The British Rail Class 802 is a type of high-speed bi-mode multiple-unit passenger train designed and produced by the Japanese manufacturer Hitachi Rail. It has been operated by Great Western Railway, TransPennine Express, and Hull Trains; each of these train operating companies has given its own units a unique brand: Great Western Railway's units are branded Intercity Express Trains (IETs), TransPennine Express units are branded Nova 1s and Hull Trains' units are branded Paragons.
East Midlands Railway is a British train operating company owned by Transport UK Group, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise.
↑ Hull Trains Company Limited Annual Accounts 2002
↑ "GB Rail Offer Unconditional" (Press release). FirstGroup. 14 August 2003. Archived from the original on 18 December 2003. Retrieved 25 November 2021.{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
↑ "First Group buys GB for $22million". The Railway Magazine. No.1229. September 2003. p.10.
↑ "GB Railways is bought by First Group for £22 million". Rail Express. No.88. September 2003. p.8.
↑ "The Pioneer"(PDF). No.7. First Hull Trains. Spring 2008. Archived from the original(PDF) on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2008.
Beardsley, Ian (December 2020). "It's never dull in Hull". Today's Railways. No.226. Sheffield: Platform 5. ISSN1475-9713.
Further reading
"Hull Trains wants to electrify line". The Railway Magazine. Vol.159, no.1345. Horncastle: Mortons Media Group. May 2013. p.7. ISSN0033-8923. OCLC750645684.
External links
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