29th Jul 2025 11:30
(Alliance News) - FirstGroup PLC on Tuesday welcomed the award of extensions to its Hull Trains and Lumo open access rail services, though expressed disappointment that a proposed new route between London and Sheffield was blocked by regulators.
The Office of Rail & Road approved a set of new services across the East Coast main line, including an additional Hull Trains service between London King's Cross and Hull running on weekdays and Saturdays starting in December, as well as new Lumo services between London, Newcastle, and Glasgow.
The company said the added services will boost its open access rail capacity by around 118 million seat miles, bringing the total to over 1 billion and doubling its current capacity when combined with new Stirling and Carmarthen routes launching in 2026 and 2027.
Chief Executive Officer Graham Sutherland said the expansion "is an important step in our efforts to materially grow our open access business and will allow us to build on the substantial benefits we are making to the communities we serve."
However, FirstGroup's application to operate a new Hull Trains route connecting London King's Cross and Sheffield was rejected. The company said it was"disappointed" by the decision, arguing the service would have restored a regular London link to Sheffield for the first time since 1968 and provided direct access to the capital for an estimated 350,000 people in areas like Worksop and Woodhouse.
The ORR said it rejected some proposals due to concerns about network capacity and potential impacts on other operators and government revenue.
FirstGroup said it would continue to explore opportunities to serve the Sheffield route in the future.
Shares in the company were up 0.1% at 221.40 pence in London on Tuesday morning.
By Eva Castanedo, Alliance News reporter
Comments and questions to [email protected]
Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Related Shares:
Firstgroup