AFTER ITS recent application was turned down by the Office of Rail and Road (see RI April, p7), open access operator Grand Union Trains has submitted another application to run a new service between London and South Wales. Unlike the first application, which was for six or seven return services a day, the latest proposal is for only four per day to start in May 2022, with access rights for an initial 12 years. As before the trains would run between Cardiff and Paddington initially, calling at Newport, Severn Tunnel Junction and Bristol Parkway, plus the new Cardiff Parkway station, using Class 91s and Mk 4s. Then in May 2024 the service would be extended to Carmarthen, calling additionally at Swansea and Llanelli using new Hitachi Class 802s. Grand Union has made much of the recommendations of the South East Wales Transport Commission, led by Lord Burns, to improve connectivity on the South Wales route. The rationale for the ORR turning down the earlier application was due to the COVID pandemic's effect on passenger demand. With fewer passengers travelling, it could abstract more revenue from the primary operator on the line - Great Western Railway. By reducing the number of daily trains, Grand Union expects the abstraction to be within the ORR's limits. If Grand Union succeeds it will be required to pay the Infrastructure Cost Charge for open access operators, which it claims would mean, on a path-bypath basis, its charges would be higher than they are for GWR.
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