First Harrogate Trains

First Harrogate Trains

Overview
Franchise(s):	Open access operator
Main (s):	Harrogate Line East Coast Main Line
Parent company:	FirstGroup (80%) Renaissance Trains (20%)
Website:	www.harrogatetrains.co.uk

First Harrogate Trains^[1] was a proposed open access operator with ambitions to run passenger services between Harrogate and London King's Cross via York.^[2][3][4][5]

First Harrogate Trains was a subsidiary of Hull Trains, owned by FirstGroup (80%) and Renaissance Trains (20%).

The application to run trains was rejected by the Office of Rail Regulation in February 2009.^[6] It cited that the services would not bring enough new patronage and thus rely on abstracting revenue from existing train operating companies.^[7]

Had it been successful, it was intended that services would have commenced in the summer of 2009.^[8]

Rolling stock

The preferred rolling stock to be used was Class 180 Adelante or Class 222 Pioneer trains, the types used by Hull Trains currently and previously respectively.^[9][10]

Route

First Harrogate Trains route map
Harrogate Starbeck Knaresborough Cattal Hammerton Poppleton York Doncaster Retford Grantham Stevenage London Kings Cross

First Harrogate Trains proposed to run from Harrogate to London with up to four services each way per day calling at:^[9]

• Harrogate
• Starbeck
• Knaresborough
• Cattal
• Hammerton
• Poppleton
• York
• Doncaster
• Retford
• Grantham
• Stevenage
• London King's Cross

References