Understand
Office of Rail and Road rejects bids for new train services on the West Coast Main Line
Overview
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has rejected proposals for new train services connecting London with Wrexham, Rochdale, and Blackpool. The regulator concluded that adding more trains to the heavily used West Coast Main Line would reduce network resilience, increase delays, and raise the risk of disruption for passengers.
Key points
- Plans for new train services between London and Wrexham, Rochdale, and Blackpool have been rejected by the ORR.
- Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway's application for Wrexham to London Euston services was denied.
- Lumo's proposal for services between Rochdale and Euston was rejected.
- Avanti West Coast's application for additional services between Blackpool and Euston was also refused.
- The regulator stated that the West Coast Main Line is under significant pressure and lacks the timetable resilience to support extra trains without increasing delays.