Hull Trains has temporarily suspended all its services as a result of “unprecedented circumstances” surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
The company said it took the decision in a bid to safeguard the future of the business.
Despite running a revised timetable, numbers of people travelling on Hull Trains have dropped significantly since national guidance was issued for people to stay at home and stop all non-essential travel.
The company said revenues from ticket sales were vital, and its business model means it must survive purely as a commercial operation.
As one of three open-access operators in the country, it has not been offered additional financial support from the Government, which franchised rail operators have.
Louise Cheeseman, managing director of Hull Trains, said that suspending services was a difficult decision but it would help to safeguard the future of the business.
“We have explored every avenue to try and keep trains running but sadly it is not currently financially viable to run our services. We play a vital role in the regional economy, as recognised by our local MPs, and we fully intend to resume operations as soon as we can.
 |
| November's Launch of the new Paragon Trains |
“The move protects the long-term future of Hull Trains and our people’s jobs which is important as it will allow us to reinstate operations quickly when possible.
“We will continue to review the dynamic situation as it unfolds and we plan to return as a resilient train operator for the city of Hull and East Riding as soon as we can.”
Steve Montgomery, managing director of the rail division for FirstGroup, which owns Hull Trains, said: “We are very sorry to all Hull Trains passengers that we will be suspending services.
“In line with the entire rail industry, passenger volumes at Hull Trains have reduced substantially since mid-March and even with the steps we have taken to reduce the timetable we’re operating, current passenger numbers make it impossible to maintain the ongoing level of losses we have seen.
Steve Montgomery, managing director of the rail division for FirstGroup, which owns Hull Trains, said: “We are very sorry to all Hull Trains passengers that we will be suspending services.
“In line with the entire rail industry, passenger volumes at Hull Trains have reduced substantially since mid-March and even with the steps we have taken to reduce the timetable we’re operating, current passenger numbers make it impossible to maintain the ongoing level of losses we have seen.
“We have sought agreement to be included in the Government emergency measures but, as an open-access rail operator, this has not been afforded to us.
“Hull Trains brings much-needed connectivity to the local area providing a direct, frequent link to London that supports the local economy.
“Our commitment to Hull Trains and the entire East Yorkshire and Humber community is as strong as ever, as evidenced by our recent introduction of a £60 million fleet of new trains and we look forward to re-starting the service as soon as we can.”
In November of 2019 the company launched their new fleet of class 802 Paragon bi-mode trains which offered a high standard of comfort and service, including at seat food and drink for both first and second class passengers. see here
UPDATE 2ND APRIL 2020
LNER has stepped in to plug some of the gaps in the former Hull Trains timetable. The open access operator withdrew all its services from the start of this week as a result of falling demand.
LNER had removed its Hull services as part of the general reduction in timetables last week, but will now run four trains from today.
These are 05.47 Doncaster to Hull, 06.58 Hull to London King’s Cross, 17.18 London King’s Cross to Hull and 20.29 Hull to Doncaster. LNER said its priority was to ‘provide immediate assistance’ for key workers relying on trains between Hull, Selby, Brough and London.
In November of 2019 the company launched their new fleet of class 802 Paragon bi-mode trains which offered a high standard of comfort and service, including at seat food and drink for both first and second class passengers. see here
UPDATE 2ND APRIL 2020
LNER has stepped in to plug some of the gaps in the former Hull Trains timetable. The open access operator withdrew all its services from the start of this week as a result of falling demand.
LNER had removed its Hull services as part of the general reduction in timetables last week, but will now run four trains from today.
These are 05.47 Doncaster to Hull, 06.58 Hull to London King’s Cross, 17.18 London King’s Cross to Hull and 20.29 Hull to Doncaster. LNER said its priority was to ‘provide immediate assistance’ for key workers relying on trains between Hull, Selby, Brough and London.
