The UK Office of Rail Regulation has awarded a ten-year contract extension to Grand Central Rail to continue operation of services between Mirfield, Brighouse and London.
Under the contract, the company will continue operating services from London King’s Cross to Sunderland and Bradford until 2026.
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Grand Central managing director Richard McClean said: "Not only does this mean we can continue to operate services connecting Sunderland and Bradford to London King’s Cross, but we are also in a position to finalise significant investment to improve our services and encourage future economic growth.
"For many of the towns on our routes, we operate the only direct service to London, so this extension is also a big coup for those communities and local businesses, who can continue to make connections to the capital.
"Our new access rights give us the opportunity to make significant investment in the rolling stock to improve reliability. We will also work with stations along our route to improve facilities like car parks."
Grand Central currently provides an easy and direct train service from the north-east and Yorkshire to London King’s Cross.
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By GlobalDataThe company aims to deliver the best possible customer service to its passengers, as well as comfortable seats, free Wi-Fi and extra luggage space.
Grand Central has been named as one of UK’s highest rated long-distance train operator with 94% customer satisfaction in the latest National Rail passenger survey.
