Grand Central announces when it will restart its London trains from Sunderland and Hartlepool

Grand Central is restoring its London services from Sunderland and Hartlepool in July.

The transport firm, which restored daily rail links between the capital and both North-East locations back in late 2007, suspended all services in early April following the onset of the coronavirus.

It has now revealed plans for a “measured return” from Sunday, July 26, with three daily return journeys between the region and King’s Cross Station.

The company, which furloughed the majority of its staff in April, intends to increase the number of services when demand improves.

Managing director Richard McClean said: “To be able to once again invite passengers to make seat reservations and buy tickets makes our return very real.

“The values of the Grand Central you enjoyed before the lockdown, such as getting the basics right and caring for our customers and colleagues, are still very much here and we will uphold those values now while ensuring the absolute safety of our passengers and staff.

“We have stayed close to all of the work our fellow train operators have been doing and we’re confident our approach will work for everyone.

“We’ve engaged in wide-reaching passenger surveys over the past couple of months and we’ve listened to you all on what you expect safe train travel to look like. If you buy your tickets on our website and provide your contact details, we’ll be able to let you know the latest information you’ll need for your journey.

“Grand Central started as just an idea 13 years ago and through the hard work of all our team we’ve become a vital service to communities overlooked by the bigger operators.

“I want to thank those passengers for their loyalty and I invite them to put their faith in Grand Central again as we return to their towns and cities”.

Passenger and staff safety measures will include increased cleaning during journeys and overnight at depots plus protective equipment for staff.

Customers will be able to alter their date of travel without penalty if their plans change and further information about the restored services is available at www.grandcentralrail.com.

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