The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has rejected applications to operate new services on the West Coast Main Line (WCML), citing insufficient capacity on the southern section of the route. The rejected proposals came from East Coast Trains Limited (Lumo NW), the Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway Company Limited (WSMR), and Virgin Management Limited (Virgin).
The ORR assesses all track access applications in accordance with its statutory duties. In the case of these three applications, the primary reasons for refusal were the lack of available capacity and the anticipated adverse impact on train performance. Consequently, the ORR’s duty to consider the funds available to the Secretary of State was not a factor in this specific decision.
The regulator’s assessment of the applications did include their operational viability, the potential benefits the services would generate, and the often supportive views expressed by passengers and local stakeholders. However, these factors did not alter the fundamental conclusion that the proposed services could not be introduced due to insufficient space on the network and the likely detriment to overall train performance.
Stephanie Tobyn, ORR’s Director of Strategy, Policy and and Reform, said: “After thorough assessment of each application, it was clear that there was insufficient capacity to approve any of the services without a serious negative impact on the level of train performance that passengers experience on the West Coast Main Line. We recognise the potential advantages of competition on the West Coast Main Line, which is why we approved in 2024 the new London-Stirling services that First Group are due to start operating in 2026. However, it is clear that the southern end of the route requires space in the timetable to provide resilience. Additional services within the current timetable structure and planned capacity use would further weaken punctuality and reliability, not just at the south end of the WCML but elsewhere as well.”
