Sheffield-London train service plans revealed by FirstGroup

The planned route will run between Sheffield and London King's Cross

A new, faster train service between Sheffield and London could be launched in the second half of next year.

Transport company FirstGroup plans to operate two daily return trips from Sheffield to London King's Cross via Retford, Worksop and Woodhouse.

It is part of its Hull Trains business, and would create competition for East Midlands Railway (EMR).

FirstGroup said its services would be faster than the EMR route between London St Pancras and Sheffield.

That train takes about two hours from South Yorkshire to the capital.

The proposal would also give Worksop, in Nottinghamshire, its first regular direct train service to London for decades.

No subsidies

FirstGroup said almost three-quarters of trips between Sheffield and London are currently made by car, with a further 9% by coach.

The new route would encourage more people to travel by train, it claimed.

The company has submitted the first phase of an application to run the service to regulator the Office of Rail and Road and a consultation will be launched shortly.

The service would run on an "open access" basis, meaning the company would not receive taxpayer-funded subsidies and take on all revenue risk.

Most train operators in Britain are paid a management fee, with the UK and devolved governments holding responsibility for costs and revenue.

Hull Trains currently operates up to seven daily services between London King's Cross and Hull/Beverley.

FirstGroup's other open access service, Lumo, launched in October 2021 and runs between London King's Cross and Edinburgh.

Graham Sutherland, the company's chief executive, said: "We want to leverage our extensive experience of running open access services and repeat the success of Hull Trains and Lumo through this new route that connects London and Sheffield.

"The new service will help to drive modal shift from road to rail by offering customers a more sustainable travel alternative between the two cities," he added.