Hull Trains celebrating 25 years

A quarter of a century ago, Hull Trains became the UK's first open access passenger train operator. Former BBC Radio Humberside presenter, now rail journalist, Andy Comfort looks back at an eventful 25 years for Hull's local train company....

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NOWADAYS, with a total of 8 direct return weekday train services between Hull and London, it's easy to forget what life was like before Hull Trains came along 25 years ago.

There was one train a day, leaving Hull at 7am and coming back from King's Cross at 5.20pm. The service had been pared back over the years by British Rail, and the private franchised operator of the time, GNER, had no plans to run more services.

However, Hull was growing. A population of 243,595 in the 2001 Census placed it as the 12th biggest city in England, larger than the likes of Stoke-on-Trent, Bournemouth and Derby, all of which had a regular train service to and from the capital. Two former British Rail managers, Mike Jones and John Nelson, saw the potential for a private company to step in and run direct services, and the appropriately named Renaissance Trains was founded in 1997.

Just before the turn of the Millennium, the company secured an agreement to allow access to the tracks to run 3 daily return services between Hull and London King's Cross. Trains had to be hired in from another operator, Anglia Railways, and in September 2000, Hull Trains became the country's first "open access" train operator, meaning they were not franchised by the government and had to be self-funding.

The first trains were 3 carriages long and could only reach a maximum speed of 100mph unlike the faster 125mph trains, operated by GNER. That didn't bother people from Hull and East Yorkshire - they were pleased to have more through services and more choice, and they were probably relieved that they didn't have to catch the stopping train to Doncaster and stand on a draughty platform anymore.