Network Rail has reached an agreement with rail operator Great North Western Railway Company (GNWR) to sell access rights for West Coast Main Line services.
GNWR will now run six daily return services from Blackpool and Huddersfield to London.
The decision is pending approval by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR).
The decision was welcomed by the GTMC, which has supported Open Access across the rail network since the start of the year.
“This is a key step forward in the development of Open Access and greater competition across the UK rail network,” said GTMC CEO Paul Wait.
“There is great support for Open Access from the business travel community, not least because it will generate numerous benefits in terms of cost, connectivity and productivity from Open Access operators competing against incumbent franchises.
“We would urge the ORR to support this agreement and approve the sale so that business travellers and UK plc can start to reap the economic benefits of improved open access.”
GNWR managing director Ian Yeowart said: “It has taken a significant amount of work since our initial application in 2011 to get to this point where Network Rail has agreed to the sale of access rights.
“There is still some way to go following full approval, as new rolling stock needs to be ordered and a full recruitment process needs to be undertaken. The target dates for operation are set to coincide with the full electrification of the two routes.”
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