The Leeds-London GNER service is more or less half-hourly during the daytime at the moment, but with a few gaps of an hour. From the timetable change in May 2007 the gaps will be filled to give a genuine half-hourly service, which has been an aspiration for some time. The ORR approved GNER's track access application for the extra timetable paths on 18/1/2007. See http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/s22-GNER_12sa_declet.pdf for the 'decision letter'. GNER will need a couple of extra HST sets to run the additional services and these will be coming from Midland Main Line who have a bit of an HST surplus now that they have the Class 222 'Meridian' trains.
Section 16 (a) of the decision letter is quite interesting:
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16. Following the replacement of GNER’s franchise agreement with a management contract with DfT, we asked DfT what it required of GNER in relation to the additional Leeds services. DfT confirmed that it required the services to be implemented from 21 May 2007 and that the conditions precedent to be satisfied for this service were that:
(a) DfT must approve the rolling stock leases for the additional HST sets; and
(b) suitable paths must have been allocated by Network Rail, and access rights approved by ORR, to enable the trains to run.
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Have we had written evidence before that DfT must approve a lease?
Trying to get to the bottom of all this it appears that DfT has to approve long term leases (anything more than 28 days) but not a short term lease. It would be interesting to know where the requirement to approve leases comes from. Is it:
a) a legal requirement
b) the leasing companies refusing to sign the lease unless the DfT underwrites it
c) a requirement invented by the DfT to enable it control the size of a TOCs' train fleet (and hence control the leasing costs so that they don't jeopardise the size of the premium)