Alliance Rail

Alliance Rail Holdings is a proposed train operating company in the United Kingdom and is finalising its development plans for the operation of new rail services on a number of routes through its subsidiaries Great North Western Railway Co Ltd (GNWR) and Great North Eastern Railway Co Ltd (GNER). The services are planned to start from December 2013 when Virgin Trains and National Express East Coast franchises have expired. Alliance is now currently undertaking detailed timetabling and economic work to support its application to the ORR for the establishment of these new rail routes. This work will also provide the opportunity to review the potential for the re-introduction of a more regular inter-city service at locations such as Nuneaton and Tamworth, and also offer new direct services between West Yorkshire and Crewe, allowing easy onward connections to Wales and the South West. Alliance Rail Holdings is headed by Ian Yeowart, founder and former managing director of Grand Central Railway. A new development team was announced on 12 August 2010. The venture is being partly funded by Arriva, who are owned by Deutsche Bahn.

Great North Eastern Railway
The Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) service, which would resurrect the name of the defunct Sea Containers subsidiary Great North Eastern Railway, is planned to run between London King's Cross, Cleethorpes, Skipton, Ilkley and Huddersfield, while running services between Hull and Liverpool via Bradford and Leeds. The planned timetable is as follows:
 * 2 Hourly services in opposite hour to Skipton / Ilkley: London King's Cross, Retford, Worksop, Sheffield, Meadowhall, Barnsley, Penistone and Huddersfield.
 * 2 Hourly services in opposite hour to Huddersfield: London King's Cross, Micklefield Parkway, Leeds, Shipley and Keighley, Skipton or Guiseley and Ilkley.
 * Four daily: London King's Cross, Doncaster, Thorne South (Parkway), Scunthorpe, Habrough, Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes.
 * Two Hourly: Hull, Brough, Howden, Selby, Micklefield Parkway, Leeds, Bradford Interchange, Halifax, Hebden Bridge, Rochdale, Manchester Victoria, Eccles (Parkway), Newton-le-Willows Parkway, St Helens and Liverpool Lime Street.

Great North Western Railway
The Great North Western Railway (GNWR) service is planned to run between London Euston, Leeds, Halifax, Bradford, Blackpool North and Carlisle. The planned timetable is as follows:
 * Two hourly service in opposite hour to Bradford: London Euston, Kings Langley Parkway, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Crewe, Alderley Edge, Stockport, Guide Bridge Parkway, Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Leeds
 * Two hourly service in opposite hour to Leeds: London Euston, Kings Langley Parkway, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Crewe, Winsford Parkway, Newton-le-Willows Parkway, Eccles Parkway, Manchester Victoria, Rochdale, Hebden Bridge, Halifax and Bradford Interchange.
 * Three daily services in opposite hour to Carlisle: London Euston, Kings Langley Parkway, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Crewe, Winsford Parkway, Newton-le-Willows Parkway, Preston, Lancaster, Carnforth, Ulverston, Barrow-in-Furness, Sellafield, Whitehaven, Workington, Maryport, Wigton, Carlisle.
 * Four daily services in opposite hour to Blackpool: London Euston, Kings Langley Parkway, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Crewe, Winsford Parkway, Newton-le-Willows Parkway, Preston, Kirkham & Wesham and Blackpool North.

Rolling stock
It is planned that services would be operated by new-build Polaris rolling stock, capable of up to 140 mph. 16 trainsets are expected to be ordered, which would have a capacity of up to 350 passengers. On the WCML and ECML routes Alliance would look to use trains that can operate at maximum line speed, with 6 passenger carriages. A mixture of first and standard class seating would be provided. On the Pennine route 4 passenger carriages would be required.