Alliance Rail Holdings

Alliance Rail Holdings is developing plans to operate rail passenger services in the United Kingdom through its subsidiaries Great North Western Railway Company Limited and Great North Eastern Railway Company Limited. These services were planned to start from December 2013. The company seeking access rights of up to 30 years to reflect the investment proposed.

Alliance has undertaken detailed timetabling and economic work to support its application to the Office of Rail Regulation 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 majority owned by Arriva.

The Office of Rail Regulation stated that it will not be able to make a decision on the WCML application until the InterCity West Coast franchising was complete. The Office of Rail Regulation is expected to review Alliance's application by the end of 2013.

Great North Eastern Railway
The Great North Eastern Railway service, which would resurrect the name of the defunct Sea Containers subsidiary of the same name, is planned to run between London King's Cross, Cleethorpes, Bradford Forester Square, Ilkley, and Edinburgh.

The planned timetable is as follows:
 * 2 hourly services to Ilkley / Bradford: London King's Cross, Doncaster, East Leeds (Parkway), Leeds, Kirkstall, then Shipley and Bradford Forster Square or Guiseley and Ilkley.
 * 4 daily services to Cleethorpes: London King's Cross, Doncaster, Thorne South (Parkway), Scunthorpe, Habrough, Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes.
 * Hourly East Coast service to Newcastle / Edinburgh: London King's Cross, Newcastle and Edinburgh.

Great North Western Railway
The Great North Western Railway service is planned to run between London Euston, Leeds, Halifax, Bradford, Blackpool North and Carlisle.

The planned timetable is as follows:
 * 2 hourly services to Leeds (in opposite hour to Bradford): London Euston, Milton Keynes Central, Rugby, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Crewe, Alderley Edge, Macclesfield, Stockport, Stalybridge, Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Leeds.
 * 2 hourly services to Bradford (in opposite hour to Leeds): London Euston, Milton Keynes Central, Rugby, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Crewe, Winsford (Parkway), Warrington Bank Quay, Newton-le-Willows (Parkway), Eccles (Parkway), Manchester Victoria, Rochdale, Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Halifax and Bradford Interchange.
 * 3 daily services to Carlisle (in opposite hour to Blackpool): London Euston, Milton Keynes Central, Rugby, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Crewe, Winsford (Parkway), Warrington Bank Quay, Newton-le-Willows (Parkway), Preston, Lancaster, Carnforth, Ulverston, Barrow-in-Furness, Millom, Sellafield, Whitehaven, Workington, Maryport, Wigton and Carlisle.
 * 5 daily services to Blackpool (in opposite hour to Carlisle): London Euston, Milton Keynes Central, Rugby, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Crewe, Winsford (Parkway), Warrington Bank Quay, Newton-le-Willows (Parkway), Preston, Kirkham & Wesham, Poulton-le-Fylde and Blackpool North.

Rolling stock
It had been proposed that services be operated by new-build dual-mode (diesel + electric) Polaris rolling stock, capable of up to 140 mph. Sixteen trainsets were expected to be ordered, which would have had a capacity of up to 350 passengers each. However, the Polaris deal was not finalised and Alliance has indicated that it is investigating ordering new, updated Pendolino sets from Alstom.

On the WCML and ECML routes, Alliance is looking to use trains that can operate at maximum line speed, with six passenger carriages. A mixture of first and standard class seating is expected. On the Pennine route, four-carriage trains would be required.