It is 25 years since the first services run by the operator took to the main line between East Yorkshire and London
Staff at Hull Trains are looking back on 25 years of taking passengers between East Yorkshire and London. The city-based carrier, which is owned by transport company First Group, first service ran a service on September 25, 2000, with a three-carriage train borrowed from another operator.
A quarter of a century on, and Hull Trains now operates a fleet of five-carriage state-of-the-art 125mph, electric and diesel trains. Last year it served 1.5 million passengers and now has the capacity to take 40,000 customers onboard every week.
There is expansion in sight with permission granted to run an 8th service, Mondays to Saturdays from London to Hull in December. And a new fleet of bi-modal trains on order from Hitachi is set to boost capacity further.
The company, which is East Yorkshire’s only operator funded entirely through ticket sales, started its anniversary year with calls at a new station. Services stopped at Goole instead of Howden and Selby for a week in January as part of the company’s efforts to keep customers moving while there were works on the line.
In the same month, the blue-coated volunteers of Hull – who first appeared in 2016 to support the city’s year as UK City of Culture – were treated to return trips to London on Mondays as a thank you for their efforts.
Meanwhile 77 year-old Barry Coward was also given a train trip following his part in creating a special video to celebrate rail heritage in the region. Barry was the archivist of British Transport Films – a unit established in 1949 to encourage people to use public transport. And during his journey from Retford to Hull on Hull Trains, Barry recalled iconic films which were first shown at the Dorchester Theatre in Hull. He also visited the local docks in Hull, which were featured in one of the films – ‘Berth 24’ in 1950.
Support for local charities was another big feature of the year, with attention given to the annual Time to Talk Day in February. Four members of Selby-based charity ‘The Big Communi-Tea’ spent the day on board a Hull Trains service from Beverley to King’s Cross, chatting to customers and handing out positive affirmations to those onboard.
In the same month Hull Trains was recognised for its work supporting those with mental health challenges, winning a gold award at the highly respected Communicate Lens Awards held in London alongside popular Yorkshire broadcaster, Jon Mitchell. The campaign was designed to promote mental health and wellbeing through the discovery of Yorkshire’s stunning wildlife habitats, showcasing beauty spots along the Hull Trains route in partnership with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.
Later, five lifesaving defibrillators were donated to Bloodfast, the Hull-based organisation which provides 24/7 emergency response for the delivery of blood and essential medical supplies across the UK. The devices used on board Hull Trains were also upgraded to the very latest versions.
There was also work with long term partners Hull KR and Hull FC. That included a Q&A session for local children held on board a train ahead of the Good Friday Hull Debry. And as part of Dementia Action Week, Hull Trains teamed up with Alzheimer’s Society to give a group of people with dementia a special day out on the train.
For English Tourism Week in March, Bridlington-based star of The Traitors, Jack Marriner-Brown, partnered with Hull Trains to take in some of the best attractions along their route at the suggestion of social media followers. And in May the company supported the ‘Mischief of Rats’ sculpture trail, a tribute to the Hull band The Rats which featured David Bowie collaborator Mick Ronson.
In the same month, there was the first annual ‘Bee Lady Day’ – a celebration of the life of well-known Hull fundraiser, the late Jean Bishop, who raised more than £125,000 dressed as a bee, for the charity Age UK in East Yorkshire. Jean even has a Hull Train named after her. And this year, P.A.U.L For Brain Recovery, a charity that supports people across the region, is Hull Trains’ official charity partner with customers given the option to donate any Delay Repay claims directly to the charity.
Going into the summer, the company supported the Doncaster and Hull Pride events – bringing together drag queens from Hull and Sheffield for a special meetup in Doncaster, as well as sponsoring a stage at the annual Humber Street Sesh music event in Hull. In August, fans traveling to Coldplay’s momentous series of concerts at Craven Park were given the chance to use some services for free with a special ‘speed of sound’ train launched to mark the events.