Managing Director of Hull Trains, Louise Cheeseman, has drawn up a strategy as the operator announces plans to resume services from 12th April 2021.
Hull Trains is preparing to welcome back passengers when they begin to operate a limited timetable.
For the third time, Hull Trains suspended its services on the 9th January 2021, when the third national lockdown was announced.
Unlike other franchised operators, Hull Trains does not receive any government help through the coronavirus pandemic.
Normally, Hull Trains would operate 92 train services a week from Hull to London and has recently introduced new bi-mode Paragon trains.
Louise said: “We are really pleased to be able to announce a return date, and we're looking forward to welcoming passengers safely on board from April.
“We are returning with a reduced timetable at this stage while we monitor customer demand and steadily build the business back up. Now we have a roadmap out of lockdown, I'm really confident that more people will start to travel by rail again.
“It's been a very challenging time for the industry, and as an open-access operator, we have had to hibernate the business three times. This has impacted on our workforce and sadly, it was necessary to make 26% of colleagues redundant.
“We have had to make other challenging cost saving decisions to protect the long-term future of the business and safeguard as many roles as possible.
“The focus of the last twelve months has been on making sure we have a strong foundation to return given that we will play a role in stabilizing the region's economy after the pandemic.
“I'm excited and hopeful about our return and want to thank our stakeholders and customers for their ongoing support. As soon as tickets are on sale for travel, we will be announcing this on our website.”
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Good. Good to see Hull Trains returning to normal.