Thanks for finding my video and pressing play! Join me as I take a relaxing trip with Grand Central,one of the few open-access train operators in Britain. I travel between London and Sunderland on a classic "Intercity 125", a design I rate so highly I place it on a par with Concorde. The Intercity 125 saved British Rail from complete obsolescence in the late 1970s, with its super-pragmatic and simple design, rounded off with distinctively British cab ends. These trains are still workhorses in Britain over 40 years after their introduction, thanks to their simple engineering and excellent passenger comfort. Enjoy the video! Who are Grand Central? (credit to Wiki...) Grand Central is an independent open-access operator of train services in the United Kingdom. It has operated passenger rail services on the East Coast Main Line from Sunderland to London King's Cross since December 2007; and from Bradford Interchange to London King's Cross since May 2010.[2] It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Trains. Grand Central connects Yorkshire and the North East to London with two routes. Five daily services on the North East to London route run between Sunderland and London King's Cross calling at Hartlepool, Eaglescliffe, Northallerton, Thirsk and York. This route is known as the North Eastern service. Grand Central has in the past given names to two trains on this route. Contrary to tradition in British named train services, these were individual one-way trips rather than not pairs. In the 2008 timetable, the name The Zephyr was given to the early morning (06:41) departure from Sunderland, while the evening (16:50) train from London was called The 21st Century Limited. As of the 2012 timetable, these names are no longer used by the company. Four daily services which run on the Yorkshire to London route operate between Bradford Interchange and London King's Cross calling at Halifax, Brighouse, Mirfield, Wakefield Kirkgate, and Doncaster. Some services also call at Pontefract Monkhill. This is known as the West Riding (or West Yorkshire) service.