YORK train operator Grand Central celebrates its third birthday tomorrow, having doubled its passenger numbers over the past two years.

Managing director Tom Clift has revealed there are 40,000 passenger journeys the company’s East Coast Mainline trains every month, compared with only 20,000 two years ago.

He said he had been buoyed by positive customer feedback when market research was carried out, with passengers indicating they are loyal to the firm, which they saw as an underdog breaking a monopoly on the line and wanted it to succeed.

However, he conceded improvements were still needed, and the firm was:

• Reconditioning the engines on all its old HST locomotives

• Revamping air conditioning and heating

• Planning to improve on-board catering facilities.

Grand Central, whose offices are in Museum Street, launched its train service from Sunderland to London via York on December 18, 2007, a year later than originally planned after being troubled by a series of high-profile delays.

Its four trains a day are a rival service to East Coast for York passengers wanting to head to the capital.

It also launched a second new service earlier this year, from West Yorkshire cities such as Bradford and Halifax to London, and it recently applied for permission to run a third service, a direct train from London to Blackpool.

Mr Clift said if the York service could be viewed in isolation, it was now profitable. However, the costs associated with the company’s launch of the new Bradford service had kept Grand Central in deficit for the time being, as had always been anticipated.

He revealed Grand planned to launch a fourth train service on Sundays on the York route next May, as the current three services a day were struggling to meet growing demand on the company’s busiest day.

He said ticket barriers were to be introduced at Kings Cross next year and Grand Central was in discussions with East Coast, which is responsible for their introduction, to ensure passengers are not barred from boarding without a ticket and buying one on the train – one of the firm’s key selling points.

He was confident customers would be able to get past the new barriers to carry on boarding his trains in this way.

He said Grand Central had turned down one unexpected request earlier this year – to transport a coffin, with a body inside, up the line from London. He said he had been concerned passengers might have seen the coffin and been distressed.