Sovereign Trains is a rolling stock operating company (ROSCO) formed in 2007 as part of the same group as Grand Union. The company was initially formed to fund the purchase of rolling stock for Grand Central for its operations between London and Sunderland, which Grand Central leases from Sovereign. At present this amounts to six Class 43 power cars and 24 Mark 3 coaches to form three complete trains. However, in 2007, Sovereign entered into a partnership with Chinese manufacturer CSR Ziyang to market their new range of trains in Europe, with Grand Central committing to operate the Polaris DEMU, should its track-access agreement be extended. Grand Northern will obtain similar new build rolling stock through Sovereign Trains at the same time should it be given access to operate its services.
In 2010, Sovereign Trains sold its three HST sets to one of the major ROSCOs, Angel Trains, which then leased the sets back to Grand Central.
Famous quotes containing the words sovereign and/or trains:
“If a Sovereign should, by great accident, deviate into moderation, justice, and clemency, what a contemptible figure would he make in the catalogue of Princes!”
—Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl Chesterfield (1694–1773)
“To write weekly, to write daily, to write shortly, to write for busy people catching trains in the morning or for tired people coming home in the evening, is a heartbreaking task for men who know good writing from bad. They do it, but instinctively draw out of harm’s way anything precious that might be damaged by contact with the public, or anything sharp that might irritate its skin.”
—Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)