The ruling by the Office of Rail Regulation will see Grand Central being allowed to run a third daily service between King’s Cross and Sunderland.
Grand Central was one of a number of “Open Access” operators who had sought the right to use spare capacity on the line.
But finding space for additional entrants had proved difficult and triggered a fierce row between Grand Central and GNER, the previous main operator on the line.
However additional paths have been found, making it possible for new entrants to compete for business on the line.
As a result there will also be three new services running between Bradford Interchange and King’s Cross, run by Grand Central’s sister company, Grand Northern.
Meanwhile National Express East Coast has been told that it will be able to continue running 12 additional services – six each way – between London and Leeds.
The company could also bee allowed to run direct services to Harrogate, although this will need approval from the Department for Transport.
Hull Trains has also been told that it can run seven weekday and five weekend services to and from King’s Cross.
However another company, Platinum Trains, has failed to convince the operator of its case to run a new service between Aberdeen and King’s Cross.
The British rail regulator has announced new train services for the country's premier line.

New "open access" (unregulated and non-franchised) company Grand Northern is to be given space (known in the industry as "paths") to run three train services a day between London King's Cross and Bradford, Halifax, Wakefield and Pontefract in West Yorkshire. Grand Northern's sister open access company Grand Central was given an extra path to increase services between King's Cross and Sunderland.

The existing franchisee of the line, National Express East Coast, was given the right to run services to London from Harrogate, Lincoln and Bradford, but not provided with paths unless the government changes the contracts of the other franchises whose territory these services would cross.
locomotive 43080 at King's Cross station 
Two other potential open access providers had their plans rejected by the regulator. First Group's Hull Trains had wanted to start a new service, Harrogate Trains, to run from North Yorkshire to London, whilst Platinum Trains had sought paths from London to Aberdeen in Scotland.

Britain's state-owned national railway company British Rail was controversially split-up and privatized in stages between 1993 and 1997. It was replaced by a series of privately owned regional train franchises for set periods, several unfranchised open access services and a track control and maintenance company.