Overview | |
---|---|
Franchise(s) | InterCity East Coast 24 June 2018 – present |
Main region(s) | |
Fleet size |
|
Stations called at | 55 |
Stations operated | 11 |
Parent company | DfT OLR Holdings for Department for Transport |
Reporting mark | GR |
Predecessor | Virgin Trains East Coast |
Other | |
Website | www |
London North Eastern Railway [2] (LNER) is a British train operating company. It is owned by DfT OLR Holdings for the Department for Transport (DfT). The company's name echoes that of the London and North Eastern Railway, one of the Big Four companies which operated between 1923 and 1948.
During June 2018, LNER took over the InterCity East Coast franchise, after the previous privately owned operator Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC) returned it to the government following sustained financial difficulties. The DfT intended for the company to operate the franchise until a new public–private partnership could be established during 2020. However, in July 2019, it was announced that LNER had been given a direct-award to run these services beyond 28 June 2020, up until 25 June 2023, [3] making it the longest franchise on the East Coast Main Line since Great North Eastern Railway (GNER). [4] Early on, the integration of Great Northern services into LNER's operation after the expiration of the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise in 2021 was being actively considered as well.
LNER provides long-distance inter-city services on the East Coast Main Line to and from London; the principal destinations served are Leeds, York, Newcastle upon Tyne and Edinburgh. It directly manages 11 stations, [5] while its trains call at 55 stations in total. LNER's initial rolling stock consisted of a fleet of InterCity 125 and InterCity 225 high speed trains that it had inherited from VTEC. During May 2019, the first batch of Class 800 bi-mode high speed multiple units, based on the Hitachi A-train platform, entered service, followed by the very similar Class 801 electric multiple units during September of that year. Branded by LNER as the Azuma, their introduction has permitted the InterCity 125 sets to be withdrawn from service entirely, along with most of the InterCity 225s. A limited number of InterCity 225 sets have been retained and continue to be regularly operated by LNER.
During November 2017, the then Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, announced the early termination of the InterCity East Coast franchise in 2020, three years ahead of schedule; this action had followed persistent losses incurred by Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC), the operator of the route. VTEC had been contracted to pay more than £2 billion in franchise premiums to the British government across the final four years of its contract. [6] [7]
In February 2018, the end date of the VTEC franchise was brought forward to mid-2018; the Department for Transport (DfT) had decided to either negotiate with VTEC for it to continue running the franchise on a temporary non-profit basis while a new franchise competition was conducted, or to arrange for VTEC be taken over by the DfT's operator of last resort. [8] [9] [10] On 16 May 2018, it was announced that the latter option was now being pursued and as such, LNER would take over operations from VTEC on 24 June 2018. [11] [12] The DfT also announced that LNER would be the long-term brand applied to the InterCity East Coast franchise. [13] During a speech in May 2018, the Secretary of State for Transport stated that Great Northern services could potentially be integrated into the operation when the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise expires in 2021 as part of the overall strategy for the East Coast franchise. [14]
The setting up of LNER is the second occasion that a government-appointed operator of last resort has taken control of the InterCity East Coast franchise; between 2009 and 2015, the franchise had been operated by East Coast. It had taken over operations from National Express East Coast after that operator had defaulted on franchise payments to the government, and thus had its franchise taken away. [15] East Coast had been the prior operator to VTEC being selected to take over the franchise. [16]
A major aspect of LNER's vision for the franchise has been the rollout of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). David Horne, LNER's managing director, stated that digital signalling is necessary to unlock the full capabilities of its rolling stock, enabling drivers to continuously receive information in real time, yielding improvements in responsiveness, safety, and reliability over the traditional lineside signalling. [17] The company has worked with Network Rail, the British government, and the trade unions on this endeavour, and has been heavily involved in the planning and preparatory works; it has also undertaken the training of its staff in readiness for its use. [18]
By mid-2020, LNER had considerably curtailed its services in response to the significant decline of passenger travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic. [19] [20] From 15 June 2020, both passengers and staff on public transport in England, including LNER services, were required to wear face coverings while travelling, and that anyone failing to do so would be liable to be refused travel or fined. [21] [22]
LNER is one of several train operators impacted by the 2022-2024 United Kingdom railway strikes, which are the first national rail strikes in the UK for three decades. [23] Its workers are amongst those who have voted in favour of taking industrial action due to a dispute over pay and working conditions. [24] [25] LNER appealed to the public not to use its services on the days of the strikes, as it was only capable of operating a minimal timetable on those dates because of the number of its staff involved. [26] [27]
In January 2024, the company announced a new service between London King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley that would take around four hours, faster than current times by 30 minutes. The service would only stop at York and Newcastle before Edinburgh, with LNER aiming to take 60 percent of total air and rail travellers between London and Edinburgh, and currently awaiting approval from the DFT. [28] [29]
As of December 2023 [update] , the off-peak and daily service pattern Monday to Friday is as follows. [30]
Regular services | ||
---|---|---|
Route | tph | Calling at |
London King's Cross to Lincoln | 1tp2h | |
London King's Cross to York | 1tp2h | |
London King's Cross to Leeds | 1 |
|
1tp2h |
| |
London King's Cross to Harrogate | 1tp2h |
|
London King's Cross to Edinburgh Waverley | 1 |
|
1 |
| |
Irregular services | ||
Route | tpd | Calling at |
London King's Cross to Bradford Forster Square | 2 |
|
London King's Cross to Skipton | 1 |
|
London King's Cross to Hull Paragon | 1 |
|
London King's Cross to Middlesbrough | 1 |
|
London King's Cross to Sunderland | 1 |
|
London King's Cross to Glasgow Central | 1 |
|
London King's Cross/Leeds to Aberdeen | 4 |
|
London King's Cross to Inverness | 1 |
|
London King's Cross to Stirling | 1 |
|
An expanded service to Lincoln began on 21 October 2019, when four terminating services at Newark Northgate were extended into Lincoln. [31] This is in addition to the sole one train per day service, which in all, now provides five out and back workings to and from London King's Cross. LNER also planned for the December 2019 timetable change that a sixth return service to London from Lincoln would be introduced and five extra services on a Saturday would begin from 7 December 2019. [32] From December 2019, LNER introduced a Harrogate to London service six times a day. [33] LNER expected to introduce two-hourly services to Bradford and a daily service to Huddersfield by May 2020 when more Azuma trains had been introduced, however the latter has not yet been introduced. [34] [35] [ clarification needed ]
During September 2018, a proposed service to Middlesbrough was announced, though the Rail Minister, Jo Johnson, informed Parliament that this proposal was dependent on the Azumas being brought into service on the ECML, in addition to other schemes then in progress, that would provide sufficient capacity to enable the service to run. [36] This service commenced on 13 December 2021.[ citation needed ]
A 1tpd service to Cleethorpes as an extension of a Lincoln service is currently being explored. [37]
London North Eastern Railway operates a number of named passenger services. [30]
Name | Origin | Destination | Calling at | Other details |
---|---|---|---|---|
Carolean Express | London King's Cross | Edinburgh Waverley | York, Darlington, Newcastle and Berwick-upon-Tweed. [38] [39] | Runs from London to Edinburgh only. Named to commemorate the coronation of Charles III and Camilla. [40] |
Flying Scotsman | Edinburgh Waverley | London King's Cross | Newcastle. [41] | Service began 1862 in both directions; named by LNER in 1924. Now Edinburgh to London and only stops at Newcastle for a driver/crew swap. |
Highland Chieftain | London King's Cross | Inverness | York, Darlington, Newcastle, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Edinburgh Waverley, Haymarket, Falkirk Grahamston, Stirling, Gleneagles, Perth, Pitlochry, Kingussie, Aviemore, Inverness. [42] | The longest LNER route |
Northern Lights | London King's Cross | Aberdeen | York, Darlington, Newcastle, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Edinburgh Waverley, Haymarket, Inverkeithing, Kirkcaldy, Leuchars, Dundee, Arbroath, Montrose, Stonehaven, Aberdeen. [43] | |
West Riding Limited | Bradford Forster Square | London King's Cross | Shipley, Leeds, Wakefield Westgate. | Operates from Bradford to London only. |
At its commencement, LNER operated a fleet of diesel-powered InterCity 125 and electric InterCity 225 high speed trains that it had inherited from VTEC. Since September 2016, VTEC had also hired three Class 90s from DB Cargo for use on services to Newark, York and Leeds. LNER inherited these locomotives and retained them until June 2019 to cover for the shortage of Class 91 locomotives.[ citation needed ]
During May 2019, the first batch of Class 800 new-build high speed trains began entering service, the very similar Class 801 trains also followed in September of that year. These units are based on the Hitachi A-train design and LNER retained the Azuma brand for the units which was originally designated by VTEC. [44] The initial operation of these units allowed the InterCity 125 and InterCity 225 fleets to be replaced gradually. On 15 May, the first Azuma train to enter service, a nine-carriage Class 800/1, was operated on the Leeds route from King's Cross. [45] Other subclasses of the Class 800 and 801 variants entered service afterwards; the first two five-carriage Class 801/1 sets entered service on 16 September, operating as a ten-carriage train; the first lot of five-carriage Class 800/2 sets entered service to coincide with the launch of the new King's Cross - Lincoln services on 21 October while the first two nine-carriage Class 801/2 sets entered service on 18 November. [46] [47] [48] [49] By May 2021, all units in the Azuma fleet had entered revenue service following unit 800109's return to service, which was the unit involved in the derailment at Neville Hill TMD in November 2019 and subsequently had to undergo repairs. [50] [51]
Following the withdrawal of the InterCity 125 fleet in December 2019, it was previously thought that the InterCity 225 fleet would be fully withdrawn by June 2020. [52] However, on 29 January 2020, LNER announced that they would be retaining a limited number of the InterCity 225 fleet to deliver all of the benefits of their December 2021 timetable. [53] In September 2020, Eversholt Rail Group (the train owner) and London North Eastern Railway extended their lease to ten units by 2023; additionally, there are options to extend the time frame up to 2024. These retained units have been subject to an overhaul performed at Wabtec's Doncaster plant. [54] [55] At the end of service on 15 January 2021, the remaining serviceable InterCity 225 sets went into storage temporarily as part of the East Coast Upgrade. [56] Originally, the plan was to return the sets to service for 7 June 2021, however, the first set actually re-entered service on 11 May 2021 due to a number of Azuma sets having to be taken temporarily out of service for inspections and repairs where appropriate. [57]
During June 2022, LNER unveiled its new livery, based on the traditional British Rail-era Intercity styling, on one of its remaining InterCity 225 sets. [58]
In November 2023, LNER announced an order of 10 tri-mode multiple units from CAF to serve the ECML, including an 8-year maintenance agreement. The contract is valued at over €500 million and is financed by rolling stock company, Porterbrook. The trains will be able to run on 25kV 50 Hz electrification, battery and diesel power. [59] [60]
Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Carriages | Built | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mph | km/h | ||||||
InterCity 225 trains | |||||||
91 | Electric locomotive | 125 | 200 | 12 | 8 sets formed of 9 carriages each [61] | 1988–1991 | |
Mark 4 | Passenger carriage | 73 | 1989–1992 | ||||
Driving Van Trailer | Control car | 9 | 1989-1991 | ||||
Hitachi AT300 Azuma trains | |||||||
800/1 | Bi-mode multiple unit | 125 | 200 [62] | 13 | 9 | 2015-2018 | |
800/2 | 10 | 5 | 2018 | ||||
| |||||||
801/1 | Electric multiple unit | 12 | 5 | 2017-2020 | |||
801/2 | 30 | 9 | |||||
|
In November 2023, LNER placed an order for 10 ten car tri-mode (electric, diesel and battery power) Civity trains from CAF. [59] [60]
The entry into service of the Azuma fleet allowed all fourteen of LNER's HST sets to be withdrawn from service, with the last three sets working their final services with LNER on 15 December 2019. [63] Nine of the sets transferred to East Midlands Railway, with two power cars from one set transferring to CrossCountry to supplement its existing five sets. [64]
Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Built | Carriages | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mph | km/h | ||||||
InterCity 125 trains (HSTs) | |||||||
43 | Diesel locomotive | 125 | 200 | 32 | 1976–1982 | 14 sets formed of 9 carriages each | |
Mark 3 | Passenger carriage | 130 | 1975–1988 | ||||
InterCity 225 trains | |||||||
91 | Electric locomotive | 140 | 225 | 19 | 1988–1991 | 22 sets formed of 9 carriages each | |
Mark 4 | Passenger carriage | 198 | 1989–1992 | ||||
Driving Van Trailer | Control car | 22 | 1989–1991 |
LNER's fleet is stored and maintained at the following depots:
Great North Eastern Railway, often referred to as GNER, was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, owned by Sea Containers, that operated the InterCity East Coast franchise on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, North East England and Scotland from April 1996 until December 2007.
The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a 393-mile long (632 km) electrified railway between its southern terminus at London King's Cross station and Edinburgh Waverley via Peterborough, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle. The line is a key transport artery on the eastern side of Great Britain running broadly parallel to the A1 road. The main line acts as a 'spine' for several diverging branches, serving destinations such as Cambridge, Leeds, Hull, Sunderland and Lincoln, all with direct services to London. In addition, a few ECML services extend beyond Edinburgh to serve Glasgow Central, although the principal London-Glasgow route is the West Coast Main Line (WCML).
The InterCity 125 or High Speed Train (HST) is a diesel-powered high-speed passenger train built by British Rail Engineering Limited between 1975 and 1982. A total of 95 sets were produced, each comprising two Class 43 power cars, one at each end, and a rake of seven or eight Mark 3 coaches. The name is derived from its top operational speed of 125 mph (201 km/h). At times, the sets have been classified as British Rail Classes 253, 254 and 255.
A Driving Van Trailer (DVT) is a British purpose-built control car railway vehicle that allows the driver to operate with a locomotive in push-pull formation from the opposite end of a train. A key benefit of operating trains with DVTs is the requirement for fewer locomotives; for example, a second locomotive would otherwise have to join at the other end of the train after arrival at terminal stations to lead the train's onward journey.
The InterCity 225 is an electric push-pull high speed train in the United Kingdom, comprising a Class 91 electric locomotive, nine Mark 4 coaches and a Driving Van Trailer (DVT). The Class 91 locomotives were built by British Rail Engineering Limited's Crewe Works as a spin-off from the Advanced Passenger Train project, which was abandoned during the 1980s, whilst the coaches and DVT were constructed by Metro-Cammell in Birmingham and Breda in Italy, again borrowing heavily from the Advanced Passenger Train. The trains were designed to operate at up to 140 mph (225 km/h) in regular service, but are limited to 125 mph (200 km/h) principally due to a lack of cab signalling and the limitations of the current overhead line equipment. They were introduced into service between 1989 and 1991 for intercity services on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) from London King's Cross to Leeds, York and Edinburgh.
The British Rail Mark 4 is a class of passenger carriages built for use in InterCity 225 sets on the East Coast Main Line between King's Cross, Leeds and Edinburgh. Withdrawals began in 2019, with some being sold for further use with Transport for Wales between Cardiff and Holyhead.
The British Rail Class 91 is a high-speed electric locomotive, which produces power of 4,830 kW (6,480 hp); it was ordered as a component of the East Coast Main Line modernisation and electrification programme of the late 1980s. The Class 91s were given the auxiliary name of InterCity 225 to indicate their envisaged top speed of 225 km/h (140 mph); they were also referred to as Electras by British Rail during their development and throughout the electrification of the East Coast Main Line.
The Flying Scotsman is an express passenger train service that operates between Edinburgh and London, the capitals respectively of Scotland and England, via the East Coast Main Line. The service began in 1862 as the Special Scotch Express until it was officially adopted in 1924. It is currently operated by the London North Eastern Railway.
The British Rail Class 43 (HST) is the TOPS classification used for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train diesel-electric power cars, built by British Rail Engineering Limited from 1975 to 1982, and in service in the UK since 1976.
Durham is a railway station on the East Coast Main Line, which runs between London King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley. The station, situated 14 miles 3 chains south of Newcastle, serves the cathedral city of Durham in County Durham, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by London North Eastern Railway.
Lincoln railway station serves the city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, England. The station is owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway. East Midlands Railway provides the majority of services from the station, with other services being provided by Northern and London North Eastern Railway. It is the busiest station in Lincolnshire, and the fifth busiest station in the East Midlands.
High-speed rail in the United Kingdom is provided on five upgraded railway lines running at top speeds of 125 mph (200 km/h) and one purpose-built high-speed line reaching 186 mph (300 km/h).
Agility Trains is a consortium that presently comprised the Japanese rolling stock manufacturer Hitachi, multinational insurance and investment company Axa UK, and the infrastructure fund GLIL Infrastructure.
The Hitachi A-train is a family of rail rolling stock built and designed by Hitachi Rail using a common base and construction techniques. The stock is designed to facilitate a number of product life-cycle improvements including ease of manufacture, increased energy efficiency, and recyclability.
InterCity East Coast is a railway franchise for passenger trains on the East Coast Main Line in the United Kingdom from London King's Cross to Hull, Leeds, Bradford, Harrogate, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Aberdeen. It was formed during the privatisation of British Rail and transferred to the private sector in April 1996.
Lumo is a British open-access operator owned by FirstGroup that operates passenger trains on the East Coast Main Line between London King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley. It is headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne.
The British Rail Class 800, branded as the Intercity Express Train (IET) by Great Western Railway (GWR) and Azuma by London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is a type of bi-mode multiple unit train built by Hitachi Rail for GWR and LNER. The type uses electric motors powered from overhead electric wires for traction, but also has diesel generators to enable trains to operate on unelectrified track. It is a part of the Hitachi AT300 product family.
The British Rail Class 801 Azuma is a class of electric multiple unit (EMU) built by Hitachi Rail for London North Eastern Railway. The units have been built since 2017 at Hitachi's Newton Aycliffe Manufacturing Facility and have been used on services on the East Coast Main Line since 16 September 2019. As part of its production, the Class 801 units were ordered as part of the Intercity Express Programme and are in the Hitachi AT300 product family, alongside the closely related Class 800 units. LNER have branded the units as the Azuma, just like on their Class 800 units.
Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC) was a train operating company in the United Kingdom that operated the InterCity East Coast franchise on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland. It commenced operations on 1 March 2015, taking over from East Coast as a joint venture between Stagecoach (90%) and Virgin Group (10%).
East Midlands Railway is a British train operating company owned by Transport UK Group, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise.