 | |
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Main regions | |
| Fleet |
|
| Stations called at | 54[1] |
| Stations operated | 11 |
| Parent company | DfT Operator forDepartment for Transport |
| Headquarters | York |
| Reporting mark | GR |
| Dates of operation | 24 June 2018 – present |
| Predecessor | Virgin Trains East Coast |
| Other | |
| Website | www |
London North Eastern Railway Limited,[3] trading asLondon North Eastern Railway (LNER), is a Britishtrain operating company which operates most services on theEast Coast Main Line. It is owned byDfT Operator for theDepartment for Transport (DfT). The company's name echoes that of theLondon and North Eastern Railway, one of theBig Four railway companies which operated between 1923 and 1948.
During June 2018, LNER took over from theInterCity East Coast franchise, after the previous privately owned operatorVirgin 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 newpublic–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,[4] making it the longest franchise on theEast Coast Main Line sinceGreat North Eastern Railway (GNER).[5] The integration ofGreat Northern services into LNER's operation after the expiration of the separatefranchise in 2021 was being actively considered as well.
LNER provides long-distance inter-city services on the East Coast Main Line to and fromLondon; the principal destinations served areLeeds,York,Newcastle upon Tyne andEdinburgh; their services call at 54 stations along its network,[1] managing 11 stations directly.[6] LNER's initial rolling stock consisted of a fleet ofInterCity 125 andInterCity 225 high speed trains that it had inherited from VTEC. During May 2019, the first batch ofClass 800bi-mode high speed multiple units, based on theHitachi A-train platform, entered service, followed by the very similarClass 801electric multiple units during September of that year. Branded by LNER as theAzuma, their introduction has permitted the InterCity 125 sets to be withdrawn from service entirely. While most InterCity 225 sets were also withdrawn, a limited number have been retained by LNER and continue to regularly operate services along the route.
During November 2017, the thenSecretary of State for Transport,Chris Grayling, announced the early termination of theInterCity East Coast franchise in 2020, three years ahead of schedule; this action had followed persistent losses incurred byVirgin 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.[7][8]
In February 2018, the end date of the VTEC franchise was brought forward to mid-2018; theDepartment 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'soperator of last resort.[9][10][11] 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.[12][13] The DfT also announced that LNER would be the long-term brand applied to the InterCity East Coast franchise.[14] During a speech in May 2018, the Secretary of State for Transport stated thatGreat Northern services could potentially be integrated into the operation when theThameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise expires in 2021 as part of the overall strategy for the East Coast franchise.[15]
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 byEast Coast. It had taken over operations fromNational Express East Coast after that operator had defaulted on franchise payments to the government, and thus had its franchise taken away.[16] East Coast had been the prior operator to VTEC being selected to take over the franchise.[17]
A major aspect of LNER's vision for the franchise has been the rollout of theEuropean 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.[18] The company has worked withNetwork Rail, the British government, and thetrade 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.[19]
By mid-2020, LNER had considerably curtailed its services in response to the significant decline of passenger travel amid theCOVID-19 pandemic.[20][21] 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.[22][23]
LNER is one of several train operators impacted by the2022-2024 United Kingdom railway strikes, which are the first national rail strikes in the UK for three decades.[24] Its workers are amongst those who have voted in favour of takingindustrial action due to a dispute over pay and working conditions.[25][26] 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.[27][28]
In 2021, the company attempted to recast the East Coast Mainline timetable from the May 2022 timetable change, increasing the service between London and Newcastle to thrice hourly, and removing station stops on the current fast train to reduce journey times to 4 hours between London and Edinburgh, a feat currently only achieved once a day, by theFlying Scotsman from Edinburgh to London.[29] This was later deferred to December 2024, and then further delayed until at least December 2025.[30]
LNER has consistently tried to implement fares reform on its routes. In 2023, return fares were abolished on most flows, with only singles being offered in each direction. This also coincided with the removal of the off-peak fare for flows to and from Kings Cross.[31] In January 2024, LNER announced a simpler fares trial for Newcastle, Berwick-upon-Tweed and Edinburgh to London Kings Cross, scrapping the super off-peak fares, the regulated fare and a de facto cap on ticket prices, and replacing it with a 70-minute flex, a yield managed advance fare which allows customers to catch a train 70 minutes before or after their train. This left three fare tiers on these flows, with advance tickets being the cheapest but least flexible ticket, the 70 minute flex, and the anytime fare, the only fare guaranteed to be available.[32] In September 2024, after well published loopholes being found to this trial, the trial was expanded to every station between Newcastle and Edinburgh.[33]
On the evening of 1 November 2025, a LNER London-boundAzuma train made an unscheduled stop atHuntingdon following a stabbing attack on the train after it leftPeterborough.[34] One man has been detained and 11 people were hospitalised.
As of May 2025[update], the off-peak weekday service pattern is as follows.[35]
| Regular services | ||
|---|---|---|
| Route | tph | Calling at |
| London King's Cross toLincoln | 1tp2h |
|
| London King's Cross toYork | 1tp2h |
|
| London King's Cross toLeeds | 1 |
|
| 1 |
| |
| London King's Cross toEdinburgh Waverley | 1 |
|
| 1 |
| |
| York to Newcastle[36] | 1tp2h |
|
| Irregular services | ||
| Route | tpd | Calling at |
| London King's Cross toHull Paragon | 1 |
|
| London King's Cross toMiddlesbrough | 1 |
|
| London King's Cross/Leeds toAberdeen | 4 |
|
| London King's Cross toInverness | 1 |
|
An expanded service toLincoln began on 21 October 2019, when four terminating services atNewark Northgate were extended into Lincoln.[37] This was in addition to the sole one train per day service,providing in total six direct services 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, with the added provision for five services on Saturdays.[38] From December 2019, LNER introduced a Harrogate to London service six times a day.[39] 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.[40][41][clarification needed]
During September 2018, a proposed service toMiddlesbrough was announced, though the Rail Minister,Jo Johnson, informed Parliament that this proposal was dependent on the Azumas being brought into service alongside other schemes then in progress which would allow for greater capacity to allow the service to run.[42] This service commenced on 13 December 2021.[43]
LNER's daily services toGlasgow Central andSunderland were withdrawn in the December 2024 timetable change,[44][45] however a daily service to Cleethorpes (as an extension of a Lincoln service) is currently being explored.[46]
London North Eastern Railway operates a number of named passenger services.[35]
| Name | Origin | Destination | Calling at | Other details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolean Express | London King's Cross | Edinburgh Waverley | York,Darlington,Newcastle andBerwick-upon-Tweed.[47][48] | Runs from London to Edinburgh only. Named to commemorate thecoronation of Charles III and Camilla.[49] |
| Flying Scotsman | Edinburgh Waverley | London King's Cross | Newcastle.[50] | Service began 1862 in both directions; named byLNER in 1924. Now Edinburgh to London and only stops atNewcastle 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.[51] | 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.[52] | |
| West Riding Limited | Bradford Forster Square | London King's Cross | Shipley,Leeds,Wakefield Westgate. | Operates from Bradford to London only. |
From December 2025 there will be an additional 37 services each weekday, with an extra path every hour betweenLondon King's Cross andNewcastle.
| London Kings Cross to Yorkshire and Lincoln | ||
|---|---|---|
| Route | tph | Calling at |
| London King's Cross toLeeds | 1 | Peterborough,Grantham,Doncaster,Wakefield Westgate |
| London King's Cross toHarrogate andBradford Forster Square | 1 | Stevenage,Newark Northgate,Doncaster,Wakefield Westgate,Leeds,Horsforth orShipley |
| London King's Cross toYork | 1tp2h | Peterborough,Retford,Doncaster
|
| London King's Cross toLincoln | 1tp2h | Peterborough,Grantham,Newark Northgate |
| London Kings Cross to Scotland and Newcastle | ||
| Route | tph | Calling at |
| London King's Cross toEdinburgh Waverley | 1 | York,Newcastle |
| London King's Cross toEdinburgh Waverley | 1 | Peterborough,Newark Northgate,Doncaster,York,Darlington,Newcastle,Alnmouth orBerwick-upon-Tweed
|
| London King's Cross toNewcastle | 1 | Stevenage,Grantham,York,Northallerton,Darlington,Durham |
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At its commencement, LNER operated a fleet of diesel-poweredInterCity 125 and electricInterCity 225 high speed trains that it had inherited from VTEC. Since September 2016, VTEC had also hired threeClass 90s fromDB 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 ofClass 91 locomotives.[citation needed]
During May 2019, the first batch ofClass 800 new-build high speed trains began entering service, the very similarClass 801 trains also followed in September of that year. These units are based on theHitachi A-train design and LNER retained theAzuma brand for the units which was originally designated by VTEC.[53] The initial operation of these units allowed the InterCity 125 and InterCity 225 fleets to be replaced gradually. On 15 May, the firstAzuma train to enter service, a nine-carriage Class 800/1, was operated on the Leeds route from King's Cross.[54] 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.[55][56][57][58] By May 2021, all units in theAzuma fleet had entered revenue service following unit 800109's return to service, which was the unit involved in the derailment atNeville Hill TMD in November 2019 and subsequently had to undergo repairs.[59][60]
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.[61] 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.[62] In September 2020,Eversholt Rail Group (thetrain 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 atWabtec's Doncaster plant.[63][64] 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.[65] 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 ofAzuma sets having to be taken temporarily out of service for inspections and repairs where appropriate.[66]
During June 2022, LNER unveiled its new livery, based on the traditionalBritish Rail-eraIntercity styling, on one of its remaining InterCity 225 sets.[67]
In November 2023, LNER announced an order of 10 tri-mode multiple units fromCAF 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.[68][69] In August 2024 it was announced that the trains would be calledClass 897 under the TOPS classification system.[70]
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Qty. | Carriages | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||
| InterCity 225 trains | |||||||
| 91 |  | Electric locomotive | 125 | 200 | 12 | 8 sets formed of either 9 or 7 carriages[71] | 1988–1991 |
| Mark 4 | .jpg) | Passenger carriage | 73 | 1989–1992 | |||
| Driving Van Trailer |  | Control car | 9 | 1989-1991 | |||
| Hitachi AT300Azuma trains | |||||||
| 800/1 |  | Bi-mode multiple unit | 125 | 200[72] | 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 fromCAF.[68][69] In August 2024, it was announced that the units will be designatedClass 897 under TOPS.[70]
The entry into service of theAzuma 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.[73] Nine of the sets transferred toEast Midlands Railway, with two power cars from one set transferring toCrossCountry to supplement its existing five sets.[74]
| 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:
| Preceded by | Operator ofInterCity East Coast franchise 2018– | Succeeded by Incumbent |
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