East Coast restaurant cars reach end of line (Video)

The publicly-owned company will instead serve passengers in first class hot breakfasts at their seats before 10am, dinner from 4pm to 7pm and light sandwiches or salad at other times.

East Coast said the move, which will come in from next May, is part of an "industry-leading" initiative to encourage passengers to travel by rail instead of air.

First-class passengers will also receive complimentary alcohol and soft drinks on weekdays and an all-day light menu at weekends. The new menu will be unveiled early next year.

East Coast chief executive officer Elaine Holt said: "The catering service on East Coast has been a subject of debate and everyone has got an opinion on what we should do.

"We decided to do some research on what customers wanted. Our first-class customers said they wanted to see a more extensive product.

"This will deliver a substantial long-term benefit to the business."

East Coast spokesman Gideon Fireman said the price of first-class tickets would not rise directly to accommodate food and drink.

Modifying the catering cars and retraining staff will cost East Coast almost 10m. The line's previous operator made a loss of more than 20m from on-board catering last year.

The launch of the new first-class offer next May will coincide with the biggest timetable shake-up on the route for 20 years.

The company, which operates 136 weekday services, said its research suggested passengers would welcome the changes.

East Coast managing director Karen Boswell said: "It's quite simple: we promised improvements to our onboard services, we've listened to what people actually want and now we're ready to implement those changes."