Train of thought

The Government's new blueprint for the route includes faster and more frequent trains. In short, this means thousands more seats, quicker journeys and improved connection times for those travelling towards England and Scotland's capital cities.

Under the new timetable, passengers will be able to get from Leeds to London in a little over two hours and there will be a new service connecting both Leeds and Sheffield to Glasgow.

However, a word of caution is required. Before politicians can sell the idea of a brighter future, they must first demonstrate how the troubled railway line is going to overcome its problems of the past.

The East Coast Main Line has been in public ownership since November last year, and is to remain this way for another 18 months.

This is because not one, but two private operators have been forced to surrender the franchise in the past three years after being unable to meet their payments to Government.

Both GNER and National Express have been unable to run the East Coast Main Line as a successful business.

The line is expected to go back into the private sector late next year after the proposed new timetable comes into effect.

What remains uncertain is whether the changes announced by Lord Adonis yesterday will transform the line into a viable route, or simply add to the cost of running a service which has been beset by financial turbulence.

As the Government considers the creation of a new high speed rail network for Britain, it is vital for Yorkshire that the East Coast's existing services are seen as both viable and reliable, and not simply synonymous with business failure.