Rail company given new 10-year contract

The new contract, agreed by the Office of Rail Regulation, will allow the company to continue operating services betweeen London King’s Cross and Sunderland and King’s Cross and Bradford until 2026.

The company said it was now in a position to make “significant investment” to improve services.

Managing director Richard McClean said: “For many of the towns on our routes we operate the only direct service to London, so this extension is a big coup for those communities and local businesses as well, who can continue to make connections to the capital.”

He said the company would be investing in rolling stock to improve reliability and would improve facilities for passengers such as car parks.

Mr McClean added: “We’ll also undertake work at the stations we serve along our route to improve facilities like car parks.

“We pride ourselves on our customer service, as recently demonstrated in the latest National Rail Passenger Survey results, and we are looking forward to a further 10 years of linking with the communities we serve and making continued enhancements to our service for our passengers.