Rail chiefs ease fears on services

The radical overhaul of the rail route between London and Edinburgh has been heralded as a "once in a lifetime opportunity" and will offer 25 extra weekday services and more than 9,000 additional weekday seats.

The East Coast Main Line is now effectively under state control but it will pass back into private hands in the autumn of 2011. A public sector company, East Coast, took over from the troubled franchisee National Express in November last year.

Its managing director, Karen Boswell, stressed yesterday the timetable changes, which have been drawn up over the past decade, were vital to bring the nation's rail service into the 21st century.

The new timetable, dubbed Eureka!, will mean East Coast passes the vast majority of its daily services between London and Glasgow to another operator, CrossCountry.

Mrs Boswell maintained, however, the changes would mean improved connections for passengers travelling to Glasgow from Yorkshire cities including Sheffield and Leeds.

"This really is a watershed for rail travel along the East Coast Main Line, and it is a once in a lifetime opportunity," Mrs Boswell added.