East Coast train operator invites comment on groundbreaking new timetable
Train operator East Coast is launching a major public information exercise to showcase the biggest change to the East Coast timetable for 20 years – and to gather opinions from customers and stakeholders along its 920 mile route.
The new timetable - named Eureka! as it signifies a major breakthrough for this important rail route - is due to be introduced in May 2011.
The timetable has been in development by the rail industry for more than ten years, and will deliver 25 extra weekday services, more than 9,000 extra weekday seats, faster journeys, improved connections and make better use of available track space on the busy East Coast Main Line.
It will give the line, which links London with the East Midlands, Yorkshire, North East England and Scotland, serving destinations including Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York and Newcastle, its first ever standard interval ‘clockface’ service pattern – meaning customers will know when in each hour their train will depart from London.
Eureka! will also deliver a fast new direct service between Lincoln and London King’s Cross, with 7 return services per day and using an additional fleet of trains.
Many services will also have faster journey times. An additional train from Dundee to London King’s Cross is also proposed.
East Coast managing director Karen Boswell said: “Eureka! represents a completely new approach to the East Coast train timetable. It offers exciting benefits to our customers – more seats, more services and faster journeys.
“The public information and consultation exercise we are launching today will extend along the whole of the East Coast route.
“There’s a choice of ways to find out about the proposals in more detail, including online and face to face. We want to hear what people think of the proposed changes and we hope many will take the opportunity to tell us what they think”.
Customers can comment on the Eureka! timetable proposals in the following ways:
- by visiting a dedicated website featuring the proposed new timetable plus an online questionnaire - this can be found at www.eastcoast.co.uk/eureka
- by meeting East Coast’s roadshow team, visiting any of 20 calling points between London and Scotland. A dedicated mobile information bus featuring interactive displays will explain the proposals, with opportunities to discuss them with the team and to complete the questionnaire on board.
East Coast will also be consulting with stakeholders along the route to explain the proposals and gather their views.
Faster journeys
Examples of journey time benefits under the Eureka! proposals between London and key destination points served by East Coast, compared with the current timetable, include:
LEEDS:
- East Coast trains between Leeds and London to take a standard 2 hours 10 minutes to complete the journey;
- From London to Leeds – all standard pattern timetable journeys take 14 minutes less than typical fast journeys now, and up to 24 minutes less compared with slowest current service;
- From Leeds to London, all journeys take 8 minutes less than typical fast journeys now, and up to 25 minutes less compared with slowest current service;
- In addition, a new fast morning weekday train completes the journey from Leeds to London in under 2 hours – departing Leeds at 6.45am, Wakefield Westgate at 6.57am and then non-stop to London King’s Cross, arriving at 8.44am – ideal for business customers.
YORK:
- From London to York – typical fast journeys take a minute less than now, and up to 24 minutes less compared with slowest current service;
- From York to London, typical fast journeys take two minutes less than currently, and up to 30 minutes less compared with slowest current service;
- A typical faster Eureka! service (one per hour) from York to London takes would take 1 hour 53 minutes to complete the journey.
NEWCASTLE:
- From London to Newcastle – typical fast journeys take 5 minutes less than currently, and up to 32 minutes less compared with slowest current service;
- From Newcastle to London, typical fast journeys take 6 minutes less than now, and up to 32 minutes less compared with slowest current service;
- A typical faster Eureka! service from Newcastle to London (one per hour) would take 2 hours 51 minutes to complete the journey.
EDINBURGH:
- One train per hour during the day between Edinburgh and London to take a standard 4 hours 20 minutes to complete the journey;
- From London to Edinburgh – typical fast journeys take 5 minutes less than now, and up to 36 minutes less compared with slowest current service;
- From Edinburgh to London, typical fast journeys take 7 minutes less than currently, and up to 31 minutes less compared with slowest current service.
ABERDEEN:
- From London to Aberdeen – typical fast journeys take 3 minutes less than currently, and up to 7 minutes less compared with slowest current service;
- From Aberdeen to London, typical fast journey time 7 minutes less than currently, and up to 32 minutes less compared with slowest current service.
East Coast is adopting a distinctive sub-brand, known as Eureka!, on marketing materials and customer information to draw customers’ attention to the future changes in the timetable when it’s implemented in 16 months’ time.
Other benefits
The proposed new timetable will also deliver:
- one train an hour between Edinburgh and London in both directions;
- a second train between Edinburgh and London in alternate hours, serving most intermediate stations and increasing the total weekday East Coast service between the two capitals from 35 to 39 trains;
- two trains an hour between Newcastle and London in both directions;
- two trains every hour between York and London in both directions;
- a third train between York and London in both directions in alternate hours, serving most intermediate stations and increasing the total weekday East Coast service between York and London from 32 to 37 trains;
- new direct trains between Lincoln and London in alternate hours;
- faster journey times and more services to key intermediate stations, such as Doncaster and Darlington;
- it is proposed that CrossCountry will operate direct trains from Glasgow and Motherwell to Leeds and Sheffield. Under this proposal, one through East Coast service between Glasgow and London via Motherwell and Edinburgh would also be retained, with others transferring to the new CrossCountry services, subject to industry approval;
- through services between London and Hull, Bradford, Skipton, Harrogate, Aberdeen and Inverness retained.
Full details of the proposed timetable and changes on a location-by-location basis are available at www.eastcoast.co.uk/eureka
Notes to Editors:
Attached to this news release are:
- a pdf copy of the Eureka! logo
- a copy of the Eureka! information bus programme, showing dates when the bus will visit each of 20 locations along the East Coast route. Leaflets explaining the proposals will be distributed in the morning of each visit, with the bus arriving in the afternoon to allow people time to visit the on-board displays and contribute their views.
Journey time comparisons are based on a customer choosing a typical fast service now, and a typical fast service under the proposed Eureka! timetable. The comparisons are made between services with similar calling patterns.