Great North Eastern Railway (
GNER) was a
BritishGreat Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island. With a population of about 59.6 million people, it is the third most populated island on Earth. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1000 smaller...
train operating company, owned by
Sea Containers LtdSea Containers Ltd. is a Bermuda-registered company which operates two main business areas: transport and container leasing.In March 2006 the company sold its share of Orient-Express Hotels...
. It operated
high-speedHigh-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions include 200 km/h and faster — depending on whether the track is upgraded or new — by the European Union, and above 90 mph by the United...
express train services on the
East Coast Main LineThe East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
from 1996 until the takeover in 2007 of the franchise by
National Express East CoastNational Express East Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running high speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland, as part of the East Coast passenger franchise...
on 9 December 2007.
Most of its trains ran between London King's Cross and either
Edinburgh WaverleyEdinburgh Waverley railway station, commonly called "Waverley", is the main railway station in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. Covering an area of over 25 acres in the centre of the city, it is the second-largest main line railway station in the United Kingdom in terms of area, the largest being...
or
LeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. The historic core at the heart of Leeds in 2001 had an estimated subdivision population of 443,247, whilst the entire city, that includes the urban and suburban areas incorporated into the city in 1974, had an estimated...
.
From Edinburgh Waverley, selected services continued on to Motherwell &
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
,
InvernessInverness is a city in northern Scotland. The city is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is promoted as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
, or
DundeeDundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and, fully named as Dundee City, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. It lies on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea....
&
AberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city and one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. It has an official population estimate of .Nicknames include the Granite City, the Grey City and the Silver City with the Golden Sands...
. From Leeds, some trains ran to and from
BradfordBradford is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
,
SkiptonSkipton is a civil parish and historic market town in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England...
, and
HarrogateHarrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a popular tourist destination; its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens and Betty's tearooms are world famous visitor attractions. The town originated in the 17th century, with High Harrogate and Low Harrogate as two separate...
.
One service per day also ran to and from
HullKingston upon Hull , almost invariably referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is located 25 miles from the North Sea on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary...
via
SelbySelby is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Situated south of the city of York, along the course of the River Ouse, Selby is the largest and, with a population of 13,012, most populous settlement of the wider Selby local government district....
. Other towns and cities served by GNER trains included
StevenageStevenage is a town and district in Hertfordshire, England. It is to the east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1, and is between Letchworth Garden City to the north, and Welwyn Garden City to the south....
,
PeterboroughPeterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of as of June 2006. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. The Town Hall is north of London at Charing Cross...
,
GranthamGrantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It stands athwart the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of...
,
NewarkNewark-on-Trent is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of England. It stands athwart the River Trent, the Great North Road and the East Coast Main Line railway.-Geography:...
,
RetfordRetford is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands of England, located 31 miles from the city of Nottingham, in the district of Bassetlaw...
,
DoncasterDoncaster is a large town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is located about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
,
YorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence....
,
NorthallertonNorthallerton is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Vale of Mowbray and at the northern end of the Vale of York. It has a population of 15,741 according to the 2001 census...
,
DarlingtonDarlington is a town in the ceremonial county of County Durham, England, and the main population centre in the Borough of Darlington. Darlington has a resident population of 97,838 as of 1997. On 1 April 1997, the Borough of Darlington became a unitary authority area, which separated it from the...
,
DurhamDurham is a city in the North East of England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county....
,
Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England...
,
MorpethMorpeth is the county town of Northumberland, England. It is situated on the River Wansbeck which flows east through the town. The town is a mile from the A1, which bypasses it. Since 1981, it has been the administrative centre of the County of Northumberland. In the 2001 census the town had a...
,
AlnmouthAlnmouth is a village in Northumberland, England. It is situated just off the main A1068 road , about south-east of Alnwick....
for
AlnwickAlnwick Alnwick Alnwick ( is a small market town in north Northumberland, England. The towns population was just over 8000 at the time of the 2001 census and Alnwick's district population was 31,029....
,
Berwick-upon-TweedBerwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
,
DunbarDunbar is a town in East Lothian on the southeast coast of Scotland, approximately 30 miles east of Edinburgh and 28 miles from the English Border at Berwick-upon-Tweed.Dunbar is a former Royal Burgh and gave its name to an ecclesiastical and civil parish...
,
WakefieldWakefield is the main settlement of the City of Wakefield metropolitan district in West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder, it had a population of 76,886 in 2001.Wakefield was dubbed the "Merrie City" in the Middle Ages.-Toponymy:...
,
PerthPerth is a former royal burgh in central Scotland. Sitting on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative headquarters of Perth and Kinross council area. According to the 2001 census, its population is 43,450...
,
KirkcaldyKirkcaldy is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It lies on a shallow bay on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth and is the largest settlement between the cities of Dundee and Edinburgh. The name of the town is believed to have derived from the Pictish words ...
,
LeucharsLeuchars is a small town near the north-east coast of Fife in Scotland.The town is nearly 2 miles to the north of the village of Guardbridge, which lies on the north bank of the River Eden where it widens to the Edenmouth estuary before joining the North Sea at St Andrews Bay...
for
St AndrewsSt Andrews is a town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle. St Andrews has a population of 16,596 making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
,
ArbroathArbroath or Aberbrothock is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus in Scotland, and has a population of 22,785...
, and
MontroseMontrose is a coastal resort town and former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. It is situated 38 miles north east of Dundee between the mouths of the North and South Esk rivers...
.
GNER locomotives were serviced at
Bounds Green TMDBounds Green TMD is situated in North London. The depot is operated by National Express East Coast. The depot code is BN.-References:Rail Atlas Great Britain & Ireland, S.K. Baker ISBN 0-86093-553-1*...
in London; and at
CraigentinnyCraigentinny is a suburb in the east of Edinburgh, Scotland.The name is a corruption of Scottish Gaelic Creag an t-Sionnaich meaning "Foxrock".Or "Creag an teinne" meaning "Fire Crag"...
in Edinburgh.
History
GNER was originally awarded a seven-year franchise in April 1996 to run what had been the
InterCity East CoastInterCity was introduced by British Rail in 1966 as a brand-name for its long-haul express passenger services ....
division of
British RailBritish Railways , which later traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the British railway system from the nationalisation of the 'Big Four' British railway companies in 1948 until privatisation in stages from 1994 to 1997...
. The company was later granted with a two-year extension allowing them to operate trains until 2005. When this franchise expired, they won a renewal until 2015, overcoming rival bids from
Danish State RailwaysDSB, originally an abbreviation of Danske Statsbaner , is the largest Danish train operating company, and the largest in Scandinavia. While DSB is responsible for passenger train operation on most of the Danish railways, goods transport and railway maintenance are outside its scope...
,
First London, Scottish and North East Railway, and
inter city-railways (a consortium of
Deutsche BahnDeutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
,
Stagecoach GroupStagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
, and
Virgin GroupVirgin Group Ltd is a branded venture capital organisation founded by British business tycoon Richard Branson. The core business areas are travel, entertainment and lifestyle, among others. Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by Companies House, who class it as a holding company;...
). For this new franchise, GNER’s annual payment to the government was increased to £130 million, quadruple the previous amount. As a result, the company said that it was likely to raise fares and make job cuts.
The initials ‘GNER’ were similar to
LNERThe London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
, the company that operated the route before being nationalised as part of
British RailBritish Railways , which later traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the British railway system from the nationalisation of the 'Big Four' British railway companies in 1948 until privatisation in stages from 1994 to 1997...
ways in 1948. Additionally, two of the LNER’s
predecessor companies were the
GNRThe Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the London & York Railway Act of 1846.The main line ran from London via Hitchin, Peterborough, and Grantham, to York, with a loop line from Peterborough to Bawtry via Boston and Lincoln, and branch lines to Sheffield and...
, who built Kings Cross station, and the
GERThe Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
. GNER made further links to their past by adopting a dark blue livery with red trimming lines for their trains, similar to that used by the GER, and using a Victorian
coat of armsA coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways. Historically, they were used by knights to identify them apart from enemy...
-style crest on their trains.
GNER was the second-to-last British train company to allow
smoking Tobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the vapors either tasted or inhaled. The practice began as early as 5000–3000 BC. Many civilizations burnt incense during religious rituals, which was later adopted for pleasure or as a social tool. Tobacco was introduced to the old world...
in designated areas on their trains, but banned it completely on 29 August 2005.
First ScotRailFirst ScotRail is the FirstGroup train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London. However, the company has now been renamed ScotRail - Scotland's Railway....
at that time still allowed limited smoking on their
Caledonian SleeperThe Caledonian Sleeper is a sleeper train service operated by First ScotRail and one of only two remaining sleeper services running on the railways of Great Britain, the other being the Night Riviera....
services, although it was subsequently banned in October 2005 in advance of the 26 March 2006 deadline, when a
smoking banSmoking bans are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, which prohibit tobacco smoking in workplaces and/or other public spaces...
in public places came into force under
ScottishScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
law.
In 2005, GNER and Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation made an unsuccessful joint bid, under the name
Great South Eastern Railway, for the Integrated Kent Franchise now held by
GoviaGovia is a transport company based in the United Kingdom. A joint venture between Go-Ahead and Keolis SA it is a key operator of commuter services in London, the South East and on the West Coast Main Line...
, who operate it as
SoutheasternSoutheastern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It began operations in south-east England on 1 April 2006 as franchisee for the Integrated Kent Franchise , replacing the prior publicly-owned operator South Eastern Trains on the former South East Franchise...
.
GNER had two major accidents during their operating years, these were: The
Hatfield crashThe Hatfield rail crash was a railway accident on 17 October 2000, at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK. Although the accident killed fewer than other accidents, Hatfield exposed the major stewardship shortcomings of the national railway infrastructure company Railtrack and the failings of the...
on the 17 October 2000 when the 12:10 London Kings Cross - Leeds Train derailed just south of Hatfield station due to a hairline crack in the rail. The death toll of the accident was quite low due to the only fatalities being in the restaurant car which struck an overhead catenary stanchion during the derailment. GNER's only other accident was the
Selby rail disasterThe Selby rail crash was a high-speed train accident that occurred at Great Heck near Selby, North Yorkshire, England on the morning of 28 February 2001...
on the morning of the 28 February 2001, where a Newcastle Central - London Kings Cross service hit a Land-Rover that had driven off the M62 on to the ECML, the GNER service derailed and was subsequently hit by the Freightliner service from Immingham - Ferrybridge resulting in the death of 10 people.
Under the name
Great South Western Railway, GNER and MTR had pre-qualified to bid for the new
South WesternSouth West Trains is the trading name of a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom, providing train services to the south-west of London, chiefly in Greater London and the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight, the area...
franchise, which began on the 4 February 2007 and combined services formerly operated by
South West TrainsSouth West Trains is the trading name of a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom, providing train services to the south-west of London, chiefly in Greater London and the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight, the area...
and
Island LineIsland Line Trains is a sub-brand of South West Trains, a train operating company on Great Britain's National Rail Network, operating the 8½ mile Island Line on the Isle of Wight.-Before "Island Line":...
.
StagecoachA stagecoach is a type of four-wheeled closed coach for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach...
won the franchise again, meaning that
Sea ContainersSea Containers Ltd. is a Bermuda-registered company which operates two main business areas: transport and container leasing.In March 2006 the company sold its share of Orient-Express Hotels...
' railway operations in the UK were limited to GNER.
On 15 December 2006, the Department for Transport announced that it was to terminate GNER's franchise to operate the East Coast Main Line. The franchise contract was established in 2005 and was originally intended to last for 10 years. The reconsideration was due in part at least to lower than expected revenue figures by GNER; in October 2006, Sea Containers filed for
Chapter 11Chapter 11 is a chapter of the United States Bankruptcy Code, which permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is available to every business, whether organized as a corporation or sole proprietorship, and to individuals, although it is most...
bankruptcyBankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay its creditors. Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against a debtor in an effort to recoup a portion of what they are owed or initiate a restructuring...
protection.
Virgin TrainsVirgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, which currently provides services from London Euston to the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland, and from Birmingham New Street to North West England and Scotland, on the West Coast Main Line...
/
Stagecoach GroupStagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
,
FirstGroup plcFirstGroup plc is a British transport company operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Canada and the United States with headquarters in Aberdeen...
and
National Express GroupNational Express Group plc is a UK-based transport group with headquarters in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...
all submitted bids for the franchise. On 14 August 2007 it was announced that the
National Express GroupNational Express Group plc is a UK-based transport group with headquarters in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...
had been awarded the franchise, operating under the name of
National Express East CoastNational Express East Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running high speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland, as part of the East Coast passenger franchise...
. GNER continued operating the line until the new franchise started on 9 December 2007.
At the very end of its operation, GNER sold tickets allowing travel between any two points on its network for £5.
The last Northbound train ever to be operated by GNER was the 2030 Kings Cross - Newcastle on Saturday 8 December 2007. GNER gave out Chocolate Coins with the crest and the wording "Thank you for your custom with GNER". Rail enthusiasts traveled and met the train at many of the train's calling points, as a tribute to GNER. Such a show of affection is unlikely to be repeated whenever
National Express'National Express East Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running high speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland, as part of the East Coast passenger franchise...
make their final journey.
Financial and operational concerns
In May 2006, it was revealed that GNER's parent company Sea Containers was in financial difficulties, and was rumoured to be bordering on insolvency. Subsequent to this, questions were raised as to whether GNER could continue operating should its parent company cease trading. The company rejected this assertion, stating that its lines of credit and financial activities were "ring-fenced" away from Sea Containers, and therefore a cessation of services for this reason was impossible. It did not however stop a furore of speculation from rival
TOCThe term train operating company is used in the United Kingdom to describe the various businesses operating passenger trains on the railway system of mainland Great Britain under the collective National Rail brand...
s (principally
Virgin TrainsVirgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, which currently provides services from London Euston to the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland, and from Birmingham New Street to North West England and Scotland, on the West Coast Main Line...
and First Group) that they would be keen to rebid for the ECML franchise if it were put back out to tender. In July 2006, rumours then began circulating that Sea Containers would be prepared to sell GNER in an effort to stave off resorting to Chapter 11 proceedings to secure itself from its creditors.
On 27 July 2006 the
High CourtThe High Court of Justice is, together with the Crown Court and the Court of Appeal, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
rejected GNER's
judicial reviewJudicial review is the doctrine in democratic theory under which legislative and executive action is subject to invalidation by the judiciary. Specific courts with judicial review power must annul the acts of the state when it finds them incompatible with a higher authority, such as the terms of a...
over the
Office of Rail RegulationThe Office of Rail Regulation is a statutory board which is the combined economic and safety regulatory authority for Great Britain's railway network. It was established on 5 July 2004 by the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, replacing the Rail Regulator...
's decision to allow
Grand Central Railway|}Grand Central Railway Company Ltd is a privately-owned train operating company running services under the name Grand Central within the United Kingdom....
to operate trains along part of the
East Coast Main LineThe East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
. GNER had made its application partly on the basis that 'open access' train operators (like
Hull Trains^ Pick up northbound,
set down southbound;
selected weekday services only|}First Hull Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running up to seven long distance services each day between London and Hull. The company also serves the towns of Stevenage, Grantham, Retford,...
) are not required to meet the same fixed costs for accessing
Network RailNetwork Rail owns and operates Britain’s rail infrastructure. It is a British "not for dividend" company limited by guarantee whose principal asset is Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, a company limited by shares....
's infrastructure as those
train operating companies running services under a
contractIn law, a contract is a binding legal agreement that is enforceable in a court of law. That is to say, a contract is an exchange of promises for the breach of which the law will provide a remedy....
or 'franchise' with the UK
Department for TransportIn the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
. GNER's case failed principally because the High Court determined that not only did European law permit the
Rail RegulatorThe Rail Regulator was a statutory office—created with effect from 1 December 1993 by section 1 of the Railways Act 1993—or the independent economic regulation of the British railway industry....
to establish a charging regime for open access operators which was different from the one which applies to franchised operators (such as GNER) - in this case not imposing a fixed charge on open access operators - but that if he had not done so, he would have been acting illegally because of the very different conditions under which open access operators and franchised operators get access to the network. The High Court (
Mr Justice SullivanSir Jeremy Mirth Sullivan PC has been a Lord Justice of Appeal since 2009.He was educated at Framlingham College and King's College London . He was called to the Bar at Inner Temple in 1968 and became a bencher there in 1993...
) refused GNER permission to appeal, and GNER decided not to ask the Court of Appeal to take the case.
On 25 July 2006, two days before the public judgment in the above action, GNER announced that
Christopher GarnettChristopher Garnett is a member of the Board of the Olympic Delivery Authority, and was until recently the Chief Executive Officer of Great North Eastern Railway and simultaneously Senior Vice President and Chief Executive of the Rail Division of Sea Containers, GNER's parent company.Before this,...
, the company's chief executive officer, was to step down, having occupied that position since
Sea ContainersSea Containers Ltd. is a Bermuda-registered company which operates two main business areas: transport and container leasing.In March 2006 the company sold its share of Orient-Express Hotels...
, GNER's parent company, won the first InterCity East Coast franchise (see above). Amid growing industry speculation that Sea Containers was working towards a "financial restructuring", that company's President and Chief Executive Bob MacKenzie was named as Garnett's successor.
The problems were further fuelled by GNER's poor profitability, which had been linked to the company's overbidding for the ECML franchise coupled to what proved to be crippling subsidy repayments to the Government (see above). The company blamed the effects of the
7/7 terrorist attacksThe 7 July 2005 London bombings, also known as 7/7, were a series of coordinated suicide attacks on London's public transport system during the morning rush hour...
, increased electricity prices and increased competition from low cost airlines for the decline in passenger numbers. It also faced a growing challenge from the revitalised
West CoastThe West Coast Main Line is a busy mixed-traffic railway route in the United Kingdom. It provides fast, long-distance Intercity passenger services between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and southern Scotland....
services operated by Virgin. The company attempted to address the problem by waiving booking fees on internet sales, cutting staff numbers and raising fares and car parking charges where the market could bear it. In a press interview in September 2006, GNER's ex chief Christopher Garnett hinted at a bleak future for GNER and the franchising system - claiming that the trend among TOCs to overbid for the renewal of franchises would result in a financially unsustainable railway.
On 16 October, Sea Containers confirmed that it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, therefore allowing it to continue trading should insolvency occur. Two days later, Sea Containers' chief Bob MacKenzie threatened that the company would withdraw from the GNER franchise by May 2007 if the Government did not renegotiate the franchise terms.
On 27 November 2006 the Department of Transport announced that it would withdraw the franchise from GNER, largely on the basis of Sea Containers' financial difficulties and its uncertain future. However, the company was allowed to continue running the ECML franchise on a fixed management contract basis for up to 24 months, until a new operator was found.
Bids for the InterCity East Coast franchise were submitted to the
Department for TransportIn the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
(DfT) on the 15 January 2007 with details of the bids made public on 20 February 2007. Neither GNER nor its parent company made the shortlist of potential operators for the InterCity East Coast franchise. GNER declined to comment on whether it made a bid submission to the
Department for TransportIn the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
. Only
Arriva TrainsArriva plc is a British-based international public transport operator, headquartered in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear. It has bus and/or rail operations in Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the United Kingdom...
, First Group,
National Express GroupNational Express Group plc is a UK-based transport group with headquarters in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...
and inter city - railways Limited (
Virgin TrainsVirgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, which currently provides services from London Euston to the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland, and from Birmingham New Street to North West England and Scotland, on the West Coast Main Line...
/
Stagecoach GroupStagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
) were shortlisted to replace the incumbent operator. In April 2007, it was announced that GNER had a 10% stake in the bid placed by Virgin and Stagecoach. On 14 August it was announced by the DfT that the East Coast Mainline franchise was awarded to NXEC Trains Ltd, a subsidiary of National Express Group. From 10 December 2007 all services were branded as
National Express East CoastNational Express East Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running high speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland, as part of the East Coast passenger franchise...
.
Service patterns
In off-peak times, there were three or four trains per hour to and from Kings Cross. The following details applied to weekday operations.
Journey times on many services operated by GNER actually increased since the days of British Rail. The fastest London to Edinburgh journey time offered by the state corporation was 3 hours 59 minutes, whereas the fastest GNER service (with the same rolling stock) took 4 hours 10 minutes (the 15:00 London Kings Cross to Edinburgh).
London–Newcastle–Edinburgh
A half-hourly service between Kings Cross and Newcastle operated for most of the day, departing from London on the hour and on the half hour. The ‘top of the hour’ departures continued through to Edinburgh (with the 10:00 keeping the traditional name
Flying ScotsmanThe Flying Scotsman is an express passenger train service that has been running between London, England and Edinburgh, Scotland since 1862...
), with some running on to either Glasgow Central,
AberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city and one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. It has an official population estimate of .Nicknames include the Granite City, the Grey City and the Silver City with the Golden Sands...
or
InvernessInverness is a city in northern Scotland. The city is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is promoted as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
.
These trains generally ran as limited-stop expresses between London and Newcastle: all trains called at York, and most at Peterborough and Darlington, though afternoon and evening departures from Kings Cross ran non-stop to Doncaster or York. The trains leaving Kings Cross on the half hour generally terminated at Newcastle and served other intermediate stations such as Grantham, Newark, Retford, Doncaster and Durham as well as Peterborough, York, and Darlington.
London–Leeds
The service between Kings Cross and
LeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. The historic core at the heart of Leeds in 2001 had an estimated subdivision population of 443,247, whilst the entire city, that includes the urban and suburban areas incorporated into the city in 1974, had an estimated...
was generally half-hourly, with trains serving most main intermediate stations. With the completion of the Allington Chord, near Grantham, having increased track capacity, GNER began to operate a full half-hourly service throughout the day on this route.
London-Newcastle-Edinburgh-Glasgow
GNER operated ten trains per day between Kings Cross and Glasgow. With the upgrade of the
West Coast Main LineThe West Coast Main Line is a busy mixed-traffic railway route in the United Kingdom. It provides fast, long-distance Intercity passenger services between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and southern Scotland....
between
London EustonEuston station may refer to one of the following stations in London, United Kingdom:*Euston railway station*Euston tube station...
and Glasgow to 125mph completed, GNER could no longer compete with
Virgin TrainsVirgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, which currently provides services from London Euston to the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland, and from Birmingham New Street to North West England and Scotland, on the West Coast Main Line...
on this route in terms of journey times (5hrs 30mins compared to the new 4hrs 25min time on the WCML), but they did provide a link from Glasgow to Newcastle and York and a secondary route for use when the WCML was closed for engineering work.
Aberdeen
There were three trains per day each way between Kings Cross and
AberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city and one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. It has an official population estimate of .Nicknames include the Granite City, the Grey City and the Silver City with the Golden Sands...
, the journey time being just over seven hours. There was also one service per day arriving at Aberdeen from Leeds. These services were operated by HST sets, as the line between Edinburgh and Aberdeen is not electrified.
Inverness
A daily service operated between Kings Cross and Inverness, called the
Highland Chieftain, a journey taking just over eight hours. This route was operated with diesel HSTs, as the line north of Edinburgh is not electrified.
Hull
GNER continued to run the
Hull Executive between Hull and Kings Cross, with one morning journey to London and one evening journey to Hull. Since the branch to Hull is not electrified, this route too was operated using diesel HST sets.
Bradford
There were two trains per day between Kings Cross and Bradford Forster Square. These were extensions of the Kings Cross–Leeds services and usually utilised the ‘Mallard’ electric sets.
Skipton
There was a morning train from
SkiptonSkipton is a civil parish and historic market town in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England...
and
KeighleyKeighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
to Kings Cross with an early evening return. As is the case with the Bradford trains, this was an extension to the Leeds–London service. Though the line to Skipton is electrified throughout, the GNER service to/from the town operated using a diesel HST because the electrical infrastructure on the Leeds to Skipton line is insufficient to support GNER's trains.
Harrogate
There was a Monday-Saturday morning HST departure from Harrogate to Kings Cross. However, there was no return journey so passengers were required to change at Leeds or York on to
Northern RailNorthern Rail is a train operating company that has operated local passenger services in the north of England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-NedRailways, is a consortium formed of NedRailways and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
services to Harrogate.
The Saturday running of this service was the week's only GNER southbound service from Leeds not to call at Wakefield Westgate. This service departed from Leeds and headed along the
Selby lineThe York & Selby Lines is the name given to a group of services in the West Yorkshire Metro area, connecting Leeds with places to its north and east: as well as the Northern Rail local services to York and Selby, the services extend to:...
to join the East Coast Main Line at
HambletonHambleton is a small village and civil parish near to Selby in North Yorkshire, England. It is in the district of Selby and should not be confused with the district of Hambleton, another district of North Yorkshire....
.
Performance
As a long-distance operator, punctuality was always a weakness of GNER, and the last figures to be published by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) for GNER reflect this. Based on the Public Performance Measure (PPM), their punctuality for the third quarter of the financial year of 2007/8 up to 8 December was 85.7% , up slightly on the same quarter of the previous year. The MAA up to 8 December 2007 was 82.1%. This is approximately equal to the sector level for long distance operators, and approximately 1% behind rival Anglo-Scottish train operator
Virgin TrainsVirgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, which currently provides services from London Euston to the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland, and from Birmingham New Street to North West England and Scotland, on the West Coast Main Line...
, over the same quarterly period.
Rolling stock
Unlike most other UK train companies, GNER continued to use only vehicles which were designed and built (or, in a small number of cases, specified) by the former state corporation
British RailBritish Railways , which later traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the British railway system from the nationalisation of the 'Big Four' British railway companies in 1948 until privatisation in stages from 1994 to 1997...
- most of the rolling stock was built as long ago as the late 1970s (HSTs) or the early 1990s (225s). GNER’s primary rolling stock were
InterCity 225The InterCity 225 is the fastest locomotive-hauled domestic train in the United Kingdom, comprising a Class 91 electric locomotive, nine Mark 4 coaches and a Driving Van Trailer...
electric trainsets, each comprising a
Class 91Class 91 may refer to:* British Rail Class 91* DRG or DR Class 91 2-6-0T tank locomotives with the Deutsche Reichsbahn:** Class 91.0-1: Prussian T 9, BLE Nos. 36 to 43, PKP Class Tki2** Class 91.201 + 202: BLE Nos. 32 and 33...
electric locomotive, nine
Mark 4British Rail's fourth design of passenger carriages was designated Mark 4, designed for use in InterCity 225 sets on the newly-electrified East Coast Main Line between London, Leeds, and Edinburgh.-History and construction:...
coaches, and a Mark 4
driving van trailerA Driving Van Trailer , sometimes referred to as Driving Luggage Van , is a purpose-built railway vehicle that allows the driver to operate a locomotive at the opposite end of a train. Trains operating with a DVT therefore do not require the locomotive to run round to the other end of the train at...
. These sets were refurbished by
Bombardier TransportationBombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Bombardier Inc.. Bombardier Transportation is the world’s largest company in the rail equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters is in Berlin, Germany....
in 2003–2006 and are known as ‘Mallard’ in honour of the record-setting
Mallard steam locomotiveNumber 4468 Mallard is a London and North Eastern Railway Class A4 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive built at Doncaster, England in 1938. While in other respects a relatively typical member of its class, it is historically significant for being the holder of the world speed record for steam...
. They boasted re-designed interiors and new features such as ‘
Wi-FiWi-Fi is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance for certified products based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. This certification warrants interoperability between different wireless devices....
’ wireless Internet services and electrical sockets at every seat pair.
For routes where the infrastructure for electric trains is absent or inadequate, or to cover for shortages of electric sets, they also used the older diesel-electric
InterCity 125The InterCity 125 was the brand name of British Rail's High Speed Train fleet. The InterCity 125 train is made up of two power cars, one at each end of a fixed formation of carriages, and is capable of in regular service. Initially the sets were classified as Classes 253 and 254...
High Speed Train sets, which use two
Class 43The British Rail Class 43 is the TOPS classification used for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train power cars, built by BREL from 1976 to 1982....
locomotives with either eight or nine slam-door
Mark 3British Rail's third fundamental design of carriage was designated 'Mark 3' , and was developed primarily for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train...
coaches. As one of their commitments for the new franchise, GNER agreed to upgrade these trains to the same standards as the Mallard project. These were released on the 27th of February 2007 with a poem by the poet Ian McMillan called
The High Speed Train.
The 225 ‘Mallard’ electric sets were all allocated to
Bounds GreenBounds Green is an area in the north of London, in the London Borough of Haringey. Parts of Bounds Green are also known as New Southgate, but most of New Southgate lies in London Borough of Enfield to the north west....
depot in north London, whilst the diesel HST fleet was allocated to
CraigentinnyCraigentinny is a suburb in the east of Edinburgh, Scotland.The name is a corruption of Scottish Gaelic Creag an t-Sionnaich meaning "Foxrock".Or "Creag an teinne" meaning "Fire Crag"...
in Edinburgh. The depots at Neville Hill in Leeds and
HeatonHeaton is located in the east end of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, about from the City Centre. It is bordered by the neighbouring areas of Benton and Cochrane Park to the north, Walkergate to the east, Byker to the south and Jesmond and Sandyford to the west...
in Newcastle carried out light maintenance and stabling.
Until December 2005, this fleet was supplemented by five (three of which were used per day)
Class 373The British Rail Class 373 or TGV-TMST train is an electric multiple unit that operates Eurostar's high-speed rail service between Britain, France and Belgium via the Channel Tunnel...
high-speed trains leased from
EurostarEurostar is a high-speed railway passenger service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains cross under the English Channel via the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
, which were used on the
White Rose service between
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
and
LeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. The historic core at the heart of Leeds in 2001 had an estimated subdivision population of 443,247, whilst the entire city, that includes the urban and suburban areas incorporated into the city in 1974, had an estimated...
. Three of these had been adapted to GNER’s livery through the use of vinyl ‘
wrapWrap advertising is the marketing practice of completely covering a vehicle in an advertisement or livery, thus turning it into a mobile billboard. This can be achieved by simply painting the vehicle surface, but it is becoming more common today to use large vinyl sheets as decals...
s’, while the others retained their Eurostar colours. These services were restricted to only 110mph due to pantograph problems (
Class 373The British Rail Class 373 or TGV-TMST train is an electric multiple unit that operates Eurostar's high-speed rail service between Britain, France and Belgium via the Channel Tunnel...
page).
GNER purchased and for some years used the unique
Class 89The Class 89 is a prototype design for an electric locomotive. Only one unit was built, no. 89001, which was officially named Avocet by the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on 16 January 1989 at Sandy, Bedfordshire - the home of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds...
Co-Co prototype electric locomotive 89001
Avocet that had previously been briefly used by BR (in the end, the simpler Class 90 was adopted as a successor to classes 81-87). 89001 served mostly on the Leeds route until it failed in 2001.
Fleet
| Class |
Image |
Type |
Top speed |
Number |
Routes operated |
Built |
| mph |
km/h |
Class 43 High Speed TrainThe British Rail Class 43 is the TOPS classification used for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train power cars, built by BREL from 1976 to 1982....
|
 |
Diesel locomotive A Diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a Diesel engine. Several types have been developed, the principal distinction being in the means by which the prime mover's mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels .-Overview:Early internal combustion...
|
125 |
200 |
14 |
East Coast Main Line The East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
|
1976 – 1982 |
Class 91The British Rail Class 91 is a class of 140 mph , 4.54MW/6,300 hp electric locomotives ordered as a component of the East Coast Main Line modernisation and electrification programme of the late 1980s...
|
 |
Electric locomotive An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from an external source. Sources include overhead lines, third rail, or an on-board electricity storage device such as a battery or flywheel system....
|
140 |
225 |
31 |
East Coast Main Line The East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
|
1988 |
Mark 3 coachBritish Rail's third fundamental design of carriage was designated 'Mark 3' , and was developed primarily for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train...
|
 |
Passenger carriage |
125 |
200 |
56 |
East Coast Main Line The East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
|
1975 - 1988 |
Mark 4 coachBritish Rail's fourth design of passenger carriages was designated Mark 4, designed for use in InterCity 225 sets on the newly-electrified East Coast Main Line between London, Leeds, and Edinburgh.-History and construction:...
(Mallard) |
|
Passenger carriage |
140 |
225 |
302 |
East Coast Main Line The East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
|
1988 - 1991 |
 |
Driving Van TrailerA Driving Van Trailer , sometimes referred to as Driving Luggage Van , is a purpose-built railway vehicle that allows the driver to operate a locomotive at the opposite end of a train. Trains operating with a DVT therefore do not require the locomotive to run round to the other end of the train at...
|
140 |
225 |
31 |
East Coast Main Line The East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
|
1988 |
Class 89 AvocetThe Class 89 is a prototype design for an electric locomotive. Only one unit was built, no. 89001, which was officially named Avocet by the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on 16 January 1989 at Sandy, Bedfordshire - the home of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds...
|
 |
Electric locomotive An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from an external source. Sources include overhead lines, third rail, or an on-board electricity storage device such as a battery or flywheel system....
|
125 |
200 |
1 |
East Coast Main Line The East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
|
1989 |
Class 373/3 Regional EurostarThe British Rail Class 373 or TGV-TMST train is an electric multiple unit that operates Eurostar's high-speed rail service between Britain, France and Belgium via the Channel Tunnel...
|
 |
Electric multiple unitThe term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelling train unit capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one cab...
|
186 |
300 |
5 |
East Coast Main Line The East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
|
1993 |
The end of the line
The last service operated by GNER, on Saturday 8 December 2007, was the 20:30 service from London King's Cross to Newcastle. It departed London on time and arrived in Newcastle 14 minutes late.
The Future?
Ian Yeowart, the former Charman of Grand Central Railway Company has announced an intention to operate another open access train service from London Kings Cross to Retford, Worksop, Sheffield and Penistone to Huddersfield. Having discovered that the GNER brand name was now freely available it is his intention to resurrect the brand name for these new services. .
See also
- East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
- National Express East Coast
National Express East Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running high speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland, as part of the East Coast passenger franchise...
- National Rail
National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...