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National Express East Coast
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National Express East Coast is the name under which the train operating company NXEC Trains Ltd operates the InterCity East Coast rail franchise, which includes services in England and Scotland along the East Coast Main Line. NXEC Trains Ltd is a subsidiary of National Express Group. National Express took over the franchise from the Great North Eastern Railway (GNER).
On 3 February 2009, the Daily Telegraph reported that National Express may be forced to re-negotiate or surrender the East Coast franchise as it must achieve passenger growth of 10% per annum to meet its obligations to the UK government and, with the current recession, this target has become unviable.
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Encyclopedia
National Express East Coast is the name under which the train operating company NXEC Trains Ltd operates the InterCity East Coast rail franchise, which includes services in England and Scotland along the East Coast Main Line. NXEC Trains Ltd is a subsidiary of National Express Group. National Express took over the franchise from the Great North Eastern Railway (GNER).
On 3 February 2009, the Daily Telegraph reported that National Express may be forced to re-negotiate or surrender the East Coast franchise as it must achieve passenger growth of 10% per annum to meet its obligations to the UK government and, with the current recession, this target has become unviable. The allegations, which resulted from an offer by Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Trains to step in, and the future of the east coast mainline remains unclear..
Service patterns
In off-peak times, there are three or four trains per hour to and from Kings Cross. The following details apply to weekday operations.
Principal routes
London–Newcastle–Edinburgh
A half-hourly service between Kings Cross and Newcastle operates for most of the day, departing from London on the hour and on the half hour. The ‘top of the hour’ departures continue through to Edinburgh (with the 10:00 keeping the traditional name Flying Scotsman), with a two-hourly extension to Glasgow Central.
These trains generally run as limited-stop expresses between London and Newcastle: all trains call at York, and most at Peterborough and Darlington, though afternoon and evening departures from Kings Cross run non-stop to Doncaster or York. The trains leaving Kings Cross on the half hour generally terminate at Newcastle and serve 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 Leeds is generally half-hourly, with trains serving most main intermediate stations.
Other routes
Aberdeen
There are three trains per day each way between Aberdeen and King's Cross, departing 0752, 0950 (The Northern Lights) and 1448, the journey time being just over seven hours. There is also one service per day arriving at Aberdeen from Leeds. These services are operated by HST sets, as the line between Aberdeen and Edinburgh is not electrified.
Inverness
A daily service operates between Inverness and King's Cross called the Highland Chieftain. The journey takes just over eight hours, departing at 0755. This service is operated with diesel HST sets, as the lines to Dunblane and Inverness are not electrified.
Hull
The Hull Executive runs between Hull and King's Cross. This service also uses HSTs as the Hull line is not electrified.
Skipton
There is a morning train from Skipton and Keighley to Kings Cross with an early evening return. As is the case with the Bradford trains, this is an extension to the Leeds–London service. Though the line to Skipton is electrified throughout, the National Express East Coast service to/from the town is operated using a diesel HST because the electrical infrastructure on the Leeds to Skipton line is insufficient to support a Class 91 locomotive.
Harrogate
There is a Monday-Saturday morning HST departure from Harrogate to Kings Cross. However, there is no return journey so passengers are required to change at Leeds or York on to Northern Rail services to Harrogate. The Saturday running of this service is the week's only National Express East Coast southbound service from Leeds not to call at Wakefield Westgate. This service departs from Leeds and heads along the Selby line to join the East Coast Main Line at Hambleton.
A proposed new train company will possibly rival services like services to Hull or be increased to two-hourly via Garforth.
Bradford Forster Square
One train per day run between Forster Square and King's Cross in each direction.
Named trains
NX East Coast operates the following named passenger trains in their timetable:
Rail based competitors
With the upgrade of the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Glasgow to 125mph now complete, National Express East Coast can't compete with Virgin Trains on this route when it comes to journey times (still 5hrs 30mins compared to the new 4hrs 25min time on the WCML), but they do provide a useful link from Glasgow to Newcastle and York and a secondary route for use when the WCML is closed for engineering work. National Express services to Edinburgh via the East Coast Main Line however, still remain quicker than Virgin's service along the West Coast.
The East Coast franchise has become the significant target of competition from the granting of licences to the first open-access operators, at Hull from First Hull Trains, and from York directly and the North East indirectly from Grand Central.
The First ScotRail London to Scotland Caledonian Sleeper offers an evening service alternative to the East Coast destinations of Aberdeen and Inverness (Highland Sleeper) and Edinburgh and Glasgow (Lowland Sleeper), although it runs from London Euston instead of Kings Cross.
Future routes
Lincoln
Also as part of the new franchise, National Express East Coast have promised a direct service to the city of Lincoln. This is due to happen by December 2009.
Performance
The most recent performance figures for the second quarter of 2008/9 put National Express at a Public performance Measure (percentage of trains arriving on time) of 87.0% for the East Coast route.
Figures for the period 17 August to 13 September 2008 released by Network Rail put the latest figure at 89%, the second lowest of all Train Operating Companies.
Rolling stock
Current fleet
The new franchise inherited the rolling stock operated by GNER, which encompasses Class 43 diesel locomotives and Mark 3 coaching stock (InterCity 125), and Class 91 electric locomotives and Mark 4 Mallard coaches (InterCity 225).
Mark 3 Coaching Stock are on a on-going refurbishment to take them up to Mallard MK4 coaching stock standards.
National Express East Coast offers free Wi-Fi to passengers in both first and standard class.
Intercity 125
The InterCity 125 rolling stock is currently undergoing an upgrade to Mallard standard. In addition, the Class 43 locomotives are being re-engined as part of a life-extension upgrade.
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Routes operated | Built | mph | km/h | | Class 43 | | Diesel locomotive | 125 | 200 | 32 (30 from spring 2009) (28 operational) | London Kings Cross-Aberdeen
London Kings Cross-Inverness
London Kings Cross-Hull
London Kings Cross-Skipton
Harrogate-London Kings Cross
Leeds-Aberdeen
London Kings Cross-Newcastle | 1976 – 1982 | | Mark 3 coach | | Passenger carriage | 125 | 200 | 56 | 1975 – 1988 |
Intercity 225
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Routes operated | Built | mph | km/h | | Class 91 | | Electric locomotive | 140 | 225 | 31 | London Kings Cross-Leeds
London Kings Cross-Edinburgh
London Kings Cross-Glasgow Central
London Kings Cross-Bradford Forster Square
London Kings Cross-Newcastle | 1988 – 1991 | | Mark 4 coach | | Passenger carriage | 140 | 225 | 302 | 1989 – 1991 | | Driving Van Trailer | 140 | 225 | 31 | 1988 |
Future fleet
Proposed Leeds stock
In line with the additional services in 2010, National Express East Coast will be expanding its fleet. Initially to meet this need, NXEC intended to hire four rakes of refurbished locomotive hauled Mark 3 coach sets, which according to the Department for Transport will be hauled by Class 90 electric locomotives hired from EWS. In March 2008 National Express made an application for additional track access to a number of destinations. In this application they indicated that the additional services would be operated using Class 180 Adelante DMUs. In the event that National Express is able to procure the Adelantes, it will then not proceed with its plan for the Class 90 hauled trains.
Currently Northern Rail are sub-leasing 3 Adelante units. These are being sub-leased from National Express East Coast, meaning 3 Adelante units are confirmed for National Express East Coast.
Or
Future High Speed Train
As part of the new franchise agreement, National Express will participate in the Intercity Express Programme, which will see a new high-speed train enter service. The project is intended to replace all of the remaining InterCity 125 and InterCity 225 rolling stock in operation, and will see National Express be one of several operators from 2012 onwards.
External links
News items
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