Lord Hendy gives update on long-awaited new East Coast Main Line timetable

Lord Hendy has said he hopes to have the new East Coast Main Line (ECML) timetable finally resolved soon.

The rail minister appeared at the Transport Select Committee on December 11 where he was asked about the long-awaited change which has been in deadlock since the first phase of the route’s power supply upgrade was completed in 2022.

Last week it was reported that details were expected to be announced by the Department for Transport later this month, with Hendy confirming that he, and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, now have the timetable.

If approved it would come into operation next year.

Explaining the issue with the long-delayed timetable, Hendy told MPs: “One of the reasons for Great British Railways as a body to control the railway is that while Network Rail was responsible for producing the timetable, there was no process by which you could establish what that timetable should be, and hence the difficult about the East Coast Main Line timetable.

“We must do it. The question is whether we’ve got the best balance in an imperfect world about the competing demands of all the train services including freight and open access services that need to use it.

 “I’m optimistic we can come to a conclusion to the benefit of all users of the East Coast Main Line.”

He warned there could be an outcome for some that would be “less than optimal”, but was “very hopeful that in the near future we can say what we are going to do about the East Coast for the benefit of all the passengers who use it”.

If approved, it would pave the way for LNER to begin a faster journey between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley, stopping only at Newcastle and York.

LNER has previously told RAIL that it expects the journeys to take four hours ten minutes, with the extra power supply on the East Coast Mainline allowing the Azuma’s to accelerate faster out of stations. Although there are aspirations from Network Rail and LNER for trains to travel at up to speeds of 140 miles per hour, this is not expected to happen at the beginning of the new services or until further upgrades have been completed on the line.

Open access operator, Hull Trains is expected to have its respective applications approved by the Office of Rail and Road for its new services.

FirstGroup, which owns both Hull Trains and Lumo, will launch “Sheffield by Hull Trains” plans to start running two daily return journeys via Worksop and Retford before joining the ECML. The journey is expected to take two hours.

Lumo would also run a sixth daily return service between Newcastle and London as part of the timetable agreement.