LNER honours the Class 91 with special '225 Day'

In a tribute to one of Britain's most iconic high-speed trains, London North Eastern Railway (LNER) hosted its first-ever 225 Day, celebrating almost 40 years of service by the legendary InterCity 225 fleet along the East Coast Main Line.

The event honoured the enduring legacy of the Class 91 locomotives and Mk4 coaches, which have formed the backbone of LNER’s high-speed services since their introduction in the late 1980s. The 225s entered service in 1989 and were originally launched to work alongside the equally celebrated InterCity 125 HSTs.

A ceremonial naming of 91106 at Leeds station took place, with the new locomotive named christened ‘Swallow’ — a nod to the iconic InterCity rebrand of the late 1980s.

Special guests from across the rail industry were invited aboard the 1245 Leeds to London King’s Cross service, which featured an onboard exhibition curated by railway historian and television presenter Tim Dunn. The temporary museum showcased decades of history, design, and innovation behind the InterCity 225s.

“These trains are such clever trains,” said Dunn. “They were hand-built and hand-designed — one of the last British trains to be so. They’ve been cutting through the landscape at 125mph, forwards and backwards, for nearly 40 years.”

Speaking to RAIL, Jon Starkey, Head of Engineering and Fleet Assurance at LNER said the 225 was a key part of why he loved trains.

“I remember seeing these at Leeds station when I was a kid and those memories are etched in my brain.”

As head of LNER’s everyday fleet capabilities, Starkey said that he expected the units which LNER will be around for a little longer as it gears up for the introduction of the new tri-mode 897s in the next few years.

“Some of the units are undergoing wheelset restorations and other smaller mechanical fixes in Doncaster. That is not an easy task – keeping something which is used everyday and nearly 40 years old in working order. The wheelsets are very specific and not easy to find or fit.

“But the sets we have in service, I’m expecting we’ll have them for a few years yet.”

Among the guests was Paul Varley, one of LNER’s longest-serving employees, who joined British Rail in 1979 and has worked aboard the IC225s since their inception.

Varley recalled memories of silver-service dining and famous passengers, including cricketing legend Sir Fred Trueman, who was a regular in the restaurant car. “I was here when these trains were introduced, and we knew from the start they were something special.”