Stagecoach and Virgin To Run East Coast Train Services

The Department of Transport has announced it plans to hand over the East Coast rail franchise to Stagecoach and Virgin.

The firms are promising 140-million pounds of investment into it.

Stagecoach and Virgin are promising more services from York to London and Scotland - as well as across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

It'll mean more reliable, frequent and faster journeys and more seats for commuters

Hull, Selby and Brough aren't directly included in this announcement - but they are set to benefit a little from it too - as they're connected to the new services.

However, this hasn't 　impressed Labour and the Unions - they say re-privatising the highly successful service is a mistake.

Rail journeys between London and Yorkshire will be transformed by more services, new trains and more seats after the government announced its intention to award the new East Coast franchise to Inter City Railways, a joint venture of Stagecoach and Virgin, today (Thursday 27 November 2014).

The new deal will include a host of extra benefits for passengers in Yorkshire:

1. Proposals for more trains to London from Bradford, Leeds, York and Harrogate;

2. Journey times from London to Leeds reduced by 14 minutes;

3. Plans for new direct services to Huddersfield, Middlesbrough, Dewsbury and Thornaby from London;

4. Improved ticket offices at Wakefield Westgate, Doncaster and York stations;

5. Better cycling facilities and new information screens at Doncaster station;

6. Free wi-fi at Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate stations from May 2016;

7. 3,100 extra seats for the morning peak time by 2020;

8. 65 state of the art Intercity Express Trains brought into passenger service from 2018; and

9. A £140 million investment package to improve trains and stations across the East Coast.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said:

"This is a fantastic deal for passengers and for staff on this vital route. It gives passengers more seats, more services and new trains.

"We are putting passengers at the centre of the service. I believe Stagecoach and Virgin will not only deliver for customers but also for the British taxpayer.

"This government knows the importance of our railways. That is why they are a vital part of our long term economic plan, with over £38 billion being spent on the network over the next five years."

Martin Griffiths, Chief Executive of Stagecoach Group, said:

"A passion for customers, employees and the community is at the heart of our plans for the franchise. We want to build on the quality and pride of the people who will be joining our team.

"We have some fantastic ideas to deliver a more personal travel experience for customers. Investing in the committed people who will make that happen is a big part of our plans, giving opportunities for them to develop and grow into more senior roles. At the same time, we have developed major programmes to help young people, communities and small businesses along what is one of Britain's major rail routes."

The deal will see an additional train every two hours operating to Leeds from May 2019, with journey times between Leeds and London reduced to two hours. An extra six trains a day will operate between both London and Harrogate, via Horsforth, and London and Bradford Forster Square, via Shipley.

From May 2019, a new service will be introduced between London and Huddersfield, via Dewsbury, with one train a day in each direction.

In North Yorkshire, three trains an hour will operate between London and York from May 2019, with an extra train every two hours brought in from May 2020. From May 2020, new services between London and Middlesbrough, calling at Thornaby, will also be introduced, with a train every two hours.　

To see how you could benefit from the announcement, you can click on the link below which will dirct you to an interactive map:

http://maps.dft.gov.uk/east-coast/#hull