77-458: The Hull Executive was a named English passenger train operated by East Coast and its predecessors. It ran daily in each direction between London King's Cross and Hull via the East Coast and Selby Lines . It was operated by diesel-powered InterCity 125 High Speed Trains . The service was introduced on 8 May 1978 by British Rail , replacing the previous The Hull Pullman . At first
154-978: A 24.5% shareholding in Great Western Holdings that won the Great Western and North Western franchises, and a 100% shareholding in First Great Eastern that ran the Great Eastern franchise from January 1997. In March 1998, FirstGroup purchased the 75.5% shares in Great Western Holdings that it did not already own and rebranded the franchises First Great Western and First North Western . In September 1998, FirstGroup made its first overseas foray when New World First Bus commenced operating bus services in Hong Kong formerly operated by China Motor Bus ;
231-761: A controlling stake in Greyhound Lines , the largest bus operator in North America. The Greyhound name and the names of Canadian subsidiaries of Greyhound Canada were retained, and all other Laidlaw-owned services in the United States and Canada were rebranded under the First or Greyhound names, except for Voyageur Colonial and Grey Goose in Canada. In January 2009, DSBFirst , FirstGroup's joint venture with Danish State Railways commenced operating
308-526: A diesel InterCity 125 set as the Harrogate Line is not electrified. East Coast operates a number of named passenger trains, including: East Coast inherited the rolling stock operated by NXEC, comprising InterCity 125 High Speed Train sets made up of Class 43 power cars and Mark 3 carriages , and InterCity 225 sets made up of Class 91 electric locomotives and Mark 4 carriages and Driving Van Trailers . This same rolling stock dated back to
385-574: A few years of these changes, both train performance and punctuality figures had noticeably improved. Beyond the timetable changes, the Eureka programme was accompanied by various service changes, such as a nearly £10 million investment in staff training and to modernise its catering carriages, facilitating the introduction of complimentary catering for all First Class travellers. Prior to October 2010, East Coast offered free Wi-Fi to passengers in both First and Standard Class coaches. From 5 October 2010,
462-484: A greater number of passengers as only a modest spend was required to earn benefits. The scheme initially launched with online bookings only but was then expanded to cover season tickets and business travel. In November 2013, Sky1 started to broadcast a documentary series "All Aboard East Coast Trains". One of the InterCity 225 sets was painted in a special blue livery which includes faces of employees that feature in
539-525: A half-hourly service between King's Cross and Newcastle (one fast, one semi-fast) throughout the day, departing from London on the hour and the half-hour. The top-of-the-hour trains were part of the London to Scotland services which ran as limited-stop expresses between London and Newcastle (as seen below). The half-hour train called at Peterborough , Newark , Doncaster , York , Northallerton , Darlington , Durham and terminated at Newcastle, although there
616-476: A livery filled with images, stories and tributes to regiments and people who served in them across the East Coast route. The public performance measure (PPM) shows the percentage of trains which arrive at their terminating station on time. It combines figures for punctuality and reliability into a single performance measure. The moving annual average PPM for East Coast by the end of its franchise (P12 2014–14)
693-575: A management buyout led by its then general manager, Moir Lockhead . As GRT Bus Group , it expanded through acquisition purchasing six former nationalised bus companies in England and Scotland. During April 1995, FirstBus was formed through the merger of the Badgerline and GRT Bus Groups, with fleets in England, Wales and Scotland. The former King Street Barracks site in Aberdeen was selected as
770-713: A name and is operated by London North Eastern Railway . East Coast (train operating company) East Coast , the trading name of the East Coast Main Line Company , was a British train operating company running the InterCity East Coast franchise on the East Coast Main Line between London , Yorkshire , North East England, and Scotland. East Coast ran long-distance inter-city services from its Central London terminus at London King's Cross on two primary routes;
847-645: A nationwide network of express coaches to the Olympic Park and the Weymouth and Portland sailing venue . These services required around 900 vehicles in total, although some were sub-contracted. During June 2013, most of the First London bus operations were sold to Go-Ahead London , Metroline and Tower Transit . In April 2015, FirstGroup was unsuccessful in bidding for the ScotRail franchise , which
SECTION 10
#1732775747874924-526: A three-month period on East Coast tickets. Benefits included first class lounge access for the member and a guest, discounts at partner retailers, 20% off online advance ticket booking and a large number of free first class travel tickets. As this scheme had a high barrier to entry East Coast launched a revamped loyalty scheme in 2011 which was points based and included all spend on the East Coast website even if booking travel for other operators. The scheme meant rewards such as free travel were now within reach of
1001-545: Is Britain's largest bus operator, running more than 20% of all local bus services. A fleet of nearly 9,000 buses carries some 2.9 million passengers a day in more than 40 major towns and cities. FirstGroup also runs passenger rail services in the UK. Passenger rail franchises consist of Avanti West Coast , Great Western Railway and South Western Railway . It also runs two non-franchised open access passenger operations – Hull Trains and Lumo . FirstGroup operates tram services on
1078-494: The Cotswold Line . East Coast investigated the use of a single 11-coach Pendolino from July 2011, but ultimately decided instead to lease an extra HST set from East Midlands Trains from May 2011, bringing the number of HSTs leased to East Coast to 14. The fleet of Class 91 locomotives inherited by East Coast has carried various names up until 2008. In 2011, in response to customer requests, East Coast resumed
1155-641: The Eurotunnel Group in exchange for £31 million, ending the group's involvement in rail freight transport. In September 2010, former London Underground managing director Tim O'Toole , already a board member since May 2009 and chief operating officer and Deputy Chief Executive since June 2010, was announced as the successor to retiring group chief executive officer Moir Lockhead with effect from 31 March 2011. During September 2011, FirstGroup's German bus operations were sold to Marwyn European Transport. In December 2011, DSBFirst ceased operating
1232-593: The First Capital Connect franchise and a renewed First Great Western franchise that had been expanded to include the Thames Trains and Wessex Trains franchises. In February 2007, FirstGroup agreed to buy the US-based firm Laidlaw , an operator of inter-city coaches and yellow school buses across North America, in exchange for £1.9 billion (US$ 3.7 billion). This also gave it
1309-775: The First TransPennine Express rail franchise, FirstGroup having a 55% shareholding in the venture. During April 2004, FirstGroup commenced operating the First Great Western Link franchise, it also commenced the First ScotRail franchise in October 2004. In December 2004, the remainder of First North Western passed to Northern Rail , some services having already been transferred to Arriva Trains Wales and FirstTranspennine Express. During April 2006, FirstGroup commenced operating
1386-526: The Go-Ahead Group and Rotala . In May 2020, FirstGroup announced it has effectively reversed its previous strategy, opting to retain its UK bus operations and instead sell its assets in North America. In April 2021, FirstGroup agreed terms to sell the First Student and First Transit businesses to EQT AB ; the sale completed later in 2021. During October 2021, FirstGroup announced
1463-638: The London Tramlink network carrying approximately 24 million passengers per year on behalf of Transport for London . FirstGroup owns and operates the Aircoach service in Dublin , linking Dublin Airport with the city centre, the south side of Dublin, Greystones and Bray as well as long-distance express services runs to Cork and Belfast . FirstGroup has always had a consistent brand and uses
1540-660: The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT). On 1 March 2015, Virgin Trains East Coast assumed operations. This was the busiest East Coast service – half-hourly, with one train per hour serving Peterborough , Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate and Leeds, while the other served Stevenage , Grantham , Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate and Leeds. At weekends, they called at Stevenage every two hours while Peterborough, Grantham, Newark, Doncaster and Wakefield were served hourly. East Coast operated
1617-789: The Oresundtrain rail franchise from Helsingør and Nivå in Denmark along the Kystbanen line and over the Øresund Bridge to Malmö , Växjö , Kalmar , Karlskrona and Gothenburg in Sweden. FirstGroup had a 25% shareholding in the Danish business and 20% in the Swedish business. By March 2011, this shareholding had increased to 30%. During June 2009, FirstGroup made a takeover offer for fellow transport operator National Express , which
SECTION 20
#17327757478741694-543: The Somerset based services of the Bristol Omnibus Company that were rebranded in 1985 as Badgerline were purchased in a management buyout . As Badgerline Group, it expanded through acquisition purchasing other formerly nationalised bus companies in England and Wales. In January 1989, Grampian Regional Transport , the bus operator in Aberdeen owned by Grampian Regional Council , was privatised in
1771-587: The South Western franchise . In May 2020, FirstGroup announced it would retain its UK bus operations and sell off its activities in North America. During June 2022, FirstGroup rejected a £1.2bn takeover offer from US private equity company I Squared Capital . FirstGroup originated within the deregulation of bus services in the United Kingdom in 1986, whereby private companies purchased nationalised and municipal bus operators. During September 1986,
1848-589: The deregulation of bus services in the United Kingdom during the 1980s. During April 1995, two acquisitive private bus operators, Badgerline and GRT Bus Group , merged to create FirstBus. The new company initially operated a fleet of 5,600 buses to provide services to numerous regions across England, Wales and Scotland. Throughout the late 1990s, FirstBus continued its policy of growth by acquisition. To this end, it acquired several former council owned operations and companies formerly owned by English, Welsh and Scottish nationalised operators. During December 1997,
1925-756: The privatisation of the PTE bus operations and the privatisation of London bus services . FirstBus acquired GM Buses North in Manchester and Strathclyde Buses in Glasgow in 1996, Mainline in South Yorkshire and CentreWest in London in 1997, and Capital Citybus in London in 1998. During December 1997, the company was renamed FirstGroup ; this change was due to the company's entry in February 1996 into Britain's recently privatised railways , having
2002-528: The American company Ryder Public Transport Services. During May 2000, it began operating the London Tramlink concession. During August 2003, FirstGroup purchased GB Railways , which owned Anglia Railways and GB Railfreight and held 80% of the shares in Hull Trains . In February 2007, FirstGroup agreed to buy the US-based bus operator Laidlaw , along with a controlling stake in Greyhound Lines ,
2079-600: The British Rail era, with some of the HSTs approaching 40 years old by the end of East Coast's operation. The original franchise holder, GNER , undertook a major refurbishment of its rolling stock from 2003, which it titled "Project Mallard ". The Mark 4 carriages were upgraded and refurbished between 2003 and 2005, while work on refurbishing the Mark 3 carriages started under GNER in early 2007 and continued under NXEC, with
2156-423: The First brand for most of its operations. FirstBus began to apply a standard corporate typeface to its fleet names in the late 1990s, introducing the stylized f logo depicting a road. A corporate white, pink and blue livery nicknamed " Barbie " was introduced to new buses, while further bus company acquisitions continued. Inherited bus fleets were initially left in their original colours with First fleet names, with
2233-542: The Nottingham to Lincoln line was not electrified. The Hull Executive ran between King's Cross and Hull , with one train per day each way. This service also used InterCity 125 sets, as the Hull line was not electrified. More frequent services between King's Cross and Hull were operated by First Hull Trains . There was a daily morning departure from Harrogate to King's Cross and an evening return. This service used
2310-597: The Swedish part of the operation after difficulties encountered by Danish State Railways over cross subsidies . In July 2012, First Travel Solutions provided bus and coach services for the London 2012 Olympic Games as First Games Transport. This involved the provision of venue shuttle and park and ride services, services connecting the peripheral park and ride sites on the M25 with the Olympic Park and Ebbsfleet , and
2387-566: The US Chapter 11 process , During December 2006, the DfT announced its intention to strip Sea Containers of its franchise, although GNER continued to operate it via an interim fixed fee management contract while another competitive tender was organised. In February 2007, the DfT announced that Arriva , First , National Express and Virgin Rail Group had been shortlisted to lodge bids for
Hull Executive - Misplaced Pages Continue
2464-513: The United States. In August 2017, FirstGroup's joint venture with MTR Corporation commenced operating the South Western franchise , the company holding a 70% shareholding in South Western Railway . In May 2019, FirstGroup announced its intention to sell its UK bus operations and that its US activities were to receive greater attention in the future. However, the only sales completed were parts of First Greater Manchester to
2541-516: The award of a new seven-year franchise by the Department for Transport (DfT) commencing in May 2005; the award was subject to criticism that, amid aggressive bidding between the different companies competing for the franchise, GNER had committed itself to fulfilling an overly generous arrangement that may not be financially realistic, and was accused as having overbid to secure the franchise. During
2618-434: The company had paid too much for the franchise, and had effectively repeated GNER's mistake in order to secure the franchise. According to railway industry periodical Rail , NXEC quickly garnered a reputation for cost-cutting and a decline in service levels, particularly in terms of the onboard catering. By 2009, NXEC was under increasing financial pressure due to various factors, including compounding rises in fuel prices and
2695-558: The company held a 26% shareholding in the joint venture. During May 2000, FirstGroup sold its shares to joint venture partner New World Development . In September 1999, FirstGroup purchased Ryder Public Transport Services, a provider of school bus and contracted public bus transportation in the United States. In May 2000, FirstGroup began operating the London Tramlink concession under contract to Transport for London . During August 2003, FirstGroup purchased GB Railways , which owned Anglia Railways and GB Railfreight and held 80% of
2772-481: The company rebranded its First Somerset & Avon operations in Bridgwater and Taunton as The Buses of Somerset , using a two-tone green livery. Hull Trains carries a predominantly blue livery, including white, pink and purple. This was also used by First Great Western until 20 September 2015, when the franchise was rebranded as Great Western Railway, with a new logo and dark green livery paying homage to
2849-625: The company was renamed FirstGroup to reflect its entry into Britain's recently privatised railways . Around this time, it had a 24.5% shareholding in Great Western Holdings that was awarded the Great Western and North Western franchises, as well as a 100% shareholding in First Great Eastern . FirstGroup made its first overseas foray in September 1998 via a 26% shareholding in the joint venture New World First Bus that provided bus services in Hong Kong . In September 1999, FirstGroup purchased
2926-523: The contractual terms of operation; National Express stating that it would not be providing any further financial support necessary to ensure NXEC remained solvent. This meant NXEC would run out of cash by the end of 2009. As a consequence of this decision, the DfT announced it would establish a publicly owned company to take over the franchise from National Express. The failure of the NXEC franchise sparked widespread calls amongst industry officials and members of
3003-423: The event, they never operated in revenue-earning service with East Coast, as the proposed services were never introduced and the units did not find favour with East Coast's parent company Directly Operated Railways . Three of the units were sublet to Northern Rail for use on services from Manchester to Preston and Blackpool, before all five were returned to their original operator, First Great Western , for use on
3080-412: The final set completed in October 2009. The Mallard interiors were used throughout East Coast's tenure; Rail magazine alleged that, by 2015, some sets were looking particularly worn and in need of another refurbishment or wholesale replacement. Some minor changes were made to the InterCity 225 fleet, perhaps the most noticeable of which was their repainting into East Coast's silver livery. This repaint
3157-536: The first to Leeds and the second to Edinburgh via Newcastle with other services reaching into Yorkshire and Northern and Central Scotland. It commenced operations on 14 November 2009 and ceased on 28 February 2015. East Coast was a subsidiary of Directly Operated Railways , formed by the Department for Transport as an operator of last resort when National Express refused to provide further financial support to its National Express East Coast (NXEC) subsidiary and consequently lost its franchise. The franchise
Hull Executive - Misplaced Pages Continue
3234-416: The franchise in 2009, and also observed that the operation was financially sound and that East Coast had become one of Britain's most profitable train operating companies by 2015. During May 2011, East Coast introduced a major new timetable known as "Eureka"; changes included an extra three million seats per year, a decrease in general journey times and the adoption of a more regular service pattern. Within
3311-501: The franchise, at which point the DfT took over through its newly formed subsidiary , East Coast. According to Rail , East Coast's management strategy was typically adverse to initiating changes and that relatively little had changed across the organisation's operations during its eight years of running the franchise. Karen Boswell, the managing director of East Coast, disputed this observation and pointed to substantial investment in terms of both staff and assets since assuming control of
3388-569: The headquarters. At the time of the merger, FirstBus had 5,600 buses, 4,000 of which came from Badgerline. Badgerline's Trevor Smallwood became chairman of FirstBus, while GRT head Moir Lockhead became deputy chairman and chief executive. Throughout the late 1990s, FirstBus continued its policy of growth by acquisition. To this end, it acquired several former council owned operations and companies formerly owned by English, Welsh and Scottish nationalised operators. FirstBus went on to acquire larger urban metropolitan operators by taking advantage of
3465-435: The historic Flying Scotsman service. This was an early-morning service to London King's Cross with a journey time of four hours, departing Edinburgh Waverley at 05:40, calling only at Newcastle at 07:03 and arriving at London at 09:40. An hourly service ran between King's Cross and Newark , calling at all intermediate stations. This was extended to York every two hours, serving Retford and Doncaster and at peak times
3542-493: The historic Forth , Tay and Montrose bridges. This was an extension of a London-to-Edinburgh service with a daily service operating between King's Cross and Inverness , departing at 12:00 with the southbound service departing Inverness at 7:55 (09–40 Sundays), named the Highland Chieftain . The journey took just over eight hours and was operated by InterCity 125 sets, as the line between Edinburgh and Inverness
3619-553: The hourly London-to-Edinburgh service. There were three trains per day each way between King's Cross and Aberdeen , departing at 10:00 ( The Northern Lights ), 14:00 and 16:00 (weekdays only), the journey time being just over seven hours. There was also one service per day in each direction between Leeds and Aberdeen. These services were operated by InterCity 125 sets, as the Edinburgh to Aberdeen line and York to Leeds section via Garforth were not electrified. This route crossed
3696-534: The intention that the Barbie scheme would stand for a set service quality. Later older buses received a modified "Barbie 2" livery. As part of its corporate branding, First subsequently removed all local branding for its bus services, buses simply carried the 'First' brand, although each company still operated independently. In 2012, the group began to introduce a new purple, white and lilac livery to its bus fleets, which also reinstated local branding. In January 2014,
3773-552: The largest bus operator in North America. During June 2009, FirstGroup made an unsuccessful takeover bid for rival transport operator National Express . In June 2010, FirstGroup sold its rail freight business First GBRf to the Eurotunnel Group , exiting the rail freight sector as a result. During October 2016, First Transit commenced operating the A-train , its first rail operation in the United States. In August 2017, FirstGroup's joint venture with MTR Corporation commenced operating
3850-503: The new franchise. In August 2007, the DfT awarded the Intercity East Coast franchise to National Express, leading to the creation of National Express East Coast (NXEC) shortly thereafter. Under the terms of its franchise agreement, National Express committed to paying a £1.4-billion premium to the DfT over a time span of seven years and four months. However, numerous rail analysts at the time promptly voiced concerns that
3927-606: The offer had undervalued the company. While talks between the two companies continued for a further two months, I Squared ultimately called off its efforts in August 2022. In February 2023, FirstGroup announced that subject to regulatory approval, it would purchase both the bus services and bus dealer operations of Purfleet -based Ensignbus . In January 2024, FirstGroup announced that it had purchased York Pullman . In October 2024, FirstGroup announced that it had purchased both Lakeside Group and Anderson Travel. FirstGroup
SECTION 50
#17327757478744004-422: The operation of InterCity 225s on this service. From the timetable starting 22 May 2011, the evening return train from Kings Cross was worked by an InterCity 225 (Monday – Fridays only). The Saturday run of the outward service was the only East Coast service serving Leeds not to call at Wakefield Westgate : after Leeds, this service took the route via Micklefield and Hambleton Junctions to Doncaster. Although
4081-775: The operator introduced a charge of £4.99 per hour or £9.99 for 24 hours for only Standard Class passengers; a 15-minute free allowance was still provided. In 2011, East Coast announced an investment of £600,000 for upgrading Wi-Fi equipment across its fleet, these new uplinks used a combination of satellites and lineside 3G / HSPA masts. On 28 February 2015, the final operating day of East Coast, Virgin branding and public relations material begun to be deployed at various stations. Furthermore, East Coast's website, Twitter and Facebook pages were updated overnight to reflect Virgin's branding. That same day, multiple coordinated anti-privatisation protests were held in several cities, including Edinburgh, Doncaster and London, which were organised by
4158-481: The original Great Western Railway . London Tramlink operations are painted in white, green and blue as per Transport for London requirements. In Scotland, First ScotRail operated with a blue livery with white saltire markings on the carriage ends, as mandated by the Scottish Government's transport agency Transport Scotland . Current operating businesses include: In September 2022 First Bus
4235-536: The original franchise, the company had been receiving subsidies from the British government to support its operations; however, the terms of the second franchise reversed this to have the operator making payments to the government, specifically a £1.3-billion premium which was due to the DfT over a ten-year period. Within two years, the company's financial difficulties had become a public concern. In October 2006, Sea Containers filed for bankruptcy protection under
4312-456: The other trains to/from Skipton used the InterCity 225, the Saturday run of the outward service used the InterCity 125 because the alternative route used was not fully electrified. From May 2011, a direct train ran between King's Cross and Lincoln Central , with one service per day in each direction as an extension of the London – Newark service. This service used a diesel InterCity 125 set as
4389-501: The poor economic climate of the time, commonly known as the Great Recession . During April 2009, National Express confirmed that it was pursuing talks with the government over possible financial assistance with the franchise, either through a reduction in the premium due or some other form of assistance. In July 2009, it was announced that National Express was intending to default on the franchise, having failed to renegotiate
4466-729: The practice. It began by naming 91109 as Sir Bobby Robson , unveiled in a ceremony at Newcastle station on 29 March 2011 by his widow Elsie and Alan Shearer , patron of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation , which the company was also now a supporter of. On 2 June 2012, 91110 was renamed Battle of Britain Memorial Flight by Carol Vorderman at the National Railway Museum as part of the Railfest 2012 Event. On 16 February 2013, 91107
4543-652: The programmes in order to promote the series. FirstGroup FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen , Scotland. The company operates transport services in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland . It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index . The creation of what became FirstGroup is closely tied to
4620-601: The public for the InterCity East Coast franchise to be permanently placed into public ownership, or even the complete scrapping of the entire franchise system. In response, the Secretary of State for Transport Lord Adonis reiterated the findings of a 2008 National Audit Office (NAO) report which had concluded that the rail franchising system delivered good value for money and steadily improving services. On 13 November 2009, NXEC relinquished its operation of
4697-406: The sale of Greyhound Lines to FlixMobility , completing its stated divestments to focus on its core UK public transport businesses. In October 2021, the open-access operator Lumo commenced operating services on the East Coast Main Line . In June 2022, FirstGroup's board unanimously rejected a £1.2bn takeover proposal from US private equity firm I Squared Capital ; a spokesperson stated that
SECTION 60
#17327757478744774-438: The service was operated by Class 55 Deltic locomotives hauling Mark 2 carriages . These were replaced by High Speed Trains in January 1981, by which time the Hull Executive was Hull's only through train to London. The name was used for a morning service to London returning in the evening. It called at Brough and Selby as well as certain stations on the East Coast Main Line from Doncaster southwards. Prior to 2000, it
4851-508: The shares in Hull Trains . Having not been shortlisted for the Greater Anglia franchise , this outcome gave FirstGroup another chance to bid. However, it too was unsuccessful and the franchise was awarded to the rival transport company National Express from April 2004, including the services operated by First Great Eastern. In November 2003, FirstGroup purchased a 90% shareholding in Irish coach operator Aircoach . In February 2004, FirstGroup's joint venture with Keolis commenced operating
4928-413: The shortlisted bidders for the new franchise. The franchise passed to Virgin Trains East Coast on 1 March 2015. The original InterCity East Coast franchise was awarded to the Bermuda -based transport and container leasing company Sea Containers , which operated it from April 1996 until April 2005 via its subsidiary Great North Eastern Railway (GNER). While Sea Containers successfully bid for
5005-592: The whole, service levels remained relatively steady and unchanged throughout East Coast's tenure. From the onset of East Coast's operations, the Department for Transport had publicly stated its long term intention for the franchise was for it to be retendered and thus return to a private franchisee; this was originally set to occur by December 2013. However, during March 2013, the Secretary of State for Transport announced that this transfer had been postponed to February 2015 instead. In January 2014, FirstGroup , Keolis / Eurostar and Stagecoach / Virgin were announced as
5082-406: Was 88.2%. Unlike the majority of rail franchises, East Coast was a profitable ongoing concern. It paid back in excess of £1 billion to the British government over the course of its franchise. East Coast inherited the 'escape' loyalty scheme from National Express which was eventually rebranded as East Coast Rewards. The original scheme involved giving benefits to customers who spent over £1,750 in
5159-407: Was a half-hourly service to Edinburgh with some Newcastle trains extended at peak hours. At weekends all services on the half-hour continued to Edinburgh from Newcastle. During the day, services to London King's Cross from Edinburgh ran every 30 minutes, one fast and one semi-fast. All trains called at Newcastle and most at Berwick upon Tweed, Darlington and York. In May 2011 East Coast re-introduced
5236-465: Was an extension of the London to Leeds service. Though the line to Skipton was electrified throughout, the East Coast service to/from the town was initially operated using a diesel HST because the electrical infrastructure on the Leeds to Skipton line was insufficient to support a Class 91 locomotive in addition to the Class 333 electric multiple units that operated the local services from Leeds to Skipton. However, tests took place on 16 January 2011 for
5313-513: Was an extension of this service to Edinburgh every two hours. At weekends, all daytime services to Newcastle continued through to Edinburgh, with some going non-stop. Late evening services terminated at Newcastle. This was East Coast's flagship route, serving the whole length of the East Coast Main Line ; an hourly service from London to Edinburgh Waverley , calling at York, Darlington, Newcastle, Berwick-upon-Tweed and Edinburgh. Some of these trains also called at Peterborough . Occasionally there
5390-498: Was extended to Newcastle. These services operated only on weekdays. Additional services also start/terminated at Doncaster or Peterborough at peak times. There was only one direct through train per day in each direction between King's Cross and Glasgow Central departing Glasgow at 06:50 and departing King's Cross at 15.30 as an extension of a London to Newcastle service also calling at Edinburgh. There were no East Coast service to Glasgow on Saturdays. These trains were extensions to
5467-412: Was not electrified. One train per day in each direction ran between Bradford Forster Square and King's Cross via Leeds. This used an electric InterCity 225 train as the route was fully electrified. This service offered the fastest journey time of 1hr 59m, only stopping at Wakefield Westgate on the way to London. There was a morning train from Skipton to King's Cross with an early evening return. It
5544-533: Was re-nationalised on 14 November 2009, with the day-to-day operations continuing normally on the whole. Within one year, East Coast's rolling stock begun to be re-liveried in a new silver scheme intentionally styled so that future operators of the franchise could easily apply their own branding following their takeover of operations. During May 2011, East Coast launched the "Eureka" programme, which involved numerous service changes, including an overhauled timetable and complimentary catering for First Class passengers. On
5621-459: Was renamed Skyfall and temporarily returned to its original 91007 number to mark the James Bond film of the same name, which featured trains extensively and became the highest-grossing film of all time in the United Kingdom. On 14 October 2014, 91111 was unveiled to mark the 100th anniversary of World War I . The specially-designed East Coast locomotive, named For The Fallen , carries
5698-515: Was routed via Goole instead of Selby. In September 2001, Hull Trains began operating services on the same route and today operates seven return services. The name was still being shown in East Coast timetables up until its cessation in March 2015, but was quietly dropped by Virgin Trains East Coast when it took over the InterCity East Coast franchise in April 2015. The service now runs without
5775-545: Was run by Abellio ScotRail until the end of that franchise in March 2022. During December 2015, FirstGroup was awarded the next TransPennine Express franchise. The new franchise commenced on 1 April 2016 with a commitment to introduce new trains, routes and faster journey times. During October 2016, First Transit commenced operating the A-train under contract to the Denton County Transportation Authority , its first rail operation in
5852-512: Was started in June 2010, with the first full set (excluding loco) being released on 30 July 2010. A key concept behind the new livery was that a plain base livery would be readily customisable to suit any potential future operator of the franchise. East Coast leased five Class 180 Adelante diesel multiple units from Angel Trains with the intention of using them on proposed additional services from London King's Cross to Lincoln and Harrogate. In
5929-491: Was struggling with debt at the time and was struggling to hold onto its National Express East Coast rail franchise. This offer was rejected; a National Express spokesperson stated that it did not "consider it appropriate" at the time to discuss a takeover. FirstGroup believed that there was "significant industrial and commercial logic" for a merger, but National Express wished to focus on its own initiatives. In June 2010, FirstGroup sold its railfreight business First GBRf to
#873126