The LNER is back!

[NewcastleFalcon]

Bye Bye Virgin/Stagecoach, hello London and North Eastern Railway.

Yes Virgin have been relieved of their duties on the East Coast mainline like GNER before them.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling

“I will terminate Virgin Trains East Coast's contract on June 24 2018. I plan to use a period of Operator of Last Resort control to shape the new partnership. So on the same day we will start with the launch of a new long-term brand for the East Coast Main Line through the recreation of one of Britain's iconic rail brands, the London and North Eastern Railway, the LNER.

fascinating!

Regards Neil

[bobins]

An amusing quote from the Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell : "I think I’m right in saying that he’s now nationalised more railways than any Labour minister in 6 decades."

[white exec]

Bit like M.Thatcher, who closed more grammar schools than anyone else. Sometimes, reality brings its own imperative.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Well I asked myself a bit of a silly question when the news came on. Yes all those Virgin logoed up rolling stock and locomotives..wonder who owns them?

If you want to you could plough through this to work it out...I started but came rapidly to the conclusion yet another area of dubious accountability, noses in the trough, procurement efficiency and value for money hard to find.

Short answer is in the main, 3 big leasing companies mixed in with a bit of tinkering and intefering of direct purchases by DfT. For the travelling public they will see the same trains/same staff although as and when the fleet will be "rebranded" as LNER-boom time for uniform makers and sellers of locomotive paint!

http://www.rail.co.uk/rail-news/2015/wh ... ns-trains/

Regards Neil

[CitroJim]

Not the proper old LNER though

[Richard_C]

Order some coal from the valleys, fill up the water troughs, stock up the bunkers, prepare the eggs and kippers for breakfast, the Gresleys are coming back ...... oh, maybe not. Wrong kind of LNER.