TRANSPORT SECRETARY Andrew Adonis has insisted on a new and improved Flying Scotsman service, operating between London and Edinburgh, as a condition of the East Coast Main Line rail franchise to be awarded next year.
Bidders for the franchise will have to provide more frequent services, timetabled at regular intervals, with simpler ticket-price structures. Lord Adonis also demanded improved on-board catering, which must include a full meals service. The franchisee will also have to commit to carrying out a string of station improvements.
"The East Coast Main Line is one of Britain's most important rail routes," Adonis said. "As well as quicker and more frequent trains, I want to see better stations, improved catering and simpler ticketing." The new timetable will cut journey times from London to key cities such as Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh, but Adonis wants more.
"I want to improve further on this by reintroducing the Flying Scotsman, with a journey time of less than four hours for the key business services between Edinburgh and London.
"I want to see the Flying Scotsman introduced within two years, and Network Rail has undertaken to facilitate this."
The original Flying Scotsman was built in 1923, completing the first non-stop London-Edinburgh run in 1928 in just over eight hours. In 1934 the train set a new speed record of 100mph. The 1923 locomotive cost £7,944, whereas today's Pendolino trains cost more than £20 million.