Hard work is paying off

Much has been written in the early part of 2018 regarding the current and future state of the existing Virgin Trains franchise on the East Coast Main Line (ECML), which is one of the most important intercity city rail links in the country.

The ECML operation is complex and our railway hosts more train operators than any of the UK’s intercity routes.

While we, the Department for Transport and Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC) still have much ground to cover as we work towards resolving the current complex franchise, it was with great delight that I received news from Transport Focus, whose independent survey of 27,000 people confirmed that the three long distance train companies on the route (Grand Central, Hull Trains and VTEC) have been rated the best in the country by the passengers who use them.

The same survey rated King’s Cross, the London terminus of the ECML, as the best station in Britain.

The rail industry measures itself in many ways but I would argue that the most important measure is the view of the fare paying passengers who use the network.

These excellent results are a testament to the hard work of the railway family, people who work 24 hours every day of the week along 393 miles of the ECML to provide passengers with the best possible experience when they interact with the railway.

It hasn’t happened by accident – we are working closer with our train operating partners than ever before, and the creation of the ECML supervisory board, chaired by Welcome to Yorkshire’s pioneering leader Sir Gary Verity, has brought track and train closer and given us a real focus on delivering for the economies and communities our railway serves.

We’re not complacent, and we’ll strive to keep our standards high and improve in the months ahead.

But it’s reassuring, and refreshing, to hear that the people who matter most to us think that together, the rail industry is actually doing a reasonably good job on the East Coast. Rob McIntosh, Managing Director – Network Rail London North Eastern and East Midlands