:East Coast (train operating company)

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).{{cite magazine|url=https://www.railmagazine.com/operations/franchises/from-poisoned-chalice-to-holy-grail|title=From poisoned chalice to Holy Grail?|date=7 January 2015|magazine=Rail Magazine}}{{cite magazine |date=10 April 1996 |page=10 |issue=276 |title=Sea Containers wins East Coast Main Line franchise |magazine=Rail Magazine |location=Peterborough}} While Sea Containers successfully bid for the award of a new seven-year franchise by the Department for Transport (DfT) commencing in May 2005;{{cite press release |url=http://www.investegate.co.uk/article.aspx?id=200503220700260427K |author=Strategic Rail Authority |title=Biggest Deal in European Rail History Marks East Coast Franchise Announcement |date=22 March 2005 |access-date=18 October 2012 |work=The Financial Express |archive-date=4 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004213238/http://www.investegate.co.uk/article.aspx?id=200503220700260427K |url-status=live}}{{cite magazine |url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/gner-wins-second-franchise-term.html |title=GNER wins second franchise term |date=1 May 2005 |access-date=18 October 2012 |magazine=Railway Gazette International |archive-date=4 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004213205/http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/gner-wins-second-franchise-term.html |url-status=live}} 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.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2912584/GNERs-blockbuster-bid-clinches-East-Coast-Line.html |title=GNER's blockbuster bid clinches East Coast Line |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|first=Alistair |last=Osborne |date=23 March 2005 |access-date=18 October 2012 |location=London |archive-date=7 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007022858/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2912584/GNERs-blockbuster-bid-clinches-East-Coast-Line.html |url-status=live}} During 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.{{cite news |first=Dan |last=Milmo |title=Ex-GNER chief says high bids threaten franchises |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2006/sep/27/transportintheuk.travelnews |date=27 September 2006 |newspaper=The Guardian|location=London |access-date=11 December 2016 |archive-date=9 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309172838/http://www.theguardian.com/business/2006/sep/27/transportintheuk.travelnews |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1486190/GNER-pays-1.3bn-for-East-Coast-franchise.html |title=GNER pays £1.3bn for East Coast franchise |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=22 March 2005 |access-date=18 October 2012 |location=London |archive-date=26 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131026045617/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1486190/GNER-pays-1.3bn-for-East-Coast-franchise.html |url-status=live}} Within two years, the company's financial difficulties had become a public concern.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6054090.stm |title=GNER owner makes Chapter 11 move |date=16 October 2006 |access-date=18 October 2012 |work=BBC News |archive-date=5 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205024236/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6054090.stm |url-status=live}}

In October 2006, Sea Containers filed for bankruptcy protection under the US Chapter 11 process,{{Cite news |last=Walsh |first=Fiona |date=2006-10-16 |title=Sea Containers files for Chapter 11 protection |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2006/oct/16/money |newspaper=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}} 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.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6182027.stm |title=GNER to surrender top train route |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108060741/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6182027.stm |archive-date=8 November 2012 |work=BBC News |date=15 December 2006}} In February 2007, the DfT announced that Arriva, First, National Express and Virgin Rail Group had been shortlisted to lodge bids for the new franchise.{{cite news |title=Four in East Coast rail shortlist |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6378159.stm |date=20 February 2007 |work=BBC News |access-date=18 October 2012 |archive-date=22 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070222081041/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6378159.stm |url-status=live }} 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.{{cite press release |url= http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/passenger/franchises/icecf1/nxecawardedcontract |publisher=Department for Transport |title=National Express awarded contract for growth on InterCity East Coast |access-date=14 August 2007 |date=14 August 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071219165508/http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/passenger/franchises/icecf1/nxecawardedcontract |archive-date = 19 December 2007}}{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6945367.stm |title=National Express wins rail route |date=14 August 2007 |access-date=1 July 2009 |work=BBC News |archive-date=22 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090222000026/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6945367.stm |url-status=live}}

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 the company had paid too much for the franchise, and had effectively repeated GNER's mistake in order to secure the franchise.{{cite web|url=http://adamsmith.org/blog/transport/on-the-buses-200909044062/|title=On the buses|first=Nigel|last=Hawkins|publisher=Adam Smith Institute|date=4 September 2009|access-date=18 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805170748/http://www.adamsmith.org/blog/transport/on-the-buses-200909044062|archive-date=5 August 2012}} 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 the poor economic climate of the time, commonly known as the Great Recession.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8128430.stm |title=Q&A: National Express and East Coast line |date=1 July 2009 |access-date=1 July 2009 |work=BBC News |archive-date=30 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130005414/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8128430.stm |url-status=live}} 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.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2009/may/03/national-express-rail-franchise |title=National Express in talks over scrapping east coast franchise |newspaper=The Guardian|date=3 May 2009 |access-date=3 May 2009 |location=London |first=Dan |last=Milmo |archive-date=4 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004224150/http://www.theguardian.com/business/2009/may/03/national-express-rail-franchise |url-status=live}}

In July 2009, it was announced that National Express was intending to default on the franchise, having failed to renegotiate 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.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8127851.stm |title=East Coast rail to be state-run |date=1 July 2009 |access-date=1 July 2009 |work=BBC News |archive-date=12 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012000316/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8127851.stm |url-status=live}} As a consequence of this decision, the DfT announced it would establish a publicly owned company to take over the franchise from National Express.{{cite web |url=http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc1011/hc08/0824/0824.pdf |title=

The InterCity East Coast Passenger Rail Franchise |access-date=17 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604173403/http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc1011/hc08/0824/0824.pdf |archive-date=4 June 2012 }} The failure of the NXEC franchise sparked widespread calls amongst industry officials and members of 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 the franchise, at which point the DfT took over through its newly formed subsidiary, East Coast.{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8343769.stm | work=BBC News | title=East Coast rail change confirmed | date=5 November 2009 | access-date=17 September 2012 | archive-date=8 November 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091108084049/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8343769.stm | url-status=live }}

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 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.{{cite magazine |url = https://www.railmagazine.com/operations/performance/eight-years-on-east-coast-loses-its-way |title = Eight years on – East Coast loses its way |magazine = Rail Magazine |department=Performance|date = 18 March 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.Rail Professional https://www.railpro.co.uk/railpro-magazine/magazine-archives/eureka-moment{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Within 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.Business Traveller https://www.businesstraveller.com/news/2010/11/15/east-coast-to-offer-free-meals-in-first-class/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016093102/https://www.businesstraveller.com/news/2010/11/15/east-coast-to-offer-free-meals-in-first-class/ |date=16 October 2019 }}

Prior to October 2010, East Coast offered free Wi-Fi to passengers in both First and Standard Class coaches. From 5 October 2010, 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/On-Board-Our-Trains/In-your-coach/WiFi---Internet-Facilities/ |title=East Coast > WiFi |publisher=National Express |access-date=20 November 2009 |archive-date=18 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091118223124/http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/On-Board-Our-Trains/In-your-coach/WiFi---Internet-Facilities/ |url-status=live}} 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 the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT). On 1 March 2015, Virgin Trains East Coast assumed operations.

This was the busiest{{citation needed|date=October 2014}} 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.[https://web.archive.org/web/20150119124219/http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/globalassets/downloads/pdf/timetables/east-coast-14-dec-to-10-may-2015.pdf Timetable] East Coast 14 December 2014

East Coast operated 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, {{stnlink|York}}, Northallerton, {{stnlink|Darlington}}, Durham and terminated at Newcastle, although there 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, {{stnlnk|Berwick-upon-Tweed}} and Edinburgh. Some of these trains also called at Peterborough. Occasionally there 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 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 {{stnlink|York}} every two hours, serving Retford and Doncaster and at peak times was extended to Newcastle. These services operated only on weekdays. Additional services also start/terminated at Doncaster or Peterborough at peak times.

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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 the hourly London-to-Edinburgh service. There were three trains per day each way between King's Cross and {{stnlnk|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 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 was not electrified.

One train per day in each direction ran between {{stnlink|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 {{stnlnk|Skipton}} to King's Cross with an early evening return. It 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 the operation of InterCity 225s on this service.{{citation needed|date=January 2011|reason=I cannot find other references to this on the web and I'd like to know more}} From the timetable starting 22 May 2011, the evening return train from Kings Cross was worked by an InterCity 225 (Monday – Fridays only).{{cite web |url=http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/Documents/22%20May/Monday%20-%20Friday.pdf |title=Our timetables |access-date=8 May 2011 |archive-date=16 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516171158/http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/Documents/22%20May/Monday%20-%20Friday.pdf |url-status=live }}

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 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 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 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 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 the final set completed in October 2009.{{cite magazine|title=|magazine=Railway Herald|issue=200 |page=5}} 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 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.{{cite magazine |title= Silver link': East Coast IC225s to be reliveried | magazine = The Railway Magazine |issue=1308 |date=April 2010 |page=6}}

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 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.{{cite magazine |last= Miles |first= Tony |title= DOR evaluates alternative to Adelante sets | magazine = Modern Railways |issue=November 2009 |page=74 |location=London}} 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 the Cotswold Line.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

East Coast investigated the use of a single 11-coach Pendolino from July 2011,{{cite news |url=http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/general/2010/08/13-test-pendolino-for-east-coast.html |title=Test Pendolino for East Coast line raises Virgin hackles |date=13 August 2010 |access-date=16 August 2010 |work=RailNews |location=Stevenage |archive-date=16 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100816142204/http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/general/2010/08/13-test-pendolino-for-east-coast.html |url-status=live}} 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.{{cite magazine |title= East Coast leases 14th HST from May | magazine = Rail Magazine |issue=669 |date=4 May 2011 |location= Peterborough}}{{Page needed|date=May 2023}}

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 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.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12890755 |title=Sir Bobby Robson name given to train |work=BBC News |date=29 March 2011 |access-date=29 March 2011 |archive-date=25 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225080617/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12890755 |url-status=live}}{{cite press release |url = http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/about-us/Press-Release/2011/EAST-COAST-NAMES-TRAIN-SIR-BOBBY-ROBSON/ |title = East Coast Names Train Sir Bobby Robson |publisher = East Coast |date = 29 March 2011 |access-date = 29 March 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110527024214/http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/about-us/Press-Release/2011/EAST-COAST-NAMES-TRAIN-SIR-BOBBY-ROBSON/ |archive-date = 27 May 2011 }}

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.{{cite web |url= http://nrm.org.uk/railfest2012 |title= Railfest 2012 |publisher= National Railway Museum |location= York |access-date= 22 March 2012 |archive-date= 1 April 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120401125303/http://nrm.org.uk/railfest2012 |url-status= live }}

On 16 February 2013, 91107 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.film-news.co.uk/show-news.asp?H=Skyfall-stars-to-unveil-Skyfall-train-in-London&nItemID=17417 |title=News – Film News | Film-News.co.uk | Movie News & Reviews |access-date=9 February 2013 |archive-date=20 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130220004819/http://www.film-news.co.uk/show-news.asp?H=Skyfall-stars-to-unveil-Skyfall-train-in-London&nItemID=17417 |url-status=live }}

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 a livery filled with images, stories and tributes to regiments and people who served in them across the East Coast route.{{cite web|url=http://www.mediacentre.eastcoast.co.uk/News/EAST-COAST-UNVEILS-MOVING-TRIBUTE-FOR-THE-FALLEN-48d.aspx|title=EAST COAST UNVEILS MOVING TRIBUTE 'FOR THE FALLEN'|date=14 October 2014|access-date=11 November 2014|publisher=East Coast|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219213121/http://www.mediacentre.eastcoast.co.uk/News/EAST-COAST-UNVEILS-MOVING-TRIBUTE-FOR-THE-FALLEN-48d.aspx|archive-date=19 December 2014}}

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) was 88.2%.{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/488135/proportion-of-trains-on-time.xls |title=Network Rail Performance figures (updated every four weeks) |access-date=15 January 2016 |archive-date=30 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130005615/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/523046/proportion-of-trains-on-time.xls |url-status=live }}

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.{{cite news |title=East coast mainline pays taxpayers £1bn sparking fresh reprivatisation fury |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/aug/04/east-coast-mainline-fury-reprivatisation-plan |newspaper=The Guardian|location=London|date=4 August 2014 |access-date=4 July 2016 |archive-date=26 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826023420/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/aug/04/east-coast-mainline-fury-reprivatisation-plan|url-status=live}}

{{Unsourced section|date=August 2024}}

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 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.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

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 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.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

In November 2013, Sky1 started to broadcast a documentary series "All Aboard East Coast Trains".{{cite web |url=http://sky1.sky.com/sky1hd-shows/all-aboard-east-coast-trains |title=All Aboard: East Coast Trains – Sky1 HD |access-date=1 November 2013 |archive-date=3 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103113555/http://sky1.sky.com/sky1hd-shows/all-aboard-east-coast-trains |url-status=live }} One of the InterCity 225 sets was painted in a special blue livery which includes faces of employees that feature in the programmes in order to promote the series.

{{reflist}}

{{commons category|East Coast Main Line Company|East Coast}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20150226185648/http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/ Company website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20081120203940/http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/passenger/franchises/icecf1/ Department for Transport InterCity East Coast franchise]

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{{s-bef|before=National Express East Coast}}

{{s-ttl|title=Operator of InterCity East Coast franchise

|years=2009–2015}}

{{S-aft|after=Virgin Trains East Coast}}

{{end}}

{{UK TOCs|defunct|state=collapsed}}

Category:Defunct companies based in York

Category:Defunct public bodies of the United Kingdom

Category:Defunct train operating companies in the United Kingdom

Category:East Coast Main Line

Category:Operators of last resort

Category:Railway companies established in 2009

Category:Railway companies disestablished in 2015

Category:2009 establishments in the United Kingdom

Category:2015 disestablishments in the United Kingdom