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 Author | Topic: East Coast Mainline Ltd (Read 293 times) |
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|  | East Coast Mainline Ltd
« Thread Started on Nov 3, 2009, 11:22am » | |
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress....rjJXtW2j_mauCBg
The East Coast main line rail franchise, which runs services out of London, will come under public ownership on December 12.
National Express is handing back the business, which operates services from Kings Cross to Edinburgh, after running up huge losses earlier in the year.
An internal Government briefing obtained by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, reveals that ministers do not expect the franchise to be re-let to the private sector until mid-2011.
The date means the franchise will be run by the Government for at least 18 months, several months longer than originally expected.
The new publicly owned company will take over services on December 12 and will be called East Coast Main Line, according to the presentation.
It will have a new name and upgraded uniform for staff, while National Express logos at stations and on trains will be removed or covered, union officials were told.
New uniforms were introduced recently, but staff will receive new ties and scarves as part of the changeover.
Rolling stock will be rebranded East Coast "as cost effectively and as soon as practicable", according to the Government.
The document said rail services will remain the same and the most noticeable outward difference will be the change of name.
Profits will be returned to the public purse while the franchise is run by the Government, it was pointed out.
Looks like tie manufactures and sticky back plastic makers will do well.
Will be interesting to see if restaurant services are returned!
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JN114
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| | Re: East Coast Mainline Ltd
« Reply #1 on Nov 3, 2009, 5:25pm » | |
GNER-themed branding to come back you reckon?
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| | Re: East Coast Mainline Ltd
« Reply #2 on Nov 3, 2009, 6:24pm » | |
Don't know.
Given that ECM Ltd will be around for a little time, you'd presume that it'd be run in the way the DfT would expect.
So if they re-introduce lost facilties then it'll be tough for a future operator to remove them again.
other "features" of the NX reign, charging for seat reservations, will they remain?
Or will ECM ltd simply keep things ticking over - leaving users in a 18 month limbo.
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JN114
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| | Re: East Coast Mainline Ltd
« Reply #3 on Nov 3, 2009, 6:35pm » | |
Probably the latter.
If you remember when South Eastern was government-run the trains were only partially de-branded. No significant improvements were made to the service, or new stock ordered or anything like that - It was just kept ticking over, although the service did improve greatly.
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| | Re: East Coast Mainline Ltd
« Reply #4 on Nov 3, 2009, 6:42pm » | |
Just speaking with my NXEC correspondent and they reckon the new branding will be purple. Purple stripes along the sides of the trains. Not sure if they're pulling my leg though 
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| | Re: East Coast Mainline Ltd
« Reply #5 on Nov 5, 2009, 12:16pm » | |
According to BBC News, National Express will hand the running of the East Coast Main Line to the government at one minute to midnight on Friday 13 November.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8343758.stm
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| | Re: East Coast Mainline Ltd
« Reply #6 on Nov 5, 2009, 10:52pm » | |
Am I right to think that NatEx will keep the Anglia and C2C franchises?
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| | Re: East Coast Mainline Ltd
« Reply #8 on Nov 7, 2009, 4:32pm » | |
NX do well on c2c though, and don't do that bad on NXEA. Going by the alternatives, there is no guarentee others would do better either.
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| | Re: East Coast Mainline Ltd
« Reply #9 on Nov 14, 2009, 11:44am » | |
Well NXEC havd gone - I doubt many will shed a tear for NX's attempt of the ECML. East Coast have amde a few annoucements. Station refurbishments - is this "new" news? East Coast have indicated they're removing the seat reservation charge and improving on-board catering.
What will be interesting is what other changes East Coast will introduce and will these changes become benchmarks for other operators?
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ChrisCooper
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| | Re: East Coast Mainline Ltd
« Reply #10 on Nov 18, 2009, 11:12pm » | |
Just had a slight laugh as I had to go on the NX website for something and on the right it has a rolling advert for their various services including "quiet carriages on all our trains" with a picture of a Mk4 interior, and even better (and something that doesn't take an enthusiast to notice) "Free wi-fi on our East Coast trains". Oh, and "Bus times via text" shows two Travel London buses.
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| | Re: East Coast Mainline Ltd
« Reply #11 on Nov 19, 2009, 8:08am » | |
Good to see they're keeping it all updated.
Saw a Class 91 with the "new" Eastcoast name on it - a small purple patch over the old National Express name and the web address over the old NX "East Coast" name.
It does make me wonder what East Coast Plan to do with the re-painted HST stock - that would be harder to re-brand away from NX colours.
There is at least one class 91 which has the old GNER logo fairly visible, so I wonder if something similar happens with the NX logo, we could have at least one loco with the GNER/ NX and East Coast brandings. Maybe that loco could be named "Governments Folly"?
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| | Re: East Coast Mainline Ltd
« Reply #12 on Nov 19, 2009, 9:32pm » | |
Will be interesting to see what happens to the 91s and Mk4s, if they just stop in modified GNER colours until a new operator takes over (and going how long fleet painting takes, some time after that), or if they will continue to paint into modified NXEC livery. Can't see them coming up with a totally new livery considering that the HSTs have only just finished recieving NXEC livery, and the short lenght before it goes private again (by the timescale of reliverying the fleet). Would be a total waste of money. At most I can see a few vinyls.
Whilst it's easy to look at the number of operators of the East Coast franchise recently, it's important to remember that GNER's failure was less down to the ECML, and more down to Sea Containers themselves.
Talking about keeping websites up to date, the Sea Containers website has a picture of a GNER train. 
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| | Re: East Coast Mainline Ltd
« Reply #13 on Nov 23, 2009, 7:38pm » | |
East Coast have been drumming up new trade, emails have already gone out. (In contrast to NX who advertised 50% of coach deals for all NXEC customers  )
No major improvements on-board, so I understand, although I do believe a forum member is giving them a test ride shortly and will no doubt post his findings. He was impressed (again) with Virgin.
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