April 17, 2014 3.34 pm This story is over 119 months old

East Coast deal promises better services for Lincoln passengers

Intercity express: Lincoln train passengers are set to benefit from a new fleet of trains on the East Coast Main Line.
Photo: East Coast Trains

Lincoln train travellers to London or Edinburgh on the East Coast Main Line will get to use brand new trains and see faster services.

The government announced this week £2.7 billion in funding to build a new fleet of state-of-the-art trains for ECML.

Nearly 500 new carriages will be built by Hitachi in the UK for the project, which aims to create up to 730 jobs.

The Class 800 trains will run on the East Coast Main Line, with stops at Peterborough and Newark, from 2018 as part of the government’s £5.7 billion Intercity Express Programme (IEP).

The trains will have 19% more seats, reduce journey times by up to 15 minutes and improve reliability.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “We are building a world class rail system and the Intercity Express Programme is a key part of that.

“This deal is further proof that our long-term economic plans are on track, creating jobs and breathing new life into the UK’s train-building industry.”

As well as building the new manufacturing facility at Newton Aycliffe, Hitachi will build maintenance depots at sites including Bristol and Doncaster, and is refurbishing and upgrading depots across the Great Western and East Coast Main Lines.