The biggest timetable change in a decade has been launched today on the East Coast Main Line.

The new timetable is thanks to the ECML upgrade project that has taken place over the last ten years.

46% more trains will operate between Newcastle and London King’s Cross during the week and journey times will be reduced, with London to Edinburgh taking 15 minutes less, London to Newcastle 10 minutes less and Edinburgh to York 10 minutes less.

Six London North Eastern Railway services will run between Bradford Forster Square and London King’s Cross on Sundays.

Great Northern, Thameslink, Greater Anglia and CrossCountry will all stop at Cambridge South when it opens in Summer 2026.

A new hourly fast service will run between Leeds and Sheffield, and additional services will run between Middlesbrough and Newcastle.

TransPennine Express will run up to eight trains a day between Newcastle and Edinburgh and East Midlands Railway will double services between Nottingham and Lincoln Central.

All this means an extra 60,000 seats on the network each week, with faster services from London to Edinburgh (just over 4 hours) and Leeds (just over 2 hours).

Ellie Burrows, Eastern regional managing director, Network Rail, said: “The industry has been preparing for many years for the new timetable, which will unlock thousands more seats, more frequent trains, and quicker journeys along the East Coast Main Line. Our priority now is to continue working together to deliver the long-term benefits of this timetable change, the biggest in over a decade, for our passengers and the communities we serve.”

Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said: “This is the biggest timetable change on the East Coast Main Line in more than a decade, and it marks a major step forward for passengers and communities.

“Thanks to £4 billion of investment, we’re delivering faster journeys, thousands of extra seats, more cheap fares, and better connections across the country – and it is needed, with the North East seeing the highest growth in rail passenger journeys in the UK last year.

“These improvements won’t just make travel easier – they’ll open up access to jobs, unlock new homes, and create opportunities for growth along the route.”