A man from Harrogate has been fined for causing £1,093 worth of damage to a stationary train at Harrogate Station last year.
Michael Anthony Burke, 56, pleaded guilty at York Magistrates Court on Monday to causing criminal damage to a LNER train.
The incident occurred on June 11 last year.
Burke, of Nydd Vale Terrace, was fined £120, ordered to pay a victim’s surcharge of £85 and to pay £85 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.
He also pleaded guilty to trespassing on the railway lines.
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Burke also pleaded guilty to attempting to enter Crampton Moore Electronics on Commercial Street, as a trespasser with intent to steal.
The court issued a further community order to Burke for the final two offences.
Improved Harrogate to London train service delayedConcerns over infrastructure and rolling stock have delayed the introduction of improved direct train services between Harrogate and London.
A new timetable, with an earlier direct service to London King’s Cross, was due to be implemented in May 2022.
The shake-up was announced by LNER in June last year as part of wider changes to services on the east coast main line.
LNER said times between Harrogate and London would be about 10 minutes faster as part of the new timetable, which included:
- A service to leave Harrogate earlier, at 6.35am rather than 7.34am.
- A new seventh daily train would leave Harrogate at 6.35pm. On the current schedule, the last train departs at 5.36pm.
In the opposite direction, from London direct to Harrogate:
- Trains would start almost an hour earlier (6.40am rather than 7.33am).
- The final service back would also be earlier, at 4.39pm rather than 5.33pm.
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However, the improved services will now not be introduced after Network Rail recommended that the Department for Transport, which has the final decision on the timetable, delays the implementation.
The organisation said it had “concerns around infrastructure, rolling stock and performance and stakeholder feedback” with the changes.
Simon Leyshon, industry programme director for Network Rail’s east coast route, said it hoped to implement the changes as soon as possible.
He said:
“Postponing the new timetable change for the east coast main line allows us to dedicate more time to considering the views passengers and stakeholders shared with us during the consultation process last year.
“We’re now working closely with train operating companies and the wider rail industry to develop a timetable that meets passenger’s changing travel patterns and makes the most of the increased capacity on the East Coast main line following the £1.2 billion East Coast upgrade.”
Network Rail also pointed out that Harrogate had already seen an additional Northern service introduced on the Leeds to York line in December 2021.
LNER is planning to change its East Coast Main Line timetable from May 2022, with a significant shake-up to services from Harrogate.
The operator currently runs six trains each way between London King’s Cross and Harrogate each day and there are several key changes on the cards.
It says the planned improvements will benefit its fleet of 65 diesel-electric Azuma trains, which use Japanese bullet train technology.
LNER is calling for the public to give feedback on the full timetable over the next eight weeks.
Big changes to and from London
Direct departures from Harrogate to the capital would move from odd hours to even ones:
- The first service would leave earlier, at 6.35am rather than 7.34am
- A new seventh daily train would leave Harrogate at 6.35pm. On the current schedule, the last train departs at 5.36pm.
In the opposite direction, from London direct to Harrogate:
- Trains would start almost an hour earlier (6.40am rather than 7.33am)
- The final service back would also be earlier, at 4.39pm rather than 5.33pm.
- There are no plans to run an extra seventh train from London to Harrogate.
LNER estimates that travel times between Harrogate and London would be about 10 minutes faster.
There would be a new direct daily service to Newark North Gate, but this would come at the expense of the direct Grantham service. Passengers to the south-west Lincolnshire market town would need to change at Leeds or Doncaster.
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The rail company said in its consultation document that the May 2022 timetable’s core structure is fixed, but that “it may be possible to make some local adjustments in response to feedback”.
David Horne, LNER managing director, said:
“Our new consultation gives us the opportunity to hear the views of our customers and communities across LNER’s route on the proposed improvements we’d like to make from next May, including faster services and more seats between London, York Newcastle and Edinburgh.
“We are confident of the future of long-distance rail travel on the East Coast route and that, by delivering to our customers the full benefit of our new trains and upgraded tracks, we can help level-up and connect the country, protect the environment and support our communities and destinations.”
Have your say on the plans here. The consultation is open until August 5.
LNER is to increase the number of trains on its London to Scotland services from tomorrow. The train operator said it would add more than 1,600 seats for customers each weekday compared with the current timetable.
There will an additional 10 services on the London to Scotland line . The company says it is expecting more people to use the trains in the coming weeks and the extra services will help with social distancing.
LNER Managing Director, David Horne, said:
“The changes that we’re introducing from 7 September will increase our service levels from around 75 per cent up to 85 per cent of our pre-covid timetable, so it’s a significant step forward as we welcome more passengers back to our services
“These additional services will also provide a welcome boost to communities along our route, such as Peterborough, York and Newcastle, which are just some of the destinations set to benefit”
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LNER says it has continued to have extra cleaning on trains and at stations. People can only travel if they have reserved a seat to allow passengers to be spaced apart and it remains mandatory to wear a face mask.
LNER said it has supported research done by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) which found the risk of covid-19 infection being less than 0.01% on an average journey. Its analysis has shown the risk of contracting coronavirus while travelling by train is about 1 in 11,000 journeys.
LNER has resumed its direct train service from Harrogate to London.
From today, the operator will run six trains in each direction from Monday to Friday as demand rises due to the easing of lockdown restrictions.
Services on the weekend will remain limited.
Passengers must make reservations ahead of travelling and will be allocated a socially distanced seat. LNER also recommend that they wear face coverings in stations and trains.
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Onboard ventilation systems will provide a “continuous supply of fresh air” with the air cycled every six minutes on every train.
The company said extra cleaning is taking place both on stations and onboard trains, with teams using disinfectant and long-lasting virucidal fog.