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LNER

The intercity operator of the East Coast Main Line from King's Cross to Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh, with trains on to Aberdeen and Inverness. Publicly owned since 2018, it runs Hitachi Azuma trains and the last InterCity 225s.

2018Running since
1,404 kmRoute km operated
58Stations served
28.7 millionJourneys a year, ORR (2025–26)

Facts

Running since
24 June 2018
London terminals
London King's Cross
Type
Intercity train operator
Depots
Bounds Green and Ferme Park (London), Doncaster, Craigentinny (Edinburgh), Clayhills (Aberdeen), Hitachi maintains the Azumas; Northern's Neville Hill (Leeds) looks after the InterCity 225s
Main routes
King's Cross to Edinburgh, with some trains on to Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness; to Leeds, with some on to Bradford, Skipton and Harrogate; to York and Middlesbrough; to Newcastle; to Hull; and to Lincoln.
Stations managed
11
Operator
London North Eastern Railway Ltd, owned by DfT Operator: in public ownership since 24 June 2018.
Class 800, schematic side elevation, 2 cars
Class 800 · Hitachi Rail, Newton Aycliffe
Class 801 Azuma, schematic side elevation, 2 cars
Class 801 Azuma · Hitachi Rail (assembled at Newton Aycliffe)
InterCity 225 (Class 91 and Mark 4), schematic side elevation, 2 cars
InterCity 225 (Class 91 and Mark 4) · BREL, Crewe (Class 91); Metro-Cammell (Mark 4 coaches)

Routes 9 routes · 58 stations

London King's Cross – Inverness 35
London King's Cross – Inverness: schematic, not to scale London King's Cross — change for Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly, VictoriaLondon King's Cross StevenageStevenage St NeotsSt Neots HuntingdonHuntingdon PeterboroughPeterborough GranthamGrantham Newark North GateNewark North Gate RetfordRetford DoncasterDoncaster YorkYork ThirskThirsk NorthallertonNorthallerton DarlingtonDarlington DurhamDurham Chester-le-StreetChester-le-Street NewcastleNewcastle MorpethMorpeth AlnmouthAlnmouth Berwick-upon-TweedBerwick-upon-Tweed DunbarDunbar EdinburghEdinburgh HaymarketHaymarket Falkirk GrahamstonFalkirk Grahamston StirlingStirling DunblaneDunblane GleneaglesGleneagles PerthPerth Dunkeld & BirnamDunkeld & Birnam PitlochryPitlochry Blair AthollBlair Atholl NewtonmoreNewtonmore KingussieKingussie AviemoreAviemore CarrbridgeCarrbridge InvernessInverness
London King's Cross – Aberdeen 32
London King's Cross – Aberdeen: schematic, not to scale London King's Cross — change for Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly, VictoriaLondon King's Cross StevenageStevenage St NeotsSt Neots HuntingdonHuntingdon PeterboroughPeterborough GranthamGrantham Newark North GateNewark North Gate RetfordRetford DoncasterDoncaster YorkYork ThirskThirsk NorthallertonNorthallerton DarlingtonDarlington DurhamDurham Chester-le-StreetChester-le-Street NewcastleNewcastle MorpethMorpeth AlnmouthAlnmouth Berwick-upon-TweedBerwick-upon-Tweed DunbarDunbar EdinburghEdinburgh HaymarketHaymarket Falkirk GrahamstonFalkirk Grahamston StirlingStirling DunblaneDunblane GleneaglesGleneagles PerthPerth DundeeDundee ArbroathArbroath MontroseMontrose StonehavenStonehaven AberdeenAberdeen
Aberdeen – Leeds 22
Aberdeen – Leeds: schematic, not to scale AberdeenAberdeen StonehavenStonehaven MontroseMontrose ArbroathArbroath DundeeDundee LeucharsLeuchars KirkcaldyKirkcaldy InverkeithingInverkeithing HaymarketHaymarket EdinburghEdinburgh DunbarDunbar Berwick-upon-TweedBerwick-upon-Tweed AlnmouthAlnmouth MorpethMorpeth NewcastleNewcastle Chester-le-StreetChester-le-Street DurhamDurham DarlingtonDarlington NorthallertonNorthallerton ThirskThirsk YorkYork LeedsLeeds
London King's Cross – Skipton 14
London King's Cross – Skipton: schematic, not to scale London King's Cross — change for Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly, VictoriaLondon King's Cross StevenageStevenage St NeotsSt Neots HuntingdonHuntingdon PeterboroughPeterborough GranthamGrantham Newark North GateNewark North Gate RetfordRetford DoncasterDoncaster Wakefield WestgateWakefield Westgate LeedsLeeds ShipleyShipley KeighleyKeighley SkiptonSkipton
London King's Cross – Bradford Forster Square 13
London King's Cross – Bradford Forster Square: schematic, not to scale London King's Cross — change for Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly, VictoriaLondon King's Cross StevenageStevenage St NeotsSt Neots HuntingdonHuntingdon PeterboroughPeterborough GranthamGrantham Newark North GateNewark North Gate RetfordRetford DoncasterDoncaster Wakefield WestgateWakefield Westgate LeedsLeeds ShipleyShipley Bradford Forster SquareBradford Forster Square
London King's Cross – Harrogate 13
London King's Cross – Harrogate: schematic, not to scale London King's Cross — change for Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly, VictoriaLondon King's Cross StevenageStevenage St NeotsSt Neots HuntingdonHuntingdon PeterboroughPeterborough GranthamGrantham Newark North GateNewark North Gate RetfordRetford DoncasterDoncaster Wakefield WestgateWakefield Westgate LeedsLeeds HorsforthHorsforth HarrogateHarrogate
London King's Cross – Hull 13
London King's Cross – Hull: schematic, not to scale London King's Cross — change for Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly, VictoriaLondon King's Cross StevenageStevenage St NeotsSt Neots HuntingdonHuntingdon PeterboroughPeterborough GranthamGrantham Newark North GateNewark North Gate RetfordRetford DoncasterDoncaster SelbySelby HowdenHowden BroughBrough HullHull
London King's Cross – Middlesbrough 12
London King's Cross – Middlesbrough: schematic, not to scale London King's Cross — change for Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly, VictoriaLondon King's Cross StevenageStevenage St NeotsSt Neots HuntingdonHuntingdon PeterboroughPeterborough GranthamGrantham Newark North GateNewark North Gate RetfordRetford DoncasterDoncaster YorkYork ThornabyThornaby MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough
London King's Cross – Lincoln Central 8
London King's Cross – Lincoln Central: schematic, not to scale London King's Cross — change for Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly, VictoriaLondon King's Cross StevenageStevenage St NeotsSt Neots HuntingdonHuntingdon PeterboroughPeterborough GranthamGrantham Newark North GateNewark North Gate Lincoln CentralLincoln Central

Schematic, not to scale. Ringed stations are interchanges. Each strip is one service route with its stops in order. Where fast and stopping trains share a route, the strip shows the one with most stops, and a route whose stops all lie on a longer one is left out. Station order from TfL open data.

StationZoneInterchanges
London King's Cross1Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly, Victoria
StevenageNA
St Neots
Huntingdon
Peterborough
Grantham
Newark North Gate
Retford
Doncaster
York
Thirsk
Northallerton
Darlington
Durham
Chester-le-Street
Newcastle
Morpeth
Alnmouth
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Dunbar
Edinburgh
Haymarket
Falkirk Grahamston
Stirling
Dunblane
Gleneagles
Perth
Dunkeld & Birnam
Pitlochry
Blair Atholl
Newtonmore
Kingussie
Aviemore
Carrbridge
Inverness
Dundee
Arbroath
Montrose
Stonehaven
Aberdeen
Leuchars
Kirkcaldy
Inverkeithing
Leeds
Wakefield Westgate
Shipley
Keighley
Skipton
Bradford Forster Square
Horsforth
Harrogate
Selby
Howden
Brough
Hull
Thornaby
Middlesbrough
Lincoln Central

Stations, zones and interchanges from TfL open data (2026-10-02). National Rail interchanges are listed where TfL groups the stations together.

Fleet

ClassUnitsFormation and notes
Class 80023Azuma bi-mode: 13 nine-car (800/1) and 10 five-car (800/2)
Class 801 Azuma42Azuma electric: 12 five-car (801/1) and 30 nine-car (801/2)
InterCity 225 (Class 91 and Mark 4)8sets of a Class 91, Mark 4 coaches and a driving van trailer

Coming to this operator

History 7

  1. LNER takes over the East Coast from Virgin Trains East Coast, returning it to public ownership.
  2. The first Azuma carries passengers, from King's Cross to Leeds.
  3. LNER's last High Speed Train runs.
  4. Ten tri-mode trains are ordered from CAF, financed by Porterbrook.
  5. A new timetable adds 10,000 services a year.
  6. The new trains are named Serenza, and will carry Great British Railways branding.
  7. An InterCity 225 starts a daily run from King's Cross to Newcastle again.

Sources 18

How we source figures →

unverified route strips: TfL's data has a King's Cross to Edinburgh pattern via Carlisle and a Leeds pattern via York; both are left out, LNER's current contract terms (the 2025 direct award wasn't found)