Rail passengers will from today enjoy the benefits of more trains and reduced journey times following a £4billion upgrade.
One of the biggest timetable shake-ups since the May 2018 overhaul comes into force, bringing sweeping changes to services on the East Coast Main Line.
Travellers will see more trains and shorter journey times following a decade-long £4billion investment in the route. Operator LNER said the changes are 'transformational', with almost 10,000 extra services being added each year.
Weekday services between London King’s Cross and Newcastle will jump by 46 per cent, significantly boosting capacity on one of the country’s busiest intercity corridors.
Cuts to journey times include 15 minutes between London King's Cross and Edinburgh, and 10 minutes between Edinburgh and York.
Rail timetables are changed every May and December.
The May 2018 update sparked major disruption across large parts of the network, particularly on the Northern and Govia Thameslink Railway routes.
This led to a government-commissioned review of the network, ultimately resulting in the planned launch of Great British Railways to bring infrastructure management and train operation under a single arms-length public body.
Journey times are also being cut, with trips between London and Edinburgh slashed by up to 15 minutes, and services between Edinburgh and York reduced by 10 minutes.
Rail timetables are updated every May and December, but the scale of this change is being compared to the much-criticised May 2018 revamp, which caused months of chaos across the network - particularly on Northern and Govia Thameslink Railway services.
That debacle prompted a government-ordered review of the rail system and paved the way for the planned creation of Great British Railways, designed to bring track and train operations under a single arms-length public body.
Ellie Burrows, eastern regional managing director for 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.'
Rail minister Lord 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.'
Northern will launch a new hourly fast service between Leeds and Sheffield, and extra trains between Middlesbrough and Newcastle.
There will be more East Midlands Railway services between Nottingham and Lincoln, and an increase in TransPennine Express services running north of Newcastle.
Elsewhere on the network, Avanti West Coast will run more trains between London Euston and Liverpool, open access companies Grand Central, Hull Trains and Lumo will boost their operations, and Transport for Wales will double the frequency of trains between Chester and Wrexham to two per hour.
Most train operators in Britain are altering train times from Sunday, so passengers are advised to check online journey planners before travelling.
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