New High Speed Rail Service

Posted on Tuesday, June 21, 2011

The Flying Scotsman is an express train that runs between London, England and Edinburgh, Scotland, and is currently operated by the East Coast Main Line Company. It has been in almost continuous use since the railway it runs on was built in 1862.

In 1862, the Flying Scotsman was actually named the Special Scotch Express, and it would depart at GNR’s London Kings Cross at 10 am, with a simultaneous departure from North British’s Edinburgh Waverley. The journey originally took a long 10 ½ hours, which included a half-hour stop in York as a lunch break. However, the time was reduced to 8 ½ hours in 1888 due to increasing competition with other railways for the Race to the North. The Race to the North was where trains would actually race to see who could get to the appointed destination first.

From 1900 on, the train took on dramatic modernizations, including heating and dining cars. Now, passengers could take their lunch on the train, so the York stop was reduced to only 15 minutes. However, the travel time of 8 ½ hours stayed the same. In 1924, it was the London and North Eastern Railway that officially renamed the Special Scotch Express the Flying Scotsman, which had already been its unofficial name since the 1870’s.

Private operators of Anglo-Scottish trains that run on the East Coast Main Line have maintained the name of the Flying Scotsman, and the former Great North Eastern Railway even called itself The Route of the Flying Scotsman. When British Rail was privatized, GNER operated the Flying Scotsman from 1996 to November of 2007, and then National Express East Coast took over until November of 2009. It is now operated by East Coast, which is a publicly operated railway company that had been created after National Express East Coast had collapsed. The northbound service once again leaves London King’s Cross at the traditional time of 10 am, and the southbound service departs from Edinburgh at 1 pm.

An InterCity 225 Mallard set mostly operates the now-modern Flying Scotsman, and the travel time only takes 4 hours and 25 minutes going down, and only 4 hours and 41 minutes coming back up. It now makes stops at Peterborough, York, Darlington, and Newcastle.

On May 22nd, 2011, East Coast will begin a new, early morning Flying Scotsman service at 5:40 am, and it will only stop at Newcastle. The train will arrive in Edinburgh at 9:40 am, making the trip a short 4 hours long. The express train is being introduced as part of the largest timetable overhaul within 20 years on the East Coast Main Line, and they are hoping it will lure in business passengers that are traveling for morning meetings away from air travel. East Coast expects the new timetable to bring in more than three million additional seats to the route when it begins this May, with nearly 20 new weekday services.

England Travel Tips and Information

Posted on Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The currency in England is the Pound Sterling (British Pound). Credit cards are widely accepted & ATMs are everywhere.

England is linked to France by the underwater Channel Tunnel.

England has a temperate climate, with plenty of rainfall all year round. Always a good idea to take an umbrella.

Tipping is expected by most people providing a service, i.e. taxi drivers, hotel doormen & porters. If you are traveling on a tour, keep in mind these gratuities are included in the cost of the tour.

Food & Drink: 

The most traditional meal is roast beef (served with Yorkshire puddings), pork or lamb, served with roast potatoes. For hearty flavour, order succulent English pork chops, or ham, baked or roasted. Gammon, a cut of ham is boiled or fried. Main courses are normally garnished with a selection of vegetables – green beans, brussel sprouts, cauliflower or peas and potatoes. Most pubs serve good hearty meals including fish and chips and you may wish to sample traditional English beer (bitter). The water throughout the United Kingdom is safe to drink.

Best Buys: 

Shopping in London will more than satisfy the appetite of any shopper. London’s department stores are legendary, the most famous being Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and for old world architecture and high end fashion, Liberty. Good buys include antiques, clothing (designer and high street), china and glass (Royal Doulton, Spode, and Minton). Most shops close at 5 or 6 p.m. In London, late night shopping is until 7 or 8 p.m. on Oxford Street, Regent Street, Bond Street and Kensington High Street.

Public Transportation: 

The London Underground or tube, is the fastest and easiest way to get around town. In central London you are never more than a few minutes’ walk from a station. Each line has a name but you’ll probably find the colours easier to remember. What you pay generally depends on how many zones (1 - 6 zones) you travel through. You must buy a ticket before you travel and put it in the automatic entry/exit gates. The best way to see the sights is from the upper decks of a famous red London bus (Hop on, Hope off tours.) They pass almost all the capital’s landmarks and famous shops. You’ll find it much easier and cheaper to buy a day or weekend travel card, which give you unlimited travel on almost all London's red buses and the Underground.

Taxis in London:

If travelling around London a black cab/minicab is your safest option. You can stop a black cab anywhere provided the yellow ‘for hire’ sign is illuminated. Minicabs are a cheaper option for longer journeys and have to be ordered by telephone. Make sure you ask the price prior to booking. Consult the ‘Yellow Pages’ telephone directory under the heading ‘minicabs’.

Famous for: The Royal Family, Harrods, tea, fish & chips