If you’re heading to the capital by train you’ll soon be able to stay that bit longer.
Virgin Trains is introducing new services connecting York to London – including an additional 10.57pm London departure every week night.
At present your last direct train to York on a weekday is 10pm. That will change as the timetable is updated from December 12.
The company says that will enable customers “to catch a West End show or enjoy one more drink with friends before heading home”.
The extra weekday services will also call at Peterborough, Grantham, Newark North Gate and Doncaster and will result in 5,000 extra seats between York and London over the course of a week.
New Sunday services
As well as the extra five late trains each week, the company is adding three new Sunday services. They have been brought in in response to high demand from passengers to travel more frequently to London.
David Horne, managing director for Virgin Trains on the east coast said:
Having invested heavily into the customer experience, upgrading our train interiors and launching a new on board streaming service, the journeys will fly by.
These changes to the timetable come as Virgin Trains nears completion of a total overhaul of its trains ahead of the introduction of the fleet of new Azuma trains on the East Coast Mainline in 2018.
Virgin Trains is investing £140m into the east coast route as part of its commitment to the eight year franchise.
It has already invested £20m in refurbished carriages and provided a Netflix-style steaming service as part of its customer service improvements.
The new services
| Weekdays | |
| 22.57 | London King’s Cross to York calling at Peterborough, Grantham, Newark North Gate and Doncaster |
| Sundays | |
| 08:45 | London King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverley calling at York, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle and Morpeth |
| 11.20 | Edinburgh Waverley to London King’s Cross calling at Morpeth, Newcastle, Durham, Darlington and York |
| 14.47 | Edinburgh Waverley to London King’s Cross calling at Berwick-upon-Tweed, Newcastle, Durham, Darlington, York, Newark North Gate and Peterborough |