Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason LNER has withdrawn its London to Sunderland services from the East Coast Main Line timetable.

• The recast timetable being implemented in December 2025 can no longer accommodate the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) service. This was made clear in the 2021 consultation.
• The new December 2025 East Coast Timetable change will see additional services between Sunderland and Newcastle where passengers can join the East Coast Mainline.
• Regular metro services provide connectivity to Newcastle where two LNER trains operate to London per hour and Grand Central has increased its services from five to six trains per day between London King’s Cross and Sunderland.