LNER is planning to change its East Coast Main Line timetable from May 2022, with a significant shake-up to services from Harrogate.

The operator currently runs six trains each way between London King's Cross and Harrogate each day and there are several key changes on the cards.

It says the planned improvements will benefit its fleet of 65 diesel-electric Azuma trains, which use Japanese bullet train technology.

LNER is calling for the public to give feedback on the full timetable over the next eight weeks.

Big changes to and from London

Direct departures from Harrogate to the capital would move from odd hours to even ones:

• The first service would leave earlier, at 6.35am rather than 7.34am


• A new seventh daily train would leave Harrogate at 6.35pm. On the current schedule, the last train departs at 5.36pm.

In the opposite direction, from London direct to Harrogate:

• Trains would start almost an hour earlier (6.40am rather than 7.33am)


• The final service back would also be earlier, at 4.39pm rather than 5.33pm.


• There are no plans to run an extra seventh train from London to Harrogate.

LNER estimates that travel times between Harrogate and London would be about 10 minutes faster.

There would be a new direct daily service to Newark North Gate, but this would come at the expense of the direct Grantham service. Passengers to the south-west Lincolnshire market town would need to change at Leeds or Doncaster.

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The rail company said in its consultation document that the May 2022 timetable's core structure is fixed, but that "it may be possible to make some local adjustments in response to feedback".