Monday 25 June 2018 4:31 pm

East Coast train line back under government control but hit by rocky start with cancellations and delays

Rail services on the East Coast Main Line were back under government control yesterday but were hit by delays and cancellations on a difficult first day.

The Department for Transport (Dft) took back control of the route connecting King's Cross to stations in the north and Scotland after stripping Virgin and Stagecoach of its loss-making franchise.

The government will run the newly named London North Eastern Railway (LNER) until a new public-private partnership – the East Coast Partnership – is appointed in 2020.

After the formal handover took place yesterday, the first LNER train left Newcastle at 7:54am, arriving into King's Cross on time at 10:52am.

But despite the punctual start, the DfT's first day in charge was hit by disruption.

Two trains – the 12:30 from King's Cross to Edinburgh and the 18:00 in other direction – were cancelled and many others throughout the morning were delayed by around 20 minutes as the line was blocked between London and Peterborough.

Today will see the first peak services under the new arrangement; LNER managing director David Horne said it would be "business as usual".

He said: "As LNER launches, our message to customers, employees and everyone who depends on this service is that it is business as usual.

"Existing tickets are valid for whenever customers plan to travel, new tickets can be bought in the same way and the same scheduled trains are in operation."

He added: "As we go through the initial transition period we remain absolutely committed to running the high levels of service that customers have come to expect."

Rail minister Jo Johnson said: "The launch of LNER is the first step towards the East Coast Partnership, which will bring track and train closer together on this historic railway."