Next Saturday will see London North Eastern Railway (LNER) launching a newly named service to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III.
(c) LNER
From 6th May, the daily 11am service between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley will be called the ‘Carolean Express’, with the inaugural service departing on the day of the Coronation.
The Carolean Express will join formal service names such as ‘Highland Chieftain’ and ‘Northern Lights’ which are daily services on the LNER route, operating between London and Inverness and London and Aberdeen. The weekday ‘Flying Scotsman’ service operates in the opposite direction, taking customers to London King’s Cross from Edinburgh Waverley.
The new Carolean Express will operate Monday-Sunday calling at York, Darlington, Newcastle, Berwick Upon Tweed and Edinburgh Waverley.
Over the past century, LNER has named trains and services to mark important royal occasions including ‘Coronation’, ‘The Elizabethan’, ‘Silver Jubilee’ and ‘Queen of Scots’.
David Horne, Managing Director at LNER, said: “We’re delighted to be continuing the tradition of royal recognition through our fleet of Azuma trains and services with the introduction of the ‘Carolean Express’. We know that our customers like to hear about our named services and fleet and we’re sure this new addition will prove popular.”
How long before this breaks down?
Will it be the Titanic of trains?
A train isn’t being named the service is.
And trains break down. I don’t think a train is aware of what its either called on a bolted on name plate or in the timetable or marketting poster so you’re not going to get a republican leaning sentient train refusing to operate the 11am service because it doesn’t like what it’s called!