Buffets cars hit buffers on main line

THE last of the restaurant cars on the East Coast Main Line are set to be closed next month, ending a tradition which dates back to 1879.

From May 22, all passengers in first class will be offered complimentary food at their seats, but there will be no restaurant car on board.

Karen Boswell, managing director of operator East Coast, said: "We want to increase the differential between first and standard by adding to the benefits of travelling first, which can be done at bargain rates by booking in advance.

"I have seats to fill, and our new timetable in May adds 19 trains a day as well as direct services to Lincoln and an early morning four-hour journey from Edinburgh to London, calling at Newcastle, which we are naming The Flying Scotsman."