IF YOU thought GNER burgers had been safely consigned to a glass box at the National Railway Museum, think again.

The infamous buffet staple is back - allegedly by popular demand.

Burgers murdered in a microwave and served up soggier than an otter's pocket reached the end of the line when the rail company brought in a posh new deli-style range on its high-speed trains in June 1999.

To honour the change, the familiar polystyrene container was donated to the railway museum's catering collection.

But time plays strange tricks on the memory, and nostalgic customers have developed burger cravings again, forcing GNER to rethink.

The burger is back... but whether or not customers will recognise it remains to be seen.

The new-style offering is as relentlessly upmarket as the rest of GNER's menu.

No sogginess or sesame seeds, and no polystyrene box.

Instead hungry travellers will get 100 per cent beefburgers in lightly toasted focaccia (that's fancy Italian bread to you and me).

"We have scoured the UK for the beefiest burger and the finest bread to create the right quality combination, topped with a relish made exclusively for GNER," said John Dykes, GNER's catering manager.

"It's not soggy, it's not microwaved. It's pure Scottish beef and it's just what our passengers have been waiting for."

GNER expects to sell more than 3,000 premium burgers on trains each week between London Kings Cross, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland.

A premium burger and can of Coca-Cola purchased together will cost £3.50.

In May 2001, GNER was named as On Route Retailer of the Year at the British Sandwich Association annual awards.

But time will tell if the passengers take to the new addition to the high-speed menu.

Updated: 16:28 Monday, July 09, 2001