IN an unprecedented week, Yorkshire rail passengers have been asked to absorb not one, but two pieces of good news.

Today saw the launch of the "White Rose" GNER service. This is a bittersweet story for York residents. The arrival of Eurostar trains will be a vivid reminder of that company's broken promises about providing a direct service to Paris. But these glamorously modern trains will ease East Coast Line overcrowding, the blight on GNER's otherwise impressive record.

Meanwhile, Selby travellers are celebrating the return of direct trains to London, the first since the track was diverted around the coalfield. This is an historic day for a town whose past development was boosted by its position on the main railway line to the capital.