A MAJOR surge in first-class journeys – the biggest for five years – has been recorded on East Coast trains.

It follows the successful launch of the York-based rail operator’s new timetable and first-class complimentary food and drinks service.

The news comes as East Coast trains claims there is fresh evidence to show that more long-distance travellers are shunning aircraft for rail travel.

East Copast trains’ own data shows that in the four weeks to July 23, there were 173,000 first-class passenger journeys– a rise of 29 per cent, or 39,000 journeys, compared with the corresponding four weeks in 2010.

The rise is the biggest seen on the East Coast route in the last five years, and one of the biggest since the end of British Rail in 1996.

Meanwhile, the number of first-class journeys made with East Coast has also leapt by 24 per cent since the new timetable and and complimentary meal service was launched on May 22.

This represents an additional 74,000 first-class journeys, compared with the same period last year.

In contrast, East Coast first-class journeys grew by only three per cent in the entire year from April 2010 to March 2011.

East Coast’s new timetable, launched in May, adds 117 extra services every week and more than three million additional seats to its offering.

The timetable also reintroduces direct return services to and from Harrogate for the first time in 20 years, and a new daily service between Lincoln and London.

Karen Boswell, East Coast’s managing director, said: “Launching the new timetable and first-class customer service presented a major logistical challenge. The timetable represents the biggest change to East Coast in 20 years, and has settled in well, successfully delivering more seats, more services, improved frequency and faster services – including a prestigious new ‘Flying Scotsman’ non-stop express service from Edinburgh to London in just four hours.

“The data we now have confirms that many people are voting with their feet and trying out the new first-class customer service – while our market research tells us that the reaction to what we are now offering is generally very good.”