YORK rail operator GNER is to ban smoking on all its trains after a huge rise in complaints from non-smoking passengers.

Smoking carriages will be withdrawn from all GNER trains from August 29 in response to the overwhelming demand from customers.

The decision comes only six weeks after the Evening Press and the Selby and York Primary Care Trust launched the Yes To Clean Air campaign, which aims to help businesses to become completely smoke-free.

A GNER spokesman said the company fully supported the aims of the campaign, but was unable to sign up to the initiative until ongoing talks with staff were completed.

The company carries almost 17 million passengers a year on its East Coast Main Line services between London Kings Cross, the north-east of England and Scotland.

Detailed research carried out by the train operator showed that more than 90 per cent of GNER passengers did not smoke and that most wanted smoking on trains to be abolished.

Customer complaints about smoking have also risen by 172 per cent over the past two years, as passenger tolerances have reduced.

Customer feedback also suggested that smoking on trains could be a deterrent to travel.

Jonathan Metcalfe, GNER's chief operating officer, said: "We have regularly reviewed smoking provision on our trains over several years.

"During that time there has been a noticeable shift in passenger preferences, which has coincided with a hardening of attitudes about smoking in enclosed public places across society at large.

"Up until now we have tried hard to accommodate the diminishing number of people who wish to smoke whilst travelling with us, but it is now very clear that the majority of our passengers are in favour of a total ban on smoking on our trains. We have responded accordingly."

GNER will be advertising the planned changes ahead of the August 29 launch date.

Christine Knights, chairman of the Rail Passenger Committee's East Coast Passengers Panel (RPC), said: "The RPC welcomes this move. We are pleased that GNER is responding to the feedback from passengers by banning smoking."

Updated: 08:23 Thursday, June 16, 2005