MORE than anything else, passengers want trains to be reliable. That is particularly true on the East Coast Main Line, used by many travellers to attend important business meetings and by others to catch onward connections.

So GNER's record on punctuality is good news for passengers. Despite running one of the busiest parts of Britain's railway, nine out of ten trains arrived within ten minutes of the scheduled time. That places it top in its league.

Although this leaves room for improvement, it is a commendable achievement. That is good news, too, for GNER's many York staff as the company battles to retain its franchise.