Copied from this month's Informed Sources email from Roger Ford of Modern Railways...
"...Also in the column I provide an update on the delivery schedule for the LNER Intercity Express Programme (IEP) fleets. LNER should have all 13 of its Hitachi Class 800/1 9-car Bi-modes accepted by 2 May - in good time for the 19 May timetable change. LNER is planning to use the first nine sets to cover six London-Leeds diagrams.
Last month’s Modern Railways feature on LNER, confirmed that the new IEP timetable, featuring 13 paths every two hours including an hourly 4 hour London-Edinburgh headline timing, will not now be feasible until December 2021. This is due to infrastructure constraints.
LNER has firm rights to its additional hourly path from May 2021. Rights from May 2019 were contingent on the infrastructure upgrades and rolling stock being available..."
ORR also gave LNER firm rights for a two-hourly Middlesbrough service, also from May 2021, with contingent rights from May 2020.
FirstGroup was seeking five daily London-Edinburgh paths each way. ORR approved this application, with firm rights starting in May 2021. This was conditional on the necessary rolling stock being ordered. The contract for five 5-car Hitachi AT300 EMUs was placed on 22 March for delivery in ‘Autumn 2021