More train services, power upgrades and facilities for longer trains are all proposed in a strategy for consultation for the East Coast Main Line and North East routes by Network Rail.

The East Coast Main Line is one of the busiest and most successful railway lines in Britain, providing a vital north-south link for long distance services from London to Scotland via Yorkshire and Newcastle, as well as serving a number of important commuter routes into London, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh.

A range of schemes and options have now been put forward by Network Rail to improve the route and meet rising passenger and freight demand as part of the consultation document for the East Coast Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS), which predicts that demand for long-distance and commuter services could increase by up to 40 per cent by 2016.

Network Rail’s Route Director, Dyan Crowther, said: "Rising passenger demand on this vital route on the rail network is excellent news for the industry, but it also presents us with a challenge as we seek to accommodate growing demand on what is already a busy route. "It is imperative that we have a robust plan in place to meet these challenges, and feedback we will get as part of the consultation process will play an important part in shaping the future of the East Coast Main Line."

As a mixed use railway, the East Coast Main Line accommodates a whole range of services, from local commuter routes to long-distance high speed services providing a vital link between towns and cities in Scotland and the north east of England to London.

The RUS consultation lasts 12 weeks and, following consideration of any comments, the final document will be published.

Options to be considered as part of the consultation include:
* Increasing the number of Long Distance High Speed trains from Kings Cross to six trains per hour, off-peak and eight trains per hour during the peak.
* A flyover at Hitchin junction to ease connection to Cambridge
* Construction of new platform at Kings Cross as part of the £400m regeneration for the station.
* Enable train operators to run longer trains
* Power upgrades to facilitate extra services
* Providing additional capacity between Peterborough and Doncaster