GNER is to hand over the reins of t he East Coast Main Line franchise to National Express in December following a decision by the Department for Transport this week.

Fran Critchely worked closely with representatives of the train firm during the ten years she spent at the North-East Rail Passengers Committee, the former voice of rail passengers in the region.

Here Ms Critchley, who was deputy secretary fo the committee, based in York, gives her thoughts on the legacy left by GNER.

ON reflection of my own experience and those of the passengers I represented during my years working for the independent rail watchdog body, no one could argue the level of service on board GNER's trains was, and is, second to none.

Its refurbished Mallard trains have transformed once grubby interiors into plush, comfortable surroundings.

The on-board catering facilities, the ambience, comfort of the seats and leg room are all hallmarks of the success of GNER.

Journey times with GNER also easily outperform other modes of transport for city centre to city centre travel.

Where I believe it struggled to make a difference was that it simply forgot that it was part of a network - a cog in the wheel.

Only when all parts work well with each other can the passengers' experience be superb.

GNER certainly achieved a number of railway awards for its business success.

And striving to be the best in the business is no bad thing, although, in my opinion, this always needs to be checked with a healthy dose of modesty and realism.

Unfortunately, its ability to work with other franchises and other company's passengers at the stations it ran often fell short of what passengers had the right to expect.

A recent National Passenger Survey has highlighted passengers' opinions of GNER services from a representative sample of passenger journeys.

The survey, conducted in the spring, reported a four per cent increase in satisfaction with ticket buying facilities at GNER stations and a four per cent increase in satisfaction with trains running on time.

However, on the flip side, the survey also indicated an eight per cent reduction from a previous survey carried out six months earlier, in the area of how well the train company dealt with delays, and a five per cent reduction in passengers' satisfaction of how requests to station staff were handled.

Under the new franchise to be operated by the National Express group, it is good to see that passengers' compensation arrangements will be improved.

It has stated that it will offer passengers 50 per cent of the price paid for a single-leg journey for delays between 30 and 59 minutes and 100 per cent of the price paid for a single-leg journey delayed by between 60 and 119 minutes.

A full 100 per cent refund will also be available for a return journey delayed by more than 119 minutes.

It seems that the redress for passengers has moved a long way forward from the early days of the East Coast franchise, when a mere 20 per cent of the ticket price for an hour delay for the affected leg of the journey was offered.

In future, all passengers will be entitled to claim compensation for all delays, whatever their cause. I will be interested to see if that will cover such situations as vandalism, high winds, heavy snow or other acts of God!

One point that needs to be made is that there is no doubt that GNER really came into its own and showed its nerve following the tragic events of Hatfield and Selby, both fatal rail crashes, and events that beset the life of the East Coast franchise.

The traumatic aftermath of those situations, and how it was dealt with, was a great tribute to the staff of GNER.

Finally, I was delighted to hear that National Express has stated publicly that it is committed to maintaining the headquarters of the franchise in York - a city steeped in railway history.

This comes as good news as York has suffered from too many job cuts over the years - Nestle Rowntree, British Sugar, Norwich Union and the closure of Terry's chocolate factory to name a few.

GNER's own vision was "to create the UK's ultimate travel experience for every passenger".

At the end of an era and the start of a new one, I certainly believe that it has gone a long way in achieving that goal.

I wish the staff at GNER every success for the future.