TRAIN company GNER plans to create 350 jobs after a rise in ticket sales.
The recruitment drive will take employment levels at its Newcastle call centre to more than 1,000.
A company spokesman said the volume of calls had risen in line with the number of passengers.
Speed restrictions imposed after the Hatfield and Selby crashes led to a fall in passenger numbers, but since Christmas figures had risen.
The spokesman said: "Passenger numbers are now back to their pre-Hatfield levels."
The news came as GNER announced plans to increase services between the North-East and London, with six extra services a day between Newcastle and London Kings Cross during the summer.
It also announced plans to invest £100m in the refurbishment of older engines, hoping that the investment would persuade the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) to grant an extension to its licence on the East Coast Main *ine.
Talks between GNER and the SRA about a three-year extension are believed to have taken place.
GNER is licensed to run the services until 2005.
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