Delays fear for new rail link to London

Grand Central Railways (GCR) was aiming to give the North-East route to the capital the go-ahead on May 20, but parts for six engines have not arrived.

The company is spending nearly £4m rebuilding six engines in Plymouth, which will eventually power the service between Sunderland and London.

But with long waiting times on many of the parts, company bosses said last night they may have to consider leasing engines if they are to make the launch date.

Ian Yeowart, managing director of Grand Central, said: "Our own power cars are unlikely to be ready for May 20, so we are therefore talking to other operators who have power cars to see whether or not we can lease them to enable us to make a start."

He added: "The work that needs to be undertaken is more complicated than we had initially envisaged. The difficulty we are facing is with the power cars, which is the engine part of the train."

GCR won the right to operate the route between Sunderland and London, via Hartlepool, in March, last year.

The service was due to get under way in December, but this was delayed until next month after the company announced a plan to refurbish its stock.

Work is, however, still ongoing on the six engines which will eventually form the front and back of the three operating trains.

As a result, GCR is in negotiations with other train companies about the possibility of leasing six power cars until their own are ready.

All of the staff have been appointed and trained, and the company is still hopeful of launching on May 20 - albeit with another company's engines.

Mr Yeowart said: "We have waited 50 years for this train service and the last thing we are going to do is give you one that's not reliable."

GCR is planning to run three 125mph trains a day between Sunderland and London - with a return fare expected to cost about £68.

Customers can register on GCR's website by visiting www.grandcentralrail.com