Badenoch breakdown for new LNER service
LONDON North Eastern Railway has apologised to travellers who were stranded in Kingussie for up to six hours on Monday morning after their locomotive lost power.
A spokesperson for LNER told the Strathy: "Due to a fault on the train, on Monday, the 07.55 Inverness to Kings Cross was terminated at Kingussie.
"We apologise for the disruption this caused to customers."
It's understood that the train broke down due to a lack of power from the power car.
One observer in Kingussie, whose house overlooks the line said: "We were really worried at first to see the London train just slowing down all of a sudden as it approached the crossing to the sound of the town.
"It was moving normally and then just seemed to slow and stop altogether.
"Then after a while it simply backed up and moved off in reverse, back to the station. We wondered at first if something had happened at the crossing, but it turns out the train had simply ground to a halt."
For some time it sat in the station as the nature of the problem was investigated. Eventually the passengers were asked to leave the train, which eventually had to be hauled the six miles back to Kincraig, where it wait safely out of the way of passing trains.
Arrangements were ultimately made for the London-bound passengers on subsequent ScotRail services.
On Tuesday LNER confirmed: "Our trains are currently running as scheduled on the line."
But it was not the most auspicious start for the newly branded train.
It was on June 25 that it first departed from London King's Cross to Edinburgh, following the transition of operation of the East Coast Main Line service from Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC).
That initial journey marked the return of one of Britain's iconic rail brands, with LNER – last seen in 1948 – now responsible for running services from London to Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland.
At the time, David Horne, managing director at LNER, said: "As LNER launches, our message to customers, employees and everyone who depends on this service is that it is business as usual.
"Existing tickets are valid for whenever customers plan to travel, new tickets can be bought in the same way and the same scheduled trains are in operation.
"As we go through the initial transition period we remain absolutely committed to running the high levels of service that customers have come to expect.
"It is the staff who underpin the customer experience on the East Coast, so we're delighted they have transferred with us and that customers can rely on seeing the same faces at their local station and on their usual train."
