Eleanor Arrives in Leeds as LNER Prepares to Increase the Number of Seats to the Capital

LNER’s very own VIP (Very Important Puppet), Eleanor, has arrived in the city ahead of the train operator increasing the number of seats on Sunday services between West Yorkshire and London King’s Cross in December.

Eleanor’s new home is on Aire Street, round the corner from Leeds City Station. LNER has commissioned a 30ft tall, hand painted mural, brought to life by Global Street Art, to help celebrate the freedom that travelling by train brings.

Almost 1.8 million LNER customers travelled between Leeds and King’s Cross in 2023-24, with close to one million customers making the trip since April 2024.

An extra 1,800 seats are being added every Sunday for services travelling between Harrogate, Leeds, Doncaster and the capital to help meet growing demand and provide customers with a great experience as they travel by train.

David Flesher, Commercial Director at LNER, said: “Eleanor has a new home for a while as she becomes a Leeds resident! She’s helping us celebrate the addition of longer trains, meaning extra capacity on our Sunday trains between Yorkshire and London, providing our customers with freedom all the way.

“Services between Leeds and King’s Cross are some of our most popular and we’re delighted that we can provide more seats and better experiences for our customers.”

The extra seats will be introduced with this December’s national timetable change which takes place on Sunday 15 December.

Eleanor will be taking up residence on Aire Street until Sunday 27 October 2024.