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Keeping On Track: LNER and Network Rail Join Industry Partners Onboard to Deliver Better Railway for All

21/05/2026

Keeping On Track: LNER and Network Rail Join Industry Partners Onboard to Deliver Better Railway for All

Colleagues from across the rail industry have come together to travel onboard an LNER service for the fifth annual ‘Coffee Cup Run’, supporting collaborative work aimed at improving performance and safety.

Colleagues from LNER, Network Rail, and industry partners including other train operating companies and Hitachi boarded the 08.30 LNER departure today (21 May 2026) from Edinburgh Waverley to London King’s Cross, to identify and discuss opportunities or issues that could impact how services perform on the East Coast Main Line.

The now-annual event traces back to an earlier tradition on the East Coast Route, where engineers would measure the amount of spillage from a full cup of coffee to determine track and ride quality.

LNER Managing Director David Horne Travelling On The Coffee Cup Run, sat in standard class on an Azuma train with a computer monitor and laptop set up on the table

The modern version sees engineers use innovative monitoring systems and technology, while experiencing ride quality from the customer perspective.

This year’s iteration of the run included demonstrations of a new wheel vibration monitoring system which helps engineers identify potential issues on the network, access to a livestream of the train’s forward-facing CCTV camera feed, and VR headsets used by Network Rail as part of safety and anti-trespass campaigns.

Data gathered, paired with the ideas generated onboard, could be used to improve ride quality for the millions of customers LNER transports along the East Coast route every year.

The train journey also allows colleagues from across the rail industry to talk about any challenges they may face and changes to infrastructure across the network. Teams can share what they have achieved, explain best practice and learn from each other, and build stronger working relationships.

Gunnar Lindahl, Joint Operations Director, LNER and Network Rail, said:

The Coffee Cup Run is a really good opportunity to bring together colleagues from across the industry to talk about performance, and the opportunities and challenges that we can take on together.

“Getting customers to their destination safely and on time is absolutely central to what we do, and the way we do that on the railway is through collaboration and working closely together.

“It has been great to see different technology in action onboard today that is proactively helping us deliver a more reliable, safer railway for our customers.

A red cup and saucer nearly full of coffee, placed on a standard class Azuma table