Afternoon tea was served on a train as part of efforts to encourage more people to return to rail travel.
London North Eastern Railway (LNER) served sandwiches, scones and cakes with glasses of fizz on one of its East Coast Main Line services this week.
Mark Plowright, the operator’s head of sales and distribution, wrote on Twitter that the event was “going down a treat”.
He added that only “a select group of partners” was invited but urged passengers to “watch this space for bookable experiences for our customers coming soon”.
An LNER spokesman said: “As we continue to welcome more people back to rail, we are always exploring new ways to offer the very best experience to our customers.
“Our afternoon tea event onboard an LNER service also marked National Afternoon Tea Week and was a trial as part of focus to encourage customers back onto trains and explore our wonderful destinations.”
Celebrating #AfternoonTeaWeek in style, the @LNER afternoon tea experience is certainly going down a treat! Today we hosted a select group of partners, but watch this space for bookable experiences for our customers coming soon! #lnerafternoontea #rail #lner pic.twitter.com/FdIc7zXh2i
— Mark Plowright (@MarkPlowLNER) August 10, 2021
LNER also opened a new first-class lounge at York station last month.
Latest Department for Transport figures show demand for trains is at around 57% of pre-pandemic levels, compared with 94% for car travel.
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