Publicly owned East Coast has set the bar for its money-grabbing private competitors by becoming the first train operator to announce price freezes and below-inflation rises on 2014 fares.

East Coast is the first rail route to announce its 2014 prices, revealing a freeze on over half its tickets to and from London and below-inflation rises on other routes.

The company - which has been run in the public sector for the last four years - operates services from London up the east side of England to Scotland, with about 60 per cent of the services starting or finishing at London's King's Cross station.