26/03/2013

Call For Bids On East Coast Rail Franchise

Bids are being invited from private companies for the East Coast rail franchise.

From 2009, the London to Scotland route has been run in the public sector and was operated by National Express before that.

In a separate announcement, the Department for Transport said Virgin would continue to run the West Coast Main Line until April 2017.

Ten of the country's 16 rail franchises are due for renewal before the general election, expected in 2015.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "This programme is a major step in delivering tangible improvements to services, providing long-term certainty to the market and supporting our huge programme of rail investment.

"Above all, in future franchise competitions, we are placing passengers in the driving seat by ensuring that their views and satisfaction levels are taken into account when deciding which companies run our railway services.

"Franchising has been a force for good in the story of Britain's railways, transforming an industry that was in decline into one that today carries record numbers of passengers."

(H)


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