Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has announced his intentions to return the East Coast Mainline to a private operator by 2015.
As well as announcing the immediate start of competition for the East Coast franchise, McLoughlin has also today published a franchising timetable for the next eight years to satisfy recommendations from the Brown review which followed the collapse of the West Coast competition last year.
The government’s programme includes a new staggered franchising schedule and updated guidelines for choosing operators, but some critics will feel it does not offer a radical enough solution to the problems facing the franchising system.
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.”
Sir David Higgins, chief executive of Network Rail, said: “Our goal is to work with the rest of the industry to provide a safer and more efficient railway which addresses the underlying issues of capacity and performance.
“The clarity provided in today’s statement is welcome in helping us achieve that goal.”
