Latest Rail News

05.06.13

‘Keep East Coast services in public hands’, Labour urges

The Labour party is repeating its call for the Government to rethink its plan to hand East Coast services back to the private sector.

The line has been run by state-owned Directly Operated Railways since National Express handed its franchise back in 2009.

The Government is seeking a private operator to take over from February 2015.

But shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle is reported in the Yorkshire Post as saying: “Since being run on a not-for-private profit basis, East Coast services have improved and more than £800m has been returned to taxpayers, in contrast to the two previous failed private operators. If ministers get away with selling off the East Coast then the fares paid by passengers will once again be benefitting a few at the top instead of improving the service.

“The Government should stop misleading people that this privatisation is necessary to deliver investment. The truth is that the planned upgrade ... and the new generation of high speed InterCity trains that are on their way are being paid for by the taxpayer and will happen regardless of who is running the service.”

Tell us what you think – have your say below or email [email protected]

Comments

There are no comments. Why not be the first?

Add your comment

related

Rail industry Focus

View all News

Comment

The challenge of completing Crossrail

05/07/2019The challenge of completing Crossrail

With a new plan now in place to deliver Crossrail, Hedley Ayres, National Audit Office manager, major projects and programmes, takes a look at ho... more >
Preparing the industry to deliver trains for the future

04/07/2019Preparing the industry to deliver trains for the future

The move to decarbonise the rail network involves shifting to cleaner modes of traction by 2050. David Clarke, technical director at the Railway ... more >

'the sleepers' blog

On the right track, Sulzer is awarded RISAS accreditation for Nottingham Service Centre

29/06/2020On the right track, Sulzer is awarded RISAS accreditation for Nottingham Service Centre

Following an independent audit, Sulzer’s Nottingham Service Centre has been accepted as part of the rail industry supplier approval scheme (RISAS). The accreditation reinforces the high-quality standards that are maintained by Sulzer’s... more >
read more blog posts from 'the sleeper' >

Interviews

Andrew Haines, CE of Network Rail, tells BBC News his organisation could issue future rail franchises

24/06/2019Andrew Haines, CE of Network Rail, tells BBC News his organisation could issue future rail franchises

Andrew Haines, the Chief Executive of Network Rail, has told the Today programme on Radio 4's BBC’s flagship news programme that he would not rule out his organisation issuing future r... more >
Advancing the rail industry with management degree apprenticeships

08/05/2019Advancing the rail industry with management degree apprenticeships

In answering the pressing questions of how current and future generations of managers can provide solutions to high-profile infrastructure projects across the UK, Pearson Business School, part of... more >