It is difficult not to think that the government’s
rush to re-privatise the East Coast mainline is not due to concerns over the
excellent service provided since the line went back into public ownership in
2009.
Directly
Owned Railways (DOR) posted results showing turnover of £665.8 million, an
increase of £20 million, leaving a profit before tax and service payments to
the Department for Transport of £195.7 million, an increase of £13 million.
Passenger journeys at
East Coast, which runs trains from London to Yorkshire, the North East and
Scotland, increased by 2.1%
Customer satisfaction at
East Coast rose by 2%, and the latest punctuality figures were its best since
records began in 1999.
Never mind all that though, the government must
push on with its dogma driven back to the future policies by getting the line
back into private hands.
So the three shortlisted bidders are East Coast
Trains Ltd ( First Group plc); Keolis/Eurostar East Coast Limited (Keolis (UK)
Limited and Eurostar International Limited); and Inter City Railways Limited (Stagecoach
Transport Holdings Limited and Virgin Holdings Limited).
Imagine for a moment a railway run for
the benefit of the travelling public and not shareholders in private companies.
Lower ticket prices, punctual trains and well rewarded staff, what a terrible
precedent that would set. If it works on East Coast, it would be being demanded
for other lines – what next a nationally owned and publically run rail system?
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