By Sue Crawford

Last updated at 14:54, Tuesday, 16 October 2012

A transport leader has demanded that rail services through Cumbria are maintained and fares protected following the confirmation that Virgin Trains is to continue running the West Coast line.

Tim Knowles

Tim Knowles has welcomed the Government announcement that it is entering into talks with Virgin to run services on the line for at least another nine months.

The temporary fix has been proposed by the Department for Transport (DfT) after its embarrassing U-turn over the award of a new franchise earlier this month.

Virgin’s current franchise ends on December 9 but talks are under way about it remaining as operator for between nine and 13 months while a competition is run for an interim franchise agreement.

Earlier this month Mr Knowles, Cumbria County Council’s cabinet member for transport, urged the Government to quickly confirm how rail services would be delivered following the collapse of the original franchise process.

The DfT has now confirmed it is entering into negotiations for a temporary contract with Virgin.

Mr Knowles said: “We will continue to push the case throughout the franchise process that, whoever runs the line, it is crucial that services in the county are maintained, fare levels are protected and the necessary investment is made in rail infrastructure in Cumbria.

“I do not want to see any corners cut or any erosion in services in the county and I want rail passengers to receive the same value and quality of services.”

Meanwhile, Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT rail union which is fighting for the rail network to be in public ownership, has accused the Government of “stitching up a shabby deal” to enable them to rerun the franchise exercise again next year.

He said: “The Government is ideologically opposed to public ownership of the railways.

“Richard Branson and his shareholders are laughing all the way to the bank. Not only have they made hundreds of millions from the rail privatisation lottery but they have now scooped the rollover as well.

“RMT will continue to fight for public ownership of the railways. This short term political fix will not detract from the call for rail to be run as a public service free from the chaos and greed of privatisation.”

Three DfT civil servants were suspended after the West Coast bidding competition was halted on October 3 when “significant technical flaws” were found in the way the franchise process had been conducted.

Virgin has run the West Coast line since 1997 but in August the DfT announced that a new 13-year franchise for the London to Scotland line had been awarded to FirstGroup.

Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson launched a legal challenge to the decision, describing the bidding process as “insane”.

While preparing to fight the challenge DfT discovered flaws in the bidding process.

First published at 14:32, Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk