Member Article

Richard Branson promises to ‘revolutionise’ East Coast main line Yorkshire links

Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson has promised to “revolutionise” rail travel between Yorkshire and London next year after their consortium with Stagecoach takes over the East Coast main line, despite union RMT labelling them “vultures”

Proposals from 2019 include more trains to London from Bradford, Leeds, York and Harrogate and a £140 million investment over eight years to improve trains and stations

Journey times from London to Leeds will be cut in 2019 to two hours and there will be new direct services from Huddersfield, via Dewsbury.

Sir Richard, whose company already runs the West Coast line with Stagecoach, said that partnership had “revolutionised” train travel, but the news has not met with full support as unions waded in on the potential pitfalls of privatisation.

Branson said: “Our long and fruitful partnership with Stagecoach has revolutionised the West Coast line and train travel in the UK, and we are looking forward to bringing the lessons we have learnt across to the East Coast and building on the success there.

“We are excited to work with East Coast’s great group of talented people, who we know will bring to life that famous and much-loved Virgin spirit under the new franchise.”

Mick Cash, RMT general secretary, said: “It is simply ludicrous to even contemplate re-privatisation when not only have there been two previous private sector failures on the East Coast route but when the public-sector rescue operation has been such a stunning success.

“While domestic public ownership puts money back into the coffers that can be reinvested in our railways the private operators suck out colossal sums in subsidies and profits - that’s what privatisation means.

“The decision to hand this profitable and successful public rail operation back to the vultures from Virgin/Stagecoach is based purely on hard-right political ideology and RMT is committed to continuing the fight to block this betrayal right up to polling day and beyond.”‎

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .