The East Coast Main Line to be run by the Government

According to the RMT Union the Government will take control of the East Coast Main Line rail services on the 12th December. Should we be worried?

Yes, probably we should, it wasn't run particularly badly from the perspective of my journeys on it since moving to Scotland in May last year, however there are some horror stories to be heard from many other passengers up and down the UK.

The Government via the Department of Transport and National Express who currently run the service both claim no date for the handover has yet been set. Obviously the RMT disagree and they are also demanding that the new public company East Coast keeps the franchise and is keen that a new private company doesn't then get an opportunity just months down the line to run the company and that it remains now in public hands.

My concern is that under public ownership the services to Scotland must not change at all, unless to be improved. There are concerns being raised by Borders MP Michael Moore and Berwick MP Sir Alan Beith that services to and through Berwick could be drastically reduced when the company goes public.

It is not only important but vital that this does not happen. Michael Moore MP has been campaigning for many years to get rail services re-introduced in to the Scottish Borders and Berwick is the only rail station currently in the Borders and it would be disastrous if the Government reduced the rail services there.

Let us hope the Labour Government listen to this common sense.