GNER

That this House notes that the Department of Transport has decided to re-let the East Coast Mainline franchise and place the operator GNER on a fixed management contract; further notes that the Transport Select Committee press release accompanying its recent Passenger Rail Franchising report described the franchising process as `a complex, fragmented and costly muddle'; believes that GNER services should not be re-let to a private operator; and therefore calls on the Department of Transport to protect services and jobs by returning operations on the East Coast Mainline to the public sector.