PUBLIC OWNERSHIP OF THE EAST COAST RAIL LINE

That this House congratulates the state-owned Directly Operated Railways which operates the London to Edinburgh East Coast main line which paid more than £600 million in premiums and profits to the Government in the three years to April 2012; contrasts that with the failure of National Express which reneged on a £1.4 billion contract for the route; recalls the fiasco over the West Coast franchise originally awarded to FirstGroup; condemns Government plans to put the East Coast route and nine others back into private ownership before the 2015 general election; and believes that a publicly-owned railway system benefits customers, business and the national interest.