Virgin might bid for East Coast line

The company, which has been involved in a wrangle with the Government after losing the West Coast franchise it had run successfully for years, had announced it could move out of railways permanently after the West Coast contract was offered to an alternative bidder.

After Virgin threatened legal action, the tendering process was exposed as flawed and Virgin was asked to continue running services until fresh bids can be examined.

Now it appears the company may be prepared to bid for the East Coast contract, running trains from London to Edinburgh, through locations including Doncaster, Leeds and York. It is currently run on behalf of the Government, after National Express was stripped of the contract in 2009.

A Virgin spokesman said: “We would almost certainly consider bidding. In fact we’d welcome the opportunity subject to a clear understanding of the tendering process.

“We are extremely proud of what we have achieved over the past 15 years with our West Coast services, delivering real benefits for our customers. It’s that same level of commitment to innovation and improvement we would look to bring to East Coast,” he said.