Troubled East Coast service will keep running - PM

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said today the Government had an "overriding obligation" to ensure continuity of service on the East Coast main line.

The Prime Minister spoke after it was revealed the Government is to temporarily re-nationalise the London to Scotland rail line - being run at a loss by transport group National Express.

He told MPs that a publicly owned company, to be called the East Coast Main Line Company, was being set up to take over the service.

And he said existing staff and assets would transfer over to that.

At Prime Minister's question time, Mr Brown said: "We are making sure that the service continues to run, passengers continue to be served and that jobs continue to exist."

Labour's Colin Challen (Morley and Rothwell) had raised the issue with Mr Brown, saying: "Doesn't the second franchise fiasco on the East Coast Main Line in two years tell us that the Tory privatisation of rail experiment has finally hit the buffers."

And he asked: "Now that we're taking the East Coast Main Line back into public ownership, can we keep it that way."

The Prime Minister told him: "Our first and overriding obligation is to ensure continuity of service to the passengers and that there is no disruption of services.

"So the Secretary of State is establishing a publicly owned company, the East Coast Main Line Company. It will take over all franchised rail services at the point that National Express East Coast ceases to operate.

"Existing staff and assets will transfer to the new company."