Statement due on 'shambolic' West Coast Mainline deal
Scotland's Transport Minister will outline his concerns at Holyrood
West Coast Mainline franchise "an utter shambles"
Russell Brown MP, has described the admission of flaws in the West Coast Mainline bidding process as "an utter shambles".
Competition to run West Coast Main Line cancelled
The competition to operate the West Coast Main Line has been cancelled after flaws were discovered in the bidding process.
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Virgin Trains: Delays in Cumbria
There are delays of up to one hour and thirty minutes on Virgin Trains between Glasgow Central and London Euston, and between Edinburgh Waverley and Birmingham New Street, due to a broken down freight train between Oxenholm Lake District and Lancaster.
This also affects First Transpennine Express trains.
Full Report: Cumbrian train celebrates its centenary
A very special birthday was celebrated at the Ravenglass to Eskdale railway in west Cumbria today.
One of the lines oldest servants has reached their centenary.
Samantha Parker went to find out more and you can watch her full report below.
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Statement due on 'shambolic' West Coast Mainline deal
Scotland's Transport Minister will outline his concerns at Holyrood
Read the full storyWest Coast mistakes lead to questions over East Coast franchise
Condemnation has rained down on the Department for Transport which has admitted it made "completely unacceptable" mistakes over the handling of bidding for the West Coast Mainline franchise.
The Department for Transport admits that its staff made serious mistakes when awarding FirstGroup the franchise ahead of Virgin Trains. Put simply they didn't look properly at the financial risks associated with the bid.
Officials' have been suspended and the Secretary of State for Transport has apologised - as he scrapped the decision to award the contract ot First Group.
It's going to cost taxpayers at least £40million. The debacle has raised serious questions not only about THIS franchise but also those awarded in the recent past to companies operating on the East Coast Main Line.
Transport Secretary talks about West Coast mistakes
Branson reacts to West Coast decision
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Three officials suspended over West Coast fiasco
Three Department for Transport civil servants have been suspended following mistakes made in the now-scrapped West Coast Main Line franchise.
The announcement came after Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin laid the blame for the fiasco "wholly and squarely" on the DfT.
The errors came to light after Sir Richard Branson launched a legal challenge when Virgin Trains lost out to FirstGroup in the recent competition to operate the route.
– Spokesman for Department for Transport"Three officials involved in the West Coast franchise competition were today suspended by the Permanent Secretary while the full facts are established.
"No further details will be issued at this time about the suspensions."
West Coast blunder will cost £40m
The Transport Secretary has said that cancelling the competition to run the West Coast Main Line will cost the taxpayer £40 million.
Patrick McLoughlin said the U-turn on the West Coast Mail Line rail franchise award was "wholly and squarely" down to a Whitehall fault.
Transport Union secretary says West Coast should be 'renationalised'
– Bob Crow, General Secretary of the RMT Transport Union"The whole sorry and expensive shambles of rail privatisation has been dragged into the spotlight this morning and, instead of re-running this expensive circus, the West Coast route should be renationalised on a permanent basis."
Sir Richard Branson reacts to DfT's decision
– Sir Richard Branson, Virgin"I took a call this evening in New York from the UK Secretary of State for Transport, telling me that he will no longer be awarding the West Coast Main Line franchise to FirstGroup.
"From the moment we found out that FirstGroup had been made the preferred bidder with a completely unrealistic bid, we questioned the way the offers had been assessed.
"I am pleased to say that the DfT has looked at all of the facts and found significant flaws in the way it's officials handled the process.
"They have basically acknowledged that what we had been saying is correct."
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