Delay misery for Yorkshire rail passengers heading south
Rail passengers endured more morning misery today when an overhead line problem led to major disruption to key services.
High-speed rail route revealed
£32bn high speed rail link between London and Yorkshire has been revealed.
HS2 is neither cheap nor very popular along its route
At a cost of £33 billion, this train line is neither cheap nor very popular with those living along its route.
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Virgin confirms bid for East Coast rail line
by Laura Kuenssberg - Business EditorVirgin confirms it is planning to bid for the East Coast line franchise.
East Coast bids open after National Express pulled out
The East Coast rail line runs from London to Scotland's major cities, including Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow.
Over three years ago the line had to be nationalised because operator National Express revealed it couldn't afford to pay the franchise. The company was commited to a £1.4 billion contract.
No formal bidders have yet been confirmed, but it could reignite competition between Virgin Trains and FirstGroup who went head-to-head to run the West Coast line.
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Passengers to help decide who runs rail services
– Patrick McLoughlin, Transport SecretaryThis programme is a major step in delivering tangible improvements to services, providing long-term certainty to the market and supporting our huge programme of rail investment.
Above all, in future franchise competitions we are placing passengers in the driving seat by ensuring that their views and satisfaction levels are taken into account when deciding which companies run our railway services.
Franchising has been a force for good in the story of Britain's railways, transforming an industry that was in decline into one that today carries record numbers of passengers.
East Coast rail route set for privatisation
The East Coast rail route will be put back into private ownership after a long period under state control, the government will confirm this week.
Patrick McLoughlin, the Transport Secretary, will unveil plains to seek tenders for the London to Edinburgh service over three years after it was nationalised.
The decision to put one of Britain's most used rail routes back into private sector hands is expected to reignite the rivalry between Virgin Trains and FirstGroup, who competed for the West Coast franchise last year.
Rush hour rail delays continue
Thousands of rail travellers have faced lengthy delays today after a major fault on the East Coast main line. A kilometre of overhead wiring was brought down by an engine last night.
It left two hundred Yorkshire bound passengers stranded overnight at Kings Cross station and delays for passengers which will reach into tomorrow.
- Information and advice from National Rail Enquiries
Delay misery for Yorkshire rail passengers heading south
Rail passengers endured more morning misery today when an overhead line problem led to major disruption to key services.
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Travel: Train delays for East Coast passengers
Latest train delays information here.
Thousands of rail commuters leaving Yorkshire for London are facing much-delayed journeys due to an electrical supply problem.
Centred on north London, the problem was last night causing hold-ups of up to 90 minutes on some journeys between London's King's Cross and Moorgate stations and Stevenage in Hertfordshire. Passengers travelling with - East Coast, First Hull and Grand Central trains - are also affected.
Hitachi 'well placed' to build high speed trains
by Ben Chapman, Business CorrespondentThe next generation of high speed trains could be built in the North East. The Japanese manufacturer, Hitachi, who are opening a new factory in County Durham, say they're seriously interested in bidding for the contract.
Local Labour MPs are calling on the government to award contracts to the region, after yesterday's announcement that the new high speed line will stop short of the North East.
Hitachi "interested" in building high speed trains
by Ben Chapman, Business CorrespondentThe next generation of high speed trains could be built in the North East after Hitachi confirmed it was interested in bidding for the contract.
The government has announced plans to build high speed lines from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds. Trains will continue at a slower speed further north.
Hitachi is building a new factory in Newton Aycliffe to make trains, creating more than 700 jobs.
A spokesman today said the Japanese firm's interest in the high speed contract was "extremely strong." She said high speed rail was an "interesting project" that the new factory would be "well placed" to be part of.
Full Report: High speed rail "good for jobs"
We're being promised that we will benefit from plans for a new high speed rail line - even though it will stop short of the North East.
Journey times to London will be cut by more than half an hour, and business leaders say the line will help attract investment and jobs to the region, despite it only coming as far north as Leeds.
Watch the full report from our Business Correspondent Ben Chapman below.
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