A national campaign to keep the East Coast Main Line in public hands was launched today despite one in 10 trains running late.
Critics of government plans to hive off the London to Aberdeen line back to the private sector highlight that since the route was renationalised in 2009 it has paid back more than £600 million to the Treasury.
The Government insists privatisation will go ahead and plans to sell-off the line by February 2015, before the General Election.
Labour pledged an on-going campaign to keep the line under public control with it forming a key election issue.
Shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle kicked-off the campaign at King’s Cross station today handing out leaflets to passengers which urged them to “Keep East Coast on Track.”
Ms Eagle said: “Despite the East Coast being recognised as the most cost effective franchise by the independent rail regulator ORR, David Cameron wants to sell it off before the next election.
“It is a public success story which he does not want voters to know about. We do and need their help to keep it in public hands.”
Labour has pledged to keep the line under public control if it wins in 2015.
Similar demonstrations - backed by Labour MPs and the transport trade unions - took place today along the route at Newark, Doncaster, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle stations.
Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the TSSA transport union and who backed Ms Eagle at King’s Cross, said: “The success of the East Coast line has exposed the myth that private rail companies offer better value for money to the taxpayer.
“They don’t, they swallow more subsidies and run slower trains.”
Latest statistics show that one in 10 ECML trains is late; punctuality for the four weeks ending 25 May was 89.4 per cent against the national average of 91 per cent for the same period.
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The key London to Scotland line has been under the control of the Department for Transport (DfT) as a not-for-profit operator after transport giant National Express pulled out.
Patrick McLoughlin, the transport secretary, said: “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.”
