The real story we should be talking about is the heinous decision by Chris Grayling to bail Virgin and Stagecoach out of their East Coast mainline contract at a cost of up to £2bn to the taxpayer. It's a disgrace. National Express had to be relieved of their contract on the same line some 10 years or more ago due to their mismanagement, the state operated franchise then became profitable and ran one of the most efficient services across the country, was then banned by the Tories from bidding for more contracts, and instead the contract taken from the state company and given to Branson who has made a complete mess of it and been bailed out.

This is a clear indication that private train operating companies are not value for money and leave the risks with the public and rewards with private interests. The quality of service on this line as well shows that public operation of modern services can be more efficient.