VIRGIN and Stagecoach yesterday won the new East Coast Main Line franchise and vowed to invest £140 million in the route, provide extra seats for the morning peak and more frequent services.

But the consortium made no promises to keep the line’s headquarters in York and up to 200 jobs could be under threat. The city’s MPs, Hugh Bayley and Julian Sturdy, are calling on Virgin/Stagecoach to clear up the matter with a promise to keep their base here and we support that call.

There are many good reasons why it should remain in York. All the expertise for running the line is here and has been for years. This city also has a long and distinguished railway history. It is home to the National Rail Museum, Flying Scotsman and, of course, Mallard which broke the world speed record on this very line in 1938.

Unfortunately, now the consortium is about to run both the east and west coast lines, there has to be a chance that it will centralise the administration.

This monopoly won’t only affect people’s jobs. Our rail network is a Cinderella service compared to most of continental Europe; even Italy, Spain and Portugal have an efficient high speed network connecting the regions to the capital. They’re not expensive either, whereas a York to London return costs more than £100 when bought on the day. And that for a train that is 60mph slower.

Now Virgin/Stagecoach has both of the north south franchises, where will competition come from to force a reduction in British fares?

The East Coast Main Line will probably continue to offer a decent service under this consortium, but it’s certainly not going to be a match for the TGV.