AFTER weeks of uncertainty, there is a glimmer of hope for York railway workers.

The writing had appeared to be on the wall for GNER's hundreds of York-based headquarters staff after the firm's name was not among the shortlisted candidates for the East Coast Main Line franchise published in February.

Now, however, comes the welcome news that the company has got on board with a bid after all.

It has teamed up with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin and Stagecoach to lodge a joint bid for the franchise.

If successful, GNER would take a ten per cent stake in the new franchise, while Virgin and Stagecoach would share the remaining 90 per cent.

However, if it wins, the consortium has pledged to maintain the headquarters of the new company, Inter City Railways Ltd (ICR), right here in York.

This is excellent news, for so many reasons. First, there is a real chance that those hundreds of dedicated headquarters workers will now get to keep their jobs. It means York's proud railway heritage hasn't reached the end of the line - at least, not yet.

And it could be good news for passengers, too.

Over the years, GNER has established a reputation for excellence second to none in the railway business.

Its staff are polite, its trains clean - and they even usually run on time. We mean no disservice to Virgin or Stagecoach, who both operate successful rail franchises already.

But being able to call upon the expertise of the staff who helped GNER build the standards it was celebrated for can only be good.

There are no done deals yet. National Express, Arriva and FirstGroup are all still in the running for the franchise. But with GNER on board, the ICR bid now has real credibility. York's rail story may not be over yet.