GNER looks to have won its battle to keep running trains on the East Coast Main Line.

York MP Hugh Bayley has revealed that, following a meeting with Railways Minister Tony McNulty, he is "quietly confident" the York-based company will win the new franchise.

He also expects the decision to be announced soon.

GNER's existing franchise to run services on the London-Edinburgh route runs out at the end of this month, and observers expect an announcement to be made before April.

The company is competing against shortlisted bids from three other firms, FirstGroup, Danish Railways and VirginStagecoach. Its success would secure hundreds of jobs at its York headquarters.

Mr Bayley said that he and York-born former Cabinet Minister Frank Dobson, whose London constituency includes Kings Cross at the southern end of the line and who regularly uses the service to travel to a home in the York area, had met Mr McNulty at Westminster last week to lobby for GNER to keep the franchise.

He said they had told the Minister that the company had received unprecedented support from passengers and members of the public, because of the good service it provided.

"What other train operating companies can say 20,000 members of the public are supporting their bid, because they believe it is doing a good job?" asked Mr Bayley. He said he could not reveal what the Minister had said to him. "But I am quietly confident that GNER will win the franchise."

The Strategic Rail Authority said earlier this month that the four shortlisted bids will be assessed for investment, service levels and financial returns, but GNER's performance to date would not be taken into account.

There has also been speculation in national newspapers that GNER has offered the Government more than £1 billion for the franchise to help ensure it won the bid, and that the SRA had recommended the company's bid to Transport Secretary Alistair Darling.

A GNER spokesman said reports about its bid had all been encouraging, but it could not comment further.

Updated: 10:48 Monday, March 14, 2005