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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Rail line 'should remain public' | Rail line 'should remain public' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Unions are being urged to back a motion to keep in public hands a rail franchise taken over by the government after the operator made big losses. | Unions are being urged to back a motion to keep in public hands a rail franchise taken over by the government after the operator made big losses. |
| Rail union Aslef has started a campaign to keep the East Coast Main Line service permanently nationalised. | Rail union Aslef has started a campaign to keep the East Coast Main Line service permanently nationalised. |
| National Express lost the contract for services between London and Scotland when it failed to meet a condition to pay the government millions of pounds. | |
| The union also wants to nationalise the London to Norwich and Essex lines. | The union also wants to nationalise the London to Norwich and Essex lines. |
| The franchise was taken away from National Express when the company defaulted on payments to the government after making huge losses because of falling revenue and low passenger numbers. | The franchise was taken away from National Express when the company defaulted on payments to the government after making huge losses because of falling revenue and low passenger numbers. |
| The handover to the government officials who will run the franchise is expected in the next few weeks so technically it is still in private hands. | |
| Remove other contracts | Remove other contracts |
| Delegates at the TUC's annual conference in Liverpool are to vote later on calls to keep the line in public hands after the transfer takes place. | |
| Aslef has also tabled a motion urging ministers to abandon plans to find another buyer next year and run it instead on a not-for-profit basis. | Aslef has also tabled a motion urging ministers to abandon plans to find another buyer next year and run it instead on a not-for-profit basis. |
| It also urges the government to ban the bus company from ever running a rail service again. | It also urges the government to ban the bus company from ever running a rail service again. |
| In addition the union wants to remove the firm's remaining train contracts. | In addition the union wants to remove the firm's remaining train contracts. |
| These are the National Express East Anglia routes through Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk plus the C2C service between London and Essex. | These are the National Express East Anglia routes through Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk plus the C2C service between London and Essex. |