West Coast Main Line

George Howarth Excerpts

Monday 29th October 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr McLoughlin]

My hon. Friend make a good point, because the line is very important for his constituency. I know that he has already had a meeting with my right hon. Friend the Minister of State about rail investment in his constituency. I am keen to make sure that the benefits that people will get from the franchise are realised as soon as possible. There has been a necessary delay and I very much regret that.

[Mr George Howarth (Knowsley) (Lab)]

In his statement the Secretary of State referred to discussions that he is holding with Virgin about extending its involvement for a short period of 14 months. Can he give some reassurance to travellers and also to the staff who work on the west coast main line that if it becomes necessary to extend that 14-month period, there is no in-principle reason why that should not happen?

[Mr McLoughlin]

Over the next eight months, which we are talking about as the extension to the franchise, and the following five-month changeover period, if that is necessary, we will obviously be talking with Virgin and other companies interested in running the interim two-year contract, but I think that the jobs of the people who operate the trains will remain the same under any operator.