(29 Oct 2014, 2:26 pm)eezypeazy wrote Which of the three bidders would you like to see win the Northern Rail franchise, and why?

I have attached a link, showing details of the bidders (http://www.cityam.com/1408496487/shortli...ise-picked) for those who aren't aware.

Hopefully they all fall flat on their face and it ends up back in state hands. Unfortunately, DOR aren't on the list at this stage.

Interesting to note, more than 50 Members of Parliament have signed a motion just last week, against proposed cuts to the Northern and TPE franchises (http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Ra...rn-and-tpe).

On a slightly different note, the whole idea of privatisation - was to introduce competition on the railways.
Like de-regulation on the buses, there is a distinct lack of competition/choice in a number of areas, which are seeing services increasingly dominated by a select few operators.
You would have thought the lesson would have been learned...
Imagine if Govia win the franchise and therefore end up dominating the Tyne Valley completely?! Choice? What choice?