The East Coast Main Line will be made a public company from next week, the Department for Transport has announced.
The line, which runs from London to Edinburgh, will be government-controlled from one minute before midnight on November 13th.
Private sector operator National Express has forfeited the franchise, which has been making a loss, after it paid to run services on the line in 2007.
Lord Adonis, the transport minister, issued a formal termination notice to the company on Wednesday (November 5th). Staff currently employed by National Express East Coast will transfer to Directly Operated Railways (DOR), trading as East Coast.
"During the last five months, the group has worked with the Department for Transport and the proposed operator DOR to ensure an orderly handover," National Express said.
Lord Adonis issued an assurance to the travelling public that services will continue without disruption and all tickets will be honoured.
A recent report from Invest Thames Gateway found that 63 per cent of decision makers believe transport is "essential" to attracting an increasingly mobile workforce.
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