§ 24. Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the future of the Chiltern line. [30626]
§ Mr. WattsThe franchising director has today announced that M40 Trains Ltd., the management buy-out team, has been selected as preferred bidder for the Chiltern Railway Co. Ltd. franchise.
§ Mr. LidingtonI welcome my hon. Friend's statement and draw his attention to comments made to me by the managing director of M40 Trains Ltd., who is responsible for operations in Chiltern, that the approach of privatisation had, for the first time, forced railway managers to concentrate their minds on what their passengers actually wanted in the way of a service? Is not that the key message of the advantages of privatisation for fare-paying passengers: the service will be provided ever more in their interests?
§ Mr. WattsMy hon. Friend is entirely right. The total focus of passenger train operating companies is on increasing their business by providing better services for their passengers.