Reacting to government abandonment of west coast tendering RMT general secretary Bob Crow said;

"The whole sorry and expensive shambles of rail privatisation has been dragged into the spotlight this morning and instead of re-running this expensive circus, the West Coast route should be renationalised on a permanent basis. Those ministers who have presided over this fiasco should also be called to account.

"£60 million that could have been invested in services will be blown on reimbursing the bidders as the government admit they cannot add up. With a mass of other franchises coming up over the next few years the whole process has to be called to a halt with Directly Operated Railways given a long term opportunity to sweep up this mess, just as they have successfully done on the East Coast.

"You can bet your life that the same basic mistakes made by the Government and its officials on the West Coast tender have been made on other franchises as the private sector lie through their teeth with the sole intention of robbing us blind. It is no surprise that 70% now support rail renationalisation and that public opinion will harden after today's humiliation of the government. "