Rail firm to cut 1,200 jobs

More than 1,000 jobs are to be cut by privatised rail companies in the north of England, according to leaked government documents.

The figures, obtained by the BBC, show that MTL, the largest private bus company in Britain, which took over Regional Railways North East and serves Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle, plans to cut staff levels by 40 per cent over seven years. Under British Rail, the firm employed nearly 3,000 people. Under MTL, it will be run by 1,800 staff. Jonathan Bray, of Save our Railways, said: "This shows what privatisation is all about. Private companies are given contracts not because they offer the beat deal for passengers but because they promise to axe staff and slash costs." Randeep Ramesh