Rail nationalisation activists target Barrow station

Transport unions and supporters will be protesting against the McNulty rail review proposing cuts to jobs and services and calling for renationalisation.

RMT says from 6-9am passengers at the station on the Cumbrian Coast Line will be leafleted with "action for rail" postcards and asked to give support.

Meantime, the shambles surrounding bidding for the West Coast main line franchise continues with an investigation initially finding that "an accumulation of significant errors ... resulted in a flawed process."

After the contract was awarded to First Group in August, Virgin Trains launched a legal appeal that led to Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin uncovering mistakes at the Department for Transport.

He scrapped the process, suspended bidding on three other franchises and suspended three civil servants.

The initial report of one of two investigations - by business figure Sam Laidlaw - was revealed to MPs on Monday.

Mr Crow said: "It's not the process that's at fault, it's the whole rotten, corrupt rip-off that is rail privatisation that has been exposed by this costly and disruptive shambles."

Labour's shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle highlighted DfT cuts in staff and budget and said: "These interim findings are damning."

The final report will be published at the end on November.