Virgin and Stagecoach take over as operators of East Coast rail route
The London to Scotland East Coast rail route will from Sunday be returned to the private sector, where it will be jointly operated by Stagecoach and Virgin.
The line, which will now be known as Virgin Trains East Coast, has been run by a Department for Transport (DfT) controlled firm for the past five years.
While the DfT said it was confident the move offered the "best deal" for consumers, it has been slammed as a "hammer blow for passengers, taxpayers and employees alike" by shadow transport secretary Michael Dugher.
He said: "David Cameron's ideological sell-off has ended a public sector service which has delivered over £1bn to the Treasury, kept fares down, had record passenger satisfaction and engaged the workforce with unparalleled success."
The government became the route's operator in late 2009 after National Express backed out of a deal.
Virgin and Stagecoach were announced as the winning bidders in November last year.