THE East Coast Main Line must stay in public hands for up to 15 years to prevent a repeat of the National Express fiasco, MPs demanded yesterday.

And Directly Operated Railways – the publicly-run company being set up to manage the key route from the end of the year – must be allowed to bid to be the permanent operator, they said.

Meanwhile, it emerged that Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has hinted he might delay handing over the line to another private company beyond the end of next year – the date he put forward two weeks ago. The demands came as MPs used a Commons debate to vent their fury after National Express announced, a fortnight ago, that it will hand back its £1.4bn coastline contract at the end of the year.

It is the second time in three years that a company has bid more than £1bn for the route – and then quit after admitting it could not afford it. GNER gave up its £1.3bn contract in 2006.

There is a growing campaign among Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs for Lord Adonis to rethink his determination to refranchise the route as quickly as possible.

Hugh Bayley, the Labour MP for York, who sponsored the debate, told ministers: “That would raise a serious risk of the coastal franchise failing once again.”

Arguing for seven years of “nationalisation” to rebuild business and passenger confidence, Mr Bayley added: “It would test whether the public sector would compete well on quality and value for money with the private sector.”

Mr Bayley said track operator Network Rail and the surviving British Rail board were other public sector organisations – along with Directly Operated Railways – that should be able to bid to run the line.

Describing the franchise system as a “poisoned chalice”, he revealed that Lord Adonis had told MPs that the route would be in public hands for “at least one year” – suggesting a possible delay beyond next year.

Lib Dem transport spokesman Norman Baker also argued for a “public sector comparator”, while Selby Labour MP John Grogan insisted the line should be nationalised for “ten to 15 years”.

There was also anger that National Express – despite agreeing to pay £1.4bn for its seven-year East Coast Main Line franchise – will walk away losing as little as £40m, because it created a “special purpose company”.

In response, rail minister Chris Mole said the “overall story is one of success” – with more services on the East Coast Main Line, improved punctuality and wi-fi on the entire inter-city fleet.

Insisting the route would be re-privatised, he said: “The Government’s role in running trains is short-term. This was an isolated failure.”