East Coast Mainline bidders asked to consider local community and environmental needs

Procurement documents published by the department also expect bidders to demonstrate how their proposals would support economic growth along the route between London and Edinburgh; and how they propose to make the route and train operations more sensitive to the environment.

"We want to see a revitalised East Coast railway, one that both rekindles the spirit of competition for customers on this great route to Scotland and competes with the West Coast on speed, quality and customer service," said Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin.

"We need a strong partner to ensure we successfully deliver the £240 million programme of infrastructure investments on the route and the improvements in rolling stock that the multi-billion Intercity Express Programme will provide," he said.

The Government plans to return the East Coast franchise to private operation from February 2015. The route has been managed by Directly Operated Railways, a wholly-owned government company, since 2009. Prospective bidders that have passed the pre-qualification stage will be confirmed in January and an invitation to tender (ITT) issued the following month. The shortlisted bidders will then be given three months to prepare bids.

Among the published documents are a prospectus, setting out details of the business and basic operating criteria; pre-qualification documents; and a summary of responses to last year's consultation in which passengers and other interested parties were asked what they would like to see from a new franchise. The Government has also published a notice of the procurement in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), as required under EU law.

The East Coast Mainline is one of the two main frequent rail services between London and Scotland. It is an electrified 393 mile line, with most of that cleared for speeds of up to 125 miles per hour. The line runs from London to Edinburgh via Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York and Newcastle; with an additional non-electrified section running from Edinburgh to Inverness and Aberdeen.

The Government has announced "significant investment" in the route over the next six years, including the replacement of the current rolling stock fleet and major infrastructure improvements to the line near Peterborough and at Doncaster station. The DfT said that it was looking for an "innovative" private sector partner to "capitalise" on this investment with timetable improvements beyond the core service requirements, better customer service and further investment at stations and other points along the route.

The publication of additional information about the East Coast franchise competition follows the successful publication of ITTs for the Essex Thameside and Thameslink Southern Great Northern franchises last month. The Government had suspended rail procurement after the West Coast Main Line franchise competition was scrapped last October, but a review by Eurostar chairman Richard Brown concluded in January that there was "no credible case for major structural change" to the DfT's overall franchising programme.