BIDDERS for the new inter-city East Coast rail contract last night attempted to allay fears that half-hourly train services from the North-East to London could be cut.

The four bidders who hope to take over the existing GNER franchise were quizzed on their plans at a rail forum on the future of the franchise, attended by key figures from across the region.

Two of the bidders - Arriva and National Express - did give a commitment, when asked, to maintaining half-hourly trains. But representatives of Stagecoach-Virgin and First - the two other bidders - failed to make such a clear commitment.

Andy Cooper, leading Arriva's bid team, said: "It would be absolutely suicidal not to keep that sort of frequency."

He added: "We want this to be the leading rail brand in the UK when we operate it."

Chris Stokes, head of rail bidding at National Express, said there was "no question" the current frequency would certainly be retained, and said it hoped to improve journey times to two hours 50 minutes between Newcastle and London.

Richard Gibson, of Stagecoach, said such detail would be contained within its bid when submitted.

He said: "We will concentrate our efforts on ensuring we consistently deliver the most reliable services."

Jonathan May, bid director at First, said it would follow specifications set out by the Department for Transport, which included maintaining existing levels of service.

He said: "The North-East region is very important to First, and we are keen to develop Newcastle, Durham and Darlington stations."

Hilary Knox, deputy director of the Association of North-East Councils, who asked the question about half-hourly services, said: "North-East local government believes it is vital that this level of frequency and service provision is maintained and enhanced in the future."

David Clelland, the Labour MP for Tyne Bridge, who chaired the meeting in Gateshead, said: "We will be putting pressure on the Government to ensure that the service levels we get are improved and will continue to improve into the future."

The bidders were also quizzed about the future of GNER's call centre in Newcastle, which employs about 200 staff and handles ticket sales over the phone.

The call centre does not form part of the franchise, instead belonging to GNER's financially-stricken parent company, Sea Containers, and there is no guarantee that it will be retained by any new operator.

Bidders have until June 6 to submit their final bids for the new franchise. The winner will be announced over the summer, and new services will start in November.