RAIL operator GNER was last night attacked for using its own website to help secure extra East Coast Main Line services.

The York firm, which is locked in a battle with rival North-East operator Grand Central Railway over access to the route, hopes to overturn what it claims was an "astonishing" decision by the rail regulator to reject a planned 12 new services between Leeds and London.

Anyone logging on to GNER's website in the past week has been directed towards a page urging them to fight for the extra trains and to have their say on the decision which could see "passenger benefits abandoned".

A template letter is then available for website users to directly e-mail to the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR).

Last night, Ian Yeowart, managing director of Grand Central, which is also based in York, said: "It is a bit galling that they are using their website and customer database in this way. How can a firm our size possibly respond?

"Every customer that hits their website at the moment is virtually bounced into sending something off to the regulator.

"We also feel they are misrepresenting the actual position.

"GNER don't say anything about the retention of trains from the North-East on their website - as far as they are concerned, it is about Leeds trains ahead of anything else."

GNER has won extra time from the regulator to make a case for extra Leeds-London services, following a provisional decision to turn them down.

At the same time, the ORR gave the go-ahead for Grand Central to run three daily services between Sunderland, Hartlepool, Eaglescliffe, Northallerton and Thirsk to London to King's Cross - a decision yet to be officially approved.

Both applications are inextricably linked since Grand Central will have to share GNER's East Coast Main Line route and any final decision on one could affect the other.

David Davies, of the ORR, said it had already received in excess of 2,500 e-mails in support of GNER's application, but said it would not be swayed by the sheer volume of replies.

He said: "We don't have a particular problem with this, but we can of course tell where these e-mails are coming from and that they are all from the same place.

"We take into account representations from the public on decisions such as this and every e-mail will receive a courteous reply."

A GNER spokesman said it had set up the website link in response to demand from passengers, civic leaders and businesses.

He said: "Why shouldn't these people express their support for additional services which we believe will benefit them?"