FIVE train operators are in the running for the new railway franchise which will serve East Lancashire.

The new Northern Franchise is set to include the Trans-Pennine Express rail service through Blackburn, Accrington and Burnley and on to Yorkshire.

The current Trans-Pennine franchise will instead focus on easing motorway congestion between Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds.

Rail bosses say the Northern Franchise will focus on urban and rural services for the North West, North East and Yorkshire.

The Strategic Rail Authority, which hands out the franchises, hopes that by creating franchises based on type of service rather than geography, services will improve.

The SRA, chaired by a former pupil at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn, Richard Bowker, has confirmed that five parties have been selected to bid for the franchise.

Among them is Arriva Trains Ltd, the parent company of Arriva Trains Northern, which has already lost out in the running to operate the new Trans-Pennine Express franchise, after the route was blighted by poor performance.

The company blamed long-running strikes and shortages of drivers for the problems, which led to the firm being fined £2million.

The other bidders are Eurailco UK Ltd, FirstGroup plc; which currently runs First Northwestern trains in the area, GB Railways plc and Serco Rail/Netherlands Railways.

Each bidder has had to prove it can improve services and passenger numbers.

The new franchise is expected to start in summer 2004 and last for seven years and a decision is due within the next 12 months.

Mr Bowker said: "The essence of the new franchise policy is to give greater clarity and certainty to bidders about what we expect on behalf of passengers.

"The qualification threshold was set at a very demanding level indeed to ensure the best possible competition on behalf of passengers and taxpayers. This franchising revolution is a very real step towards the industry presenting itself as fit for purpose to passengers and investors."

Arriva has been excluded from the final bidding for the new Transpennine franchise. Connex Transport UK and First Group, which owns First North Western, are bidding for that route.

The priority for that franchise is to provide better links between cities on both sides of the Pennines, which had led to concerns that the East Lancashire Trans-Pennine service could be axed in favour of inter-city routes. But Mr Bowker has pledged that travellers in East Lancashire have nothing to worry about.