A consortium involving Sir Richard Branson's train company Virgin Trains has been chosen to run the East Coast main line franchise from next year.
The Department for Transport said the consortium involving Virgin and transport company Stagecoach, who already run the West Coast line, will start the East Coast franchise in March 2015 .
The Green Party in Thirsk and Malton have slammed the government's decision to privatise the East Coast Main Line after it was announced a consortium involving Virgin and Stagecoach will run services from March 2015.
The party said people in the area depend on current links which they say have been the "best level of service" in the UK. They described the move as a "spiteful, dogmatic decision".
At around 11pm on Friday night police were called to Darley Avenue in Athersley to reports that a man had been stabbed.
This Evening and Tonight: Showers or longer spells of rain are forecast through the evening and night.
For the second day running there were no deaths of people who tested positive for coronavirus in Scotland.