Video: Transport Secretary: West Coast fiasco report 'uncomfortable reading' The government has confirmed that the West Coast Main Line's incumbent operator Virgin Rail would continue to run the service for up to 23 months due to start in December. The 13-year contract was originally given to FirstGroup but the government was forced to pull the award after flaws were found in the bidding process. The final report into what happened, led by Centrica chief executive and Department for Transport board member Sam Laidlaw, found that the department wrongly calculated the amount of risk capital that bidders would have to offer to guarantee their proposals against default. In a statement to the House in response to Thursday's report the Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "I do not hide from the seriousness of these findings. They make extremely uncomfortable reading for the department. They must and will be acted upon.