In a leaked letter to the Transport Secretary, Justine Greening, Sir Richard claimed the only way FirstGroup could meet its commitments would be to "drastically cut the quality of services". Industry experts say there is a high likelihood FirstGroup will have to "hand back the keys" to the franchise before the contract ends in 2026, a fate suffered by both GNER and National Express which abandoned the East Coast Main Line when their bids proved unviable.