Freight operator EWS has joined the East Coast contest

It follows the collapse of Sir Richard Branson's bid to run long-range services between Kings Cross, eastern England and Scotland.

The Danish company would be the main stakeholder in the proposed firm, with EWS taking 29.9%.

The current operator GNER and rivals FirstGroup are also bidding to run the services for seven years from next May.

EWS chief executive Keith Heller said: "EWS is very pleased to be forming a partnership with DSB to bid for the InterCity East Coast rail franchise.

"I believe EWS's knowledge of the UK rail industry and its expertise in locomotive and rolling stock maintenance, combined with DSB's proven experience in delivering first class customer service to rail passengers is an exciting combination."

Danish Railways executive vice president S�ren Eriksen believes the partnership will boost their chances of a successful bid.

Know-how

He added: "It was essential for DSB to find an investor who could not only provide experience and know-how from the UK market, but also one that could manage the production aspects of the InterCity East Coast business.

"EWS has extensive experience with train operations in the UK and DSB is undisputedly one of the best performing train operators in Europe.

"Therefore, the two companies have significant complementary competencies".

The Branson proposal - a joint venture with transport group Stagecoach and the German rail company Deutsche Bahn - collapsed when a "satisfactory framework" for the bid could not be found.