Virgin Trains will remain the operator of the West Coast Main Line for at least nine months following the fiasco over the bidding process.
The Department for Transport confirmed on Monday that the group will continue to run the service for between nine to 13 months following the cancellation of the previous move to grant First Group the franchise.
According to a statement by the UK Government department, Virgin will continue as operator after the current deal expires on December 9.
The U-turn over the service connecting Glasgow and Edinburgh to London cost taxpayers an estimated £40m and was blamed on "completely unacceptable mistakes" by the Department for Transport.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "The cancellation of the InterCity West Coast franchise is deeply regrettable and I apologise to the bidders involved and the taxpayer who have a right to expect better.
"My priority now is to fix the problem and the first step is to take urgent action to ensure that on the 9 December services continue to run to the same standard and passengers are not affected.
"I believe Virgin remaining as operator for a short period of time is the best way to do this and my officials and I will be working flat out to make this happen."
In a statement, the government said it believes the use of Virgin to provide the service in the interim period "is the best way to ensure services are maintained and that there is no impact on passengers."
Scottish Transport Minister Keith Brown was among the many to criticise the handling of the franchise, describing it as "shambolic" earlier this month.
