25.01.17
FirstGroup and Trenitalia join forces for East Midlands and WCP franchises
FirstGroup and Trenitalia UK have announced that they will be submitting joint bids for the new East Midlands and West Coast Partnership (WCP) franchises due to be awarded next year.
The companies have submitted an expression of interest to the DfT in respect of the East Midlands rail franchise competition under the joint venture First Trenitalia East Midlands Rail Ltd.
This is not the first venture into the UK franchise market for the Italian operator Trenitalia after it was revealed recently that it will acquire the c2c franchise from National Express.
Steve Montgomery, First Rail’s managing director said: “We are pleased to announce that we will be partnering with Trenitalia to bid for the upcoming East Midlands and West Coast Partnership rail franchises.
“Both ourselves and Trenitalia have extensive expertise of running commuter, regional and long distance services such as those that make up the East Midlands franchise.
“Their knowledge will add further depth and understanding as we develop our proposals to deliver passenger benefits that take full advantage of the significant investment that government and the industry are making in the region’s rail infrastructure.”
First Rail has a strong track record in delivering services on the British railway through its other TOCs Great Western Railway, TransPennine Express and Hull Trains which passengers rated the highest performing rail operator last year in a survey by Transport Focus.
Similarly, Trenitalia has modernised the customer experience on Italy’s network through its high-speed Frecciarossa routes.
Barbara Morgante, CEO of Trenitalia, said that she was delighted to announce the partnership with FirstGroup, believing that the “experience, competence , innovation and skills” of the companies will provide the “perfect mix” in their bid for the franchises.
“Trenitalia is ready to bring all its competencies to the partnership, both from a technical and commercial side, developed in the highly competitive Italian market,” Morgante said.
“Our recent agreement-in-principle for the acquisition of c2c also serves to transform us from a potential new comer into a convincing, and effective, player in the UK market, and will strengthen the Trenitalia-FirstGroup partnership.”
Last week the DfT revealed further details about the WCP, releasing its prospectus for potential bidders on the franchise. The invitation to tender (ITT) document is set to be released shortly.
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