Rail franchises operators & contracts

Limited cash means EWR-style alliance models ‘have to work’

11.05.17: There is no doubt that delivering projects using deep alliances between contractors and suppliers, similar to what will be trialled with East West Rail, produces better results, rail bosses have resoundingly argued. Chris Curtis, head of Cr...

Time to move away from ‘famine or feast’ scenario for supply chain

09.05.17: The Industrial Strategy must enable a sustainable rail supply chain, avoiding the famine and feast scenarios of the past, according to a panel of experts at Railtex. Speaking on the first Platform session on productivity and skills, ho...

After over two years at the bottom, GTR no longer worst-performing TOC

09.05.17: After over two years of coming at the bottom of performance tables for operator punctuality, especially since its absorption of the entire TSGN franchise, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is finally in the clear. In the public performance mea...

Building passenger trust in the new South West franchise

08.05.17: David Sidebottom, passenger director at Transport Focus, discusses the importance of focusing on passenger wants and needs to build trust on the new South West franchise. When rail franchises come up for renewal, they provide an excellent o...

Franchising structure a barrier to sustained rail investment, report warns

03.05.17: The franchising system in its current state is becoming increasingly vulnerable to economic slowdown, a report released today has argued. Produced by Credo Business Consulting for a new transport think tank established by the Campaign for B...

London Assembly calls for DfT rethink on South Eastern devolution

27.04.17: The DfT have been told to “go back to the drawing board” and return to its 2016 plan of devolving some routes for the South Eastern franchise to TfL and the mayor of London. In a letter to the transport secretary, the chair of t...

DfT to introduce new risk transfer mechanism on selected franchises

26.04.17: The government has claimed that plans to introduce a new risk transfer mechanism, the Forecast Revenue Mechanism (FRM), on selected franchises will help ensure that franchising remains attractive to bidders while securing a good deal for taxpaye...

Virgin and Stagecoach join with SNCF on HS2 WCP franchise bid

25.04.17: Operators Virgin Trains and Stagecoach have today announced that they will launch a joint bid for the West Coast Partnership (WCP) HS2 franchise alongside state-owned French rail company SNCF. The franchise will run from 2019 and will inclu...

London Midland launches new Motion entertainment service on trains

24.04.17: London Midland has today launched a service that provides customers with an entertainment package featuring films, TV programmes, games and magazines, plus wi-fi on its trains Using the service, called Motion, customers can for the first-ti...

Passenger revenue stabilises on GTR services despite a year’s worth of strikes

20.04.17: Passenger growth has slowed on Southeastern rail services, whilst passenger revenue growth on strike-ridden GTR has now stabilised, the third quarter trading statement from Go-Ahead has today announced. The statement from the company, who a...

Southeastern passengers demand better services from new franchise

06.04.17: Passengers on the South Eastern franchise have called for a better deal from operators as they demanded more punctual, reliable services with enough room to sit and stand, research conducted by Transport Focus (TF) has revealed. With the cu...

First MTR joint venture awarded South Western franchise

27.03.17: First MTR South Western Trains Limited (First MTR) has been awarded the new South Western franchise by the government, which will see the introduction of 750 new train carriages to the network by 2020. Pending the successful completion of a...

New routes, trains and alliance working mooted for South Eastern

14.03.17: New routes, high-capacity Metro-style trains, integrating train and track operators through an alliance and even getting rid of First Class seating on the busiest routes are all ideas that have been put forward today in the DfT’s South Eas...

Growth Track 360: The story so far

09.03.17: Chair of the North Wales & Mersey Dee Cross-Border Rail Task Force, Councillor Samantha Dixon, gives RTM an update on the key milestones achieved so far by the Growth Track 360 campaign. Transportation is the lifeblood of our regional e...

Three bidders shortlisted for 2019 East Midlands franchise

01.03.17: The DfT has today announced a shortlist of three operators who will compete for the East Midlands franchise. The companies who are in the running for the franchise’s contract are Arriva Rail East Midlands, a wholly owned subsidiary of...