Rail franchises operators & contracts

RSG partners with RDG to give supply chain clearer and more independent voice

24.07.17: A new partnership between the Rail Supply Group (RSG) and the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has today been announced with the aim of co-ordinating shared objectives and giving the supply chain a stronger voice. The move will strengthen relation...

New bi-mode fleet a requirement for East Midlands as consultation opens

21.07.17: The DfT has this week launched its public consultation on the new East Midlands franchise, including specifications for a new bi-mode fleet of intercity trains, whilst at the same time revealing that plans to electrify the Midland Main Line nort...

Building a sustainable future for rail services in Wales

20.07.17: Geoff Ogden, interim managing director at Transport for Wales (TfW), talks to RTM about how the organisation is putting sustainable development at the heart of its services. TfW is a wholly-owned, not-for-profit company established by the W...

Govia gets West Midlands franchise extension after DfT misses contract deadline

17.07.17: The current West Midlands franchise will be given an eight-week extension, the DfT has today decided. Operated by London Midland, an arm of Govia, the franchise was originally expected to end in October this year, but now will be extended t...

A game changer for Wales and Borders

17.07.17: Andy Thomas, managing director for Network Rail’s Wales route, describes how the infrastructure owner will work more collaboratively than ever with whoever is chosen to operate the next Wales & Borders franchise. When transport se...

Aslef adds to overtime ban with three days of strikes on Southern in August

14.07.17: Aslef drivers have today announced three days of strike action next month, to the dismay of Southern bosses who are already dealing with three days’ worth of strikes from the RMT in July. The industrial action will take place on Tuesd...

GTR to pay out £13.4m for staff and service improvements on Southern

13.07.17: The DfT has today reached an agreement with GTR to make the company fund a £13.4m package to improve the performance of Southern trains for passengers. It follows a ruling at the end of June that gave transport secretary Chris Graylin...

CMA raises competition concerns over SW franchise award to First MTR

11.07.17: The government market regulator has today raised concern about the award of the South Western franchise to First MTR. In March, the franchise was awarded to the company, which is a joint venture between First Group and Hong Kong based firm...

Operators roll out on-the-day advanced tickets for passengers

05.07.17: Passengers who book tickets at short notice will soon benefit from cheaper fares, as the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has announced that millions of advanced tickets will now be available up to 10 minutes before departure. Customers of Grand C...

‘Heroically ambitious’ priorities outlined for Wales and Borders franchise

30.06.17: The National Assembly for Wales Committee has today unveiled what the 10 priorities for the new Wales and Borders franchise should be for competing operators. In a report drawn up by the Assembly, potential operators were told that deliveri...

Stagecoach 80% profit dip linked to ‘onerous’ VTEC contract losses

28.06.17: Stagecoach Group has admitted to “disappointing” losses across its Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC) operation, which forced the parent company to take out a £84m ‘exceptional pre-tax charge’ to reflect the “one...

Four bidders officially in the running for next South Eastern contract

22.06.17: The final shortlist of bidders for the South Eastern franchise has today been revealed by the DfT. Amongst the bidders are a wholly-owned subsidiary of Govia Ltd called London and South East Passenger Rail Services, as well as a subsidiary...

DfT reveals shortlist of three JVs for West Coast Partnership franchise

22.06.17: The shortlist of companies who will compete for the West Coast Partnership Franchise have today been announced by the DfT, and includes bids from three joint ventures: First Trenitalia West Coast Ltd, MTR West Coast Partnership Ltd and West Coas...

National complaints soar in 2016-17, as passengers voice 218% more grievances on GTR

15.06.17: Passenger complaints in 2016-17 shot up by 7.5% from the year before, as ongoing disputes on GTR services saw them receive 218% more complaints for poor services than in in 2015-16. In figures released by the ORR today, it was found that on...

GTR continues PPM improvement as First Hull still struggles

07.06.17: First Hull Trains has slipped to being the worst performing operator in Network Rail’s PPM statistics for period 2 2017-18, as GTR saw a marked improvement in performance from last year. It follows news last month that in period 1 201...