Rail franchises operators & contracts

First Hull performance drops while Caledonian takes the lead in period 5

12.09.17: First Hull Trains had a poor month for punctuality over August and September, as Network Rail’s PPM figures for period 5 showed that it has slipped to become the worst-performing operator. Less than three-quarters (74.9%) of its train...

Go-Ahead profits slump under poor Southern performance

07.09.17: The company behind Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), the Go-Ahead Group, has today reported a slowdown in its operating profits partially due to strike action on Southern services. Operating profits for the company slipped by 12%, from 162.6m...

East Midlands Trains passengers raise concern about ‘rickety’ rolling stock

06.09.17: Passengers have revealed that their main area of concern ahead of the new East Midlands franchise being awarded is that of the age and quality of the rolling stock, new research has shown. The East Midlands Trains (EMT) passenger research...

First MTR takes charge of new South Western franchise

22.08.17: South Western Railway (SWR) has this week started work operating services in London and the south of England on the new South Western franchise. Earlier this year, the franchise was awarded to the joint venture between First Group and Hong...

CMA accepts fare caps on Exeter-London route due to ‘lack of competition’

18.08.17: Price caps will be imposed on unregulated fares between London and Exeter after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) raised concern about a lack of competition on services. Last month, the CMA found problems with a lack of compe...

ORR reveals first-ever ‘to the minute’ performance across TOCs

11.08.17: The ORR has today released performance statistics for period 4 measuring train punctuality ‘to the minute’ for the first time ever at an operator level. Trains for every operator are recorded as ‘on time’ when the la...

Abellio JV named winner of West Midlands rail franchise

10.08.17: The DfT has announced that West Midlands Trains Ltd, a joint venture between Abellio, East Japan Railway Company and Mitsui & Co Ltd, has won the contract to operate the next West Midlands rail franchise. Two train companies had be...

Merseyrail records performance dip in period 4

01.08.17: Merseyrail saw a surprising dip in performance during period 4, as Network Rail PPM measures showed that the operator fell to some way below its usual high-performing standards. Though Merseyrail’s PPM – the percentage of trains...

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...