10.08.17
Abellio JV named winner of West Midlands rail franchise
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 been in the running for the West Midlands franchise after MTR Corporation West Midlands withdrew its bid last year.
The trains running only in the West Midlands area will be jointly managed by the DfT and West Midlands Rail (WMR), a consortium of 16 local councils. The new contract will start in December and last until March 2026.
Today’s announcement has also been backed by £1bn investment that will deliver 400 new carriages to be rolled out by 2021, and extra space for an additional 85,000 passengers on rush hour services in Birmingham and London. This includes investment in 100 new carriages on the Cross City line and 80 new carriages for the Snow Hill line. Passengers on London services will benefit from 225 new carriages, with all the others being completely refurbished.
The franchise covers services across the West Midlands and also services to London Euston to Crewe and from Liverpool to Birmingham.
“This is great news for passengers using West Midlands services – with new trains, more space, more regular services and easier access for disabled people,” said Chris Grayling, the transport secretary.
“We are improving the whole travelling experience with live train crowding information, compensation for people delayed by 15 minutes or more, smart ticketing and better value tickets for part-time workers. This shows we are delivering on our commitment to build a railway that works for everyone.”
Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority, hailed the announcement as “a real game changer” for transport in the area.
“We want to see a new golden era for our local trains and today’s announcement is an important step towards that,” he said. “Having the ability to use our local knowledge and understanding to shape what West Midlands Trains will deliver for passengers and businesses has been a real game changer.”
For the first time, passengers will also be entitled to 25% compensation if their train is delayed by more than 15 minutes thanks to the new investment. Around £60m will be invested on station improvements across the franchise area, including 1,000 new car park spaces and refurbished waiting rooms. On top of this, more than £70m will be invested in new and existing depots to improve rolling stock reliability.
From December 2018, more trains will run between Birmingham and Shrewsbury with two services per hour, there will be a regular two train per hour service between Birmingham and Rugeley via the Chase Line, and a new direct hourly service between Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent.
Previous operator London Midland, owned by Govia, the partnership between the Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, congratulated West Midlands Trains Ltd for winning the contract, saying that continued long-term investment can now be made in the region’s rail network.
“The new franchise will bring much welcomed investment in new services and extra capacity across the network,” said managing director Patrick Verwer. “We congratulate the consortium on winning the franchise.
“Over the coming months our focus will remain on delivering the best possible service to our passengers, each day and every day. This approach is already producing high levels of customer satisfaction.”
Go-Ahead ‘disappointed’ at decision
Of course, not everyone was happy with the news. The Go-Ahead group said it was disappointed that its joint venture with Keolis had been unsuccessful in its bid to run the franchise.
“London Midland and its people have been part of our group’s rail business for ten years,” Go-Ahead CEO David Brown stated. “In that time, we have delivered significant improvements across the entire network which have seen London Midland transformed into an award-winning franchise with high levels of employee engagement and customer satisfaction.
“I would like to thank everyone involved in London Midland for their hard work and contribution to the company’s successes.”
Passenger champion Transport Focus said it was positive that the new franchise was putting passengers’ interests at heart with the investment being delivered alongside the franchise award.
“It is good news that Delay Repay compensation will kick in at 15 minutes (rather than 30) and better ticket deals for part-time workers to help improve value for money,” said David Sidebottom, Transport Focus director.
“We’ll be watching for closer partnership working between track and train carefully to check they do deliver on promises to improve performance.
“Passengers across this network, which stretches across the North West, Midlands and London, told us that their key priorities for improvement are better value for money services and the ability to get a seat on frequent, punctual services. We pressed for these passenger issues to be addressed in the new franchise.”
Dominic Booth, managing director of Abellio UK, one of the partners of the West Midlands Trains Ltd bid, said: “We are delighted to have been announced as the winning bidder for the West Midlands franchise, driving growth in one of the most exciting regions in the country.
“We will be investing nearly £1bn into the network, delivering new trains, better stations and a whole host of other benefits for passengers.”
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