22.06.17
Four bidders officially in the running for next South Eastern contract
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 of Stagecoach Group called Stagecoach South Eastern Trains Ltd.
Italian company Trenitalia UK Ltd is also being considered as a potential operator, as is South Eastern Railways Ltd – which is currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of Abellio Transport Group Ltd, but if awarded the franchise it would become a subsidiary of South Eastern Holdings Ltd, a joint venture between Abellio and the consortium of East Japan Railway Company and Mitsui & Co.
From December 2018, the winning bidder will also play a key role in completing two major rail projects in the south – Thameslink and Crossrail – which will expand and improve connectivity for the franchise’s passengers.
Following a passenger survey that found people using trains on the franchise wanted more punctual, reliable services with enough room to sit and stand, a number of ambitions to make services more consistent and to better equip staff to respond to disruption have been highlighted as fundamental for South Eastern’s next operator.
Improving compensation arrangements, which has been frequently cited as an issue for passengers in the south, was also emphasised by rail minister Paul Maynard, who spoke in the House of Commons today.
“The South Eastern franchise is one of the busiest franchises in the UK, running almost 2,000 services every weekday,” he said. “We want passengers to be at the heart of everything that the new operator does, enjoying modern, spacious trains on a more punctual and reliable service.
“We will create more space for passengers in the peak commuting times including by running longer, more modern trains in and around London.”
A public consultation to collect passenger views about the franchise is currently open and will run for the next few days until 30 June.
“We will listen to what passengers say in the current public consultation, and we will seek to make changes and improvements only with their support,” Maynard concluded.
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