01.05.06
Serco awarded 7 year franchise from DLRL
Docklands Light Railway Ltd (DLRL), part of Transport for London (TfL), has confirmed the award of a £400 million franchise to Serco Ltd. to continue to operate, maintain and support the DLR for the next seven years.
Serco was originally awarded the DLR franchise on a seven-year contract from April 1997, which was extended by two years to cover the opening of the London City Airport extension.
The re-franchising process began in September 2004, when four consortia – Serco Ltd, First Carillion Ltd. Keolis/Balfour Beatty and Transdev RATP Docklands Ltd. pre-qualified to submit bids/ following an initial tender process, Serco and Keolis/Balfour Beatty were shortlisted, with Serco fighting off fierce competition to be selected as preferred bidder.
The contract, which will begin on 28 May 2006, will ensure that passengers benefit from further enhancements to the DLR. The new franchise contains increased performance and service targets and a more stringent system of rewards and penalties to encourage delivery. DLR trains will run in excess of 96% punctuality and customer satisfaction levels will be raised to at least 90%. Station services, including ticket machines, lifts, escalators and information displays, are to offer almost 100% availability. Train service will be at a maximum of every three minutes on the Lewisham-Bank line, the busiest DLR route, during peak periods, with no more than ten minutes wait at any time of the day on any route.
In addition, Serco will provide enhanced customer safety and information services. ‘Travel Safe Officers’ will be introduced to patrol stations and trains, predominantly during late hours. Tower Gateway, Canning Town and London City Airport, high-profile stations with significant numbers of infrequent users, will see an increased staff presence. There will be upgraded CCTV on trains and stations and new electronic information screens will present clear information for the occasional user. Real-time travel information will be provided by DLR train and station staff via new mobile phone technology. Two-way television help points will be installed at stations and there will be a trial of passenger shelters on specified DLR stations.
Howard Smith, TfL’s London Rail Chief Operating Officer, said, “Over the last nine years of the franchise, DLR passenger numbers doubled from 25 to 50 million, stimulating the growth and success of communities and businesses across East London. This new franchise agreement, together with further extensions to Woolwich and Stratford International and the 50% increase in capacity on the Bank-Lewisham Route, lays a firm foundation for the London 2012 Olympic transport network.”
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