21.06.12
South Eastern franchise consultation launched
A public consultation has been launched in South East London and Kentto get people’s views on the new franchise, due to start in 2014.
The new South Eastern franchise will run from April 2014 until September 2020, with a possible extension of up to two years.
The franchise winner must help facilitate the delivery of the Thameslink Project, and will have a role in delivering Crossrail services. An invitation to tender is scheduled to be released in May 2013, with bidders required to set out how they will improve services for passengers on the network, currently operated by Southeastern.
Rail minister Theresa Villiers opened the consultation and said: “Before we let this franchise, we want to make sure we make the right decisions to maximise the benefits passengers get from it.
“This consultation sets out a range of standards we expect any new operator to deliver as a matter of course, including improvements to stations, rolling out smart ticketing technology, better passenger information and good levels of punctuality. But we also want passengers and anyone else with an interest in the railways to tell us about other ways services could be improved.”
The consultation closes in August.
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