Franchise News

Transport for Wales has pre-qualified four bidders to run rail services in Wales and the Borders from 2018. The shortlist includes Abellio Rail Cymru, Arriva Rail Wales/Rheilffyrdd Arriva Cymru Limited, KeolisAmey and MTR Corporation (Cymru) Ltd. Transport for Wales, a not-for-profit company wholly owned by the...

The introduction of two 90-minute services in each direction between Norwich and London is at the heart of a new franchise deal drawn up for the East Anglia region. On September 17, the UK's Department for Transport (DfT) has issued...

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) chief executive Charles Horton talks to Marc Johnson about how the operator is addressing the service challenges posed by Thameslink’s vast infrastructure programme Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) can now rightly call itself the biggest rail franchise in Britain following the absorption of Southern and Gatwick Express...

The ScotRail franchise - Scotland's biggest public service contract - has been formally handed over Dutch-owned operator Abellio. The launch of the new franchise was signalled with a £1 million ticket giveway for customers and promises of a host of...

Hitachi has been chosen to supply a fleet of new intercity trains as part of a four-year contract extension agreed between First Group and the Department for Transport (DfT) for the Great Western Main Line. Subject to final approval from...

First Group has been awarded a one-year extension to continue operating the TransPennine Express franchise. First will retain the franchise until April 2016 under the direct award, which includes a number of commitments to improve services along the route. The Department...

Keolis has reported a 9.3 per cent increase in revenue in 2014 to €5.6 billion following several major contract wins. A €473 million boost in revenues has been backed up by a 15.4 per cent increase in EBITDA to €323...

Britain’s rail network is full. Well that’s what we’re often told. The justification for major rail projects, like HS2, is that it will free up paths on already crowded main lines. To meet the rise in predicted demand for rail travel in the coming decades, we need more capacity than...

With its customary razzamatazz, the Virgin/Stagecoach operation took over East Coast on 1 March. An Intercity 225 in full Virgin East Coast livery arrived at King’s Cross station the following morning, trailing promises of extra staff, better training and more services. The undoubted enthusiasm of Virgin, which has long hankered...

The Department for Transport (DfT) has published procurement documents for the East Anglia route, officially launching the competition to find the new franchise operator. Pre-qualification for the Greater Anglia franchise is now open and successful bidders will be asked to...