Virgin Rail Group has announced it has successfully pre-qualified to bid for the new West Coast franchise which is expected to start in April 2012.
Virgin has a proven track record over the last 14 years of providing better rail services for customers, including the renewal of the entire train fleet and the introduction of a high-frequency timetable. In the last six years alone, annual passenger numbers have doubled from 14 million to over 28 million and Virgin is now delivering industry-leading levels of customer satisfaction.
VRG Chief Executive Tony Collins said: “We now look forward to seeing what the government includes in the tender for the franchise. We intend to submit a very strong bid to retain the West Coast franchise, building on the investment and customer improvements we have made. We have plenty of innovative ideas and look forward to working with local communities along the route, as well as other stakeholders, to develop these plans.”
The Invitation to Tender is expected to be published by the Department for Transport in May, with bids due to be submitted in August and a decision on the new franchisee announced in December.
