Transport for London (TfL) has issued a call to operators interested in overseeing Crossrail services from 2015.
Similar to London Overground services, Crossrail trains will be let as a concession by TfL, with the London transport authority remaining in charge of setting hours of operation and staffing levels.
A notice has now been issued with the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) with potential operators having until the end of April to submit expressions of interest.
The successful bidder will run the train services and many of the stations along the Crossrail route, providing customer service and operations staff.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “We’re looking to appoint a world class operator to run a world class service that will see Crossrail set the benchmark for railway services in Europe.”
The services on Crossrail will be phased and will initially operate on existing rail lines between Liverpool Street and Shenfield, taking over the stopping services currently operated by Greater Anglia.
The route through Canary Wharf, the City and the West End will open in late 2018, with the full route running in 2019.
Howard Smith, chief operating officer for London Rail, said: “Work on delivering Crossrail, a new rail service linking west to east through the heart of London, continues at a pace with tunnelling well underway and work at key stations being carried out.
We are now starting the procurement process to find a truly first rate operator to run the Crossrail services and provide excellent standards of customer care on behalf of TfL.”
It is expected that an operator will be appointed by late 2014.
