East Midlands Trains franchise extended to 2018

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Stagecoach has hung onto the East Midlands Trains franchise until 2018 in a new direct award deal worth £150 million to the UK government.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said the three-year contract extension would see £13 million invested into improving journeys on the route, including additional weekend services between Nottingham and Newark Castle, a freeze on Anytime fares to London and various other station improvement schemes.

Stagecoach said it also plans to upgrade the onboard WI-Fi on its London services to 4G by 2018 – a service that will be free from the start of the next franchise.

The new short-term agreement will run from October to March 2018.

Rail Minister Claire Perry said: “This is a great deal for East Midlands Trains customers, and will mean significantly better journeys for passengers travelling around the region.

“This is another example of the work we’re doing to transform the UK’s railways as part of our long-term economic plan, with more than £38 billion being spent on the network between 2014 and 2019.”

 

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