Southern has today launched a competition to provide 130 new carriages to help meet capacity demand on its network.
The company has issued a PQQ (Pre-Qualification Questionnaire) to potential suppliers, with the trains due for delivery no later than December 2013.
The extra carriages are needed to enable Southern to deliver its growth targets and meet the capacity increases it is scheduled to deliver in its December 2013 timetable.
The High Level Output Statement had assumed the 23 Class 377 units on sub-lease to First Capital Connect would have been returned in time to meet these commitments, but this is not now likely to happen in time.
Chris Burchell, Managing Director of Southern, said:
“Without the return of our sub-leased vehicles we need to explore other options to provide the necessary capacity to meet our passengers’ needs.
“Critical to the success of this project will be the ability of suppliers to demonstrate they can deliver the trains on time while still offering affordability and value for money.”
