West Coast and South Eastern train bidding war as shortlist announced
A STRING of overseas bidders have been shortlisted to run two key UK rail franchises, it has been announced.
Italy’s state-owned Trenitalia joined FirstGroup to run the West Coast Main Line from April 2019
Italy’s state-owned Trenitalia has joined FirstGroup to run the West Coast Main Line from April 2019, which includes launching HS2 London to Birmingham from 2026.
It is also vying for the South Eastern franchise.
France’s SNCF is part of a joint venture with Stagecoach and Virgin bidding for the West Coast, which is also being targeted by Hong Kong-based MTR with China’s Guangshen Railway.
South Eastern has bids from Stagecoach, incumbent Govia which is majority owned by Go- Ahead, and a joint venture owned by Abellio, East Japan Railway and Mitsui.
The company is also vying for the South Eastern train franchise
France’s SNCF is part of a joint venture with Stagecoach and Virgin bidding for the West Coast
Speaking of the bid for the next South Eastern franchise, Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling said: "We want passengers to be at the heart of everything that the new operator does, enjoying modern, spacious trains on a more punctual and reliable service."
He added: "We will listen to what passengers say in the current public consultation, and we will seek to make changes and improvements only with their support."