Arriva to pay £163m premium for Cross Country franchise

RAIL passengers will benefit from improvements on the Cross Country network, rail minister Paul Maynard has said, after announcing a new contract for Arriva Cross Country.
The train operator will pay the government a premium of £163m to operate the franchise from September 2016 until October 2019. In return the Government will invest £20m in “more modern trains”.
Rail Minister Paul Maynard said the deal was “a key milestone in giving passengers better journeys right across the Cross Country network”.
Arriva Cross Country will now start work on its new timetable that could introduce thousands of extra seats across the network from December 2017.
It has committed to a range of improvements, including shorter journey times between Birmingham and Manchester and better connections and more seats along the Edinburgh to Plymouth route, which goes through Leeds and Birmingham.
Rail passengers on Cross Country routes may also benefit from thousands of extra seats and free wi-fi.
Arriva Cross Country’s managing director, Andy Cooper, said: “Satisfaction is the theme for the range of investments we will be making, with better, faster journeys with more seats and free wi-fi.”

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