West Coast franchise contenders named
VIRGIN Rail’s three rivals for the Manchester to London route have been named by the Government.
The West Coast Intercity franchise, which Virgin has operated since 1997, is up for grabs from April 2012.
The other bidders are: Aberdeen-based FirstGroup, which operates the TransPennine Express; Dutch firm Abellio; and an alliance of French transport companies Keolis and SNCF.
Newcastle-based Arriva, owned by Deutsche Bahn, submitted a pre-qualification questionnaire but did not make the shortlist.
A consultation on the bid will close next month followed by an invitation to tender in May and a final decision expected in December.
The franchise begins from April 2012 and runs until 2026, with an option to extend for another year. The line runs from London Euston to Birmingham and on to Manchester and Liverpool before reaching Glasgow.
After winning the franchise in 1997 Virgin – 51%-owned by Virgin Group with Stagecoach holding 49% – was criticised for poor punctuality during upgrades to the line but has made progress in recent years and now claims to run the fastest growing route in Britain.
Passenger numbers grew from 14 million to 28 million in the past six years, according to the company. It says it has invested more than £1bn and has the highest customer satisfaction rating of any long distance franchise.
