National Express wins rail franchise extension
BIRMINGHAM-based National Express Group PLC has been awarded an extension to c2c rail franchise covering London and parts of Essex by the Department for Transport.
The franchise will now run for a period of up to two years to May 26, 2013, the company announced today.
Chief executive Dean Finch said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the extension.
“It is testament to our highly professional team who have made c2c one of the best performing train operators in Britain.
“We are resolute in our commitment to customer service and are determined to continue delivering the highest standards of train service performance, reliability and customer satisfaction.”
The news comes just a week after the firm announced it had made strong progress during the fourth quarter with on-going growth in year-on-year profitability.
As a result, its board said it expected pre-tax profits to be ahead of current market expectations and markedly stronger than was expected back in January.
The company said all parts of the business had performed well with good revenue generated in its UK coach and rail operations.
Margin recovery in the UK bus market was also strong, while its businesses in North America and Spain were also stronger.
