Government announces successor to National Express rail franchise

THE successor to Birmingham-based transport group National Express as operator of  the Greater Anglia rail franchise has been announced by the Government.

Transport Minister Theresa Villiers said the contract had been awarded to Abellio Greater Anglia Ltd, part of the Dutch firm Nederlandse Spoorwegen.

The winning bid beat off competition from Eastern Railway Ltd – part of  Go-Ahead Group – and Stagecoach Anglia Trains Ltd.

The new franchise will begin operations on February 5, 2012. It will operate for 29 months.

The network, which operates across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, is expected to play a significant role in the transport strategy for the London 2012 Olympic Games, providing crucial services to the Olympic Park area.  

National Express terminated the franchise agreement for the route when passenger numbers failed to deliver the returns expected.