London Midland parent awarded Thameslink contract by DfT
A JOINT venture majority owned by London Midland parent, the Go-Ahead Group, has been awarded the franchise to operate the new Thameslink service.
The Department for Transport has granted the seven-year management contract for the prestigious route to Govia, of which Go-Ahead has a 65% stake and Keolis 35%. The franchise, the largest in the UK, includes Southern and Great Northern.
Go-Ahead said the agreement would see the JV introduce three new train fleets, add an additional 10,000 morning peak travel seats into London and boost capacity by 50%. There will also be a station enhancement programme estimated at £50m.
David Brown, group chief executive, Go-Ahead said: “I’m delighted the DfT has chosen us to operate this important and complex franchise and to play an instrumental role in delivering the benefits of the Government’s £6bn Thameslink Programme. This will be the UK’s busiest franchise and we will be introducing 50% more capacity into central London during peak times, with 26% more morning peak carriages providing 10,000 additional seats.
“This award is testimony to the experience of our people of working in partnership with the DfT, Network Rail and other industry stakeholders and in delivering major integration projects and change programmes.”
He said the group’s bid for the franchise had been focused on improving customers’ experience and included two new train fleets for Gatwick Express and Moorgate services, in addition to overseeing the introduction of the Thameslink trains already ordered.
The seven-year management contract, starting in September 2014, which replaces the Thameslink and Great Northern franchise (operated as First Capital Connect, FCC) will encompass the Southern and Gatwick Express routes from July 2015 and also include a small number of services and stations currently operated by Southeastern which will transfer in December 2014.
Combined, the existing FCC and Southern franchises carry 273m passenger journeys per year, employ around 6,500 people and generate annual passenger revenues of £1.3bn.
The TSGN network will serve London as well as a number of important regional centres, including Cambridge, Luton and Peterborough to the north of the region, and Brighton, Portsmouth and Southampton in the south. It also provides direct rail links to major airports (Gatwick and Luton) as well as St Pancras International and Farringdon station for links to Heathrow and Crossrail in due course.
During the course of the franchise the Thameslink identity will be re-introduced and the Southern and Gatwick Express brands retained.
