Ministers review East Coast future
EAST Coast Main Line services will be returned to the private sector in December next year on a franchise lasting up to 12 years.
The Government is expecting to finalise the specification for the new franchise in the final quarter of this year with the new operator set to be named next summer.
Plans are already in place for the Government to buy a new fleet of trains to run on the line that links Yorkshire to London and Edinburgh and the new operator will be expected to show how they can use them and other measures to improve services.
Services on the line have been operated by a state-owned company since November 2009 when previous operator National Express walked away.
The Government has now launched a consultation on what should be included in the new franchise.
Rail Minister Theresa Villiers said: “There are exciting changes on the horizon for the East Coast Main Line. It is set to receive a brand new fleet of InterCity Express trains. The next franchise will be up to 12 years in length giving the operator greater opportunities to invest in improvements that will benefit passengers.
“The consultation outlines what we expect the next operator to deliver, including better service quality, improvements to stations, the roll out of smart-ticketing technology and good levels of punctuality. Bidders will need to share with us their plans to improve the passenger experience.”
Every year more than 3m passenger journeys are made between Yorkshire stations and King’s Cross.
The consultation document includes the suggestion that the franchise could be expanded to take in services currently regarded as ‘local’ but that form critical connections to the East Coast Main Line.
