New trains and more services for the Midlands
THE DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT today announced that London and Birmingham Railway Ltd (a subsidiary of Govia) has been awarded the contract to run the West Midlands franchise.
The new franchise will begin on 11th November 2007 and will run until 19th September 2015. The DfT has the right to terminate the franchise after six years if the operator is failing to meet agreed performance targets.
The franchise will deliver increased capacity, better performance and the rollout of smartcard technology by 2010.
The West Midlands franchise combines the current Silverlink County services between London Euston and Northampton with the West Midlands local and regional service groups of Central Trains. The Department will pay a subsidy of £1,127m (NPV) over the franchise of seven years and 10 months.
Benefits for passengers from the franchise include:
* New services, including a new semi-fast service between London and Crewe, serving the Trent Valley, and two trains an hour all day between Birmingham and Liverpool and Birmingham and Northampton from December 2008 on the completion of the West Coast Main Line modernisation
* A fleet of 37 new electric Desiro trains by July 2009
* New class 172 diesel trains to replace the existing class 150 DMUs operating on the Snow Hill line services in the Birmingham area by July 2010.
* £11.5m investment in stations
* 1033 more car parking spaces
* Forecast 90.7% punctuality and reliability by the end of the franchise.
The Government will continue to limit annual rises of regulated fares in line with national policy, which is currently RPI+1%.
As with all franchises, unregulated fares will be the responsibility of the operator. In the West Midlands, London and Birmingham Railway Ltd is expected to increase fares for journeys on the London to Northampton route by 3% above inflation per annum. Average rises on all other routes within the franchise including those in the West Midlands conurbation are expected to be no higher than RPI+1%.
Passengers in the franchise area will benefit from new arrangements to be compensated for delays and poor performance.
THE DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT today announced that London and Birmingham Railway Ltd (a subsidiary of Govia) has been awarded the contract to run the West Midlands franchise.
The new franchise will begin on 11th November 2007 and will run until 19th September 2015. The DfT has the right to terminate the franchise after six years if the operator is failing to meet agreed performance targets.
The franchise will deliver increased capacity, better performance and the rollout of smartcard technology by 2010.
The West Midlands franchise combines the current Silverlink County services between London Euston and Northampton with the West Midlands local and regional service groups of Central Trains. The Department will pay a subsidy of £1,127m (NPV) over the franchise of seven years and 10 months.
Benefits for passengers from the franchise include:
* New services, including a new semi-fast service between London and Crewe, serving the Trent Valley, and two trains an hour all day between Birmingham and Liverpool and Birmingham and Northampton from December 2008 on the completion of the West Coast Main Line modernisation
* A fleet of 37 new electric Desiro trains by July 2009
* New class 172 diesel trains to replace the existing class 150 DMUs operating on the Snow Hill line services in the Birmingham area by July 2010.
* £11.5m investment in stations
* 1033 more car parking spaces
* Forecast 90.7% punctuality and reliability by the end of the franchise.
The Government will continue to limit annual rises of regulated fares in line with national policy, which is currently RPI+1%.
As with all franchises, unregulated fares will be the responsibility of the operator. In the West Midlands, London and Birmingham Railway Ltd is expected to increase fares for journeys on the London to Northampton route by 3% above inflation per annum. Average rises on all other routes within the franchise including those in the West Midlands conurbation are expected to be no higher than RPI+1%.
Passengers in the franchise area will benefit from new arrangements to be compensated for delays and poor performance.
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