GO-AHEAD SHORTLISTED TO BID FOR SOUTH EASTERN

Press Release

22 June 2017

Go-Ahead shortlisted to bid for South Eastern franchise

The Go-Ahead Group plc is pleased to announce that Govia, its joint venture with Keolis (Go-Ahead 65%, Keolis 35%), has been shortlisted by the Department for Transport to bid for the South Eastern franchise.

Govia will be aiming to retain the franchise that it has operated, as Southeastern, since 2006. Over this time, Southeastern passenger numbers have grown by 40% and some 500 additional weekday services have been added.

In 2009 Southeastern introduced the UK's first domestic high speed service, significantly reducing journey times to London and supporting the economic regeneration of the region. The company also played a key role in the success of the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games' transport plan, carrying 20% more passengers than usual.

Since the start of the franchise, £120m of partnership funding has been invested in station improvements and Govia has introduced a range of other passenger service improvements such as 24-hour customer service and social media updates, smartcard ticketing, and, since 2014, an additional 300 customer-facing employees.

Southeastern is a major partner in the Thameslink infrastructure programme and during the rebuild of London Bridge station has been operating the same number of a services on 50% less track capacity.

ENDS

For more information contact Sarah Boundy, group corporate communications director,

[email protected] 07808 568 667

GO-AHEAD 

Go-Ahead is a leading UK public transport operator, providing high quality services in the bus and rail sectors. Employing around 29,000 people across the country, over one billion passenger journeys are undertaken on our services each year. We are committed to operating our companies in a safe, socially and environmentally responsible way and are proud to have been re-accredited with triple Carbon Trust Standard for reductions in carbon, water and waste. In addition to the travelling public, our customers include the Department for Transport, Transport for London (TfL) and local authorities.

BUS 

Go-Ahead is one of the UK's largest bus operators. With a fleet of around 5,200 buses, we carry over two million passengers every day. Our operations are focused on high density commuter markets. We have a strong presence in London, with around 24 per cent market share, where we provide regulated services for TfL. Outside London, we operate services in Oxford, East Anglia, the South East, Southern and north east England. In September 2016, the Group began operating a bus contract in Singapore, on behalf of the Land Transport Authority.

RAIL 

The rail operation, Govia, is 65 per cent owned by Go-Ahead and 35 per cent by Keolis. It is the largest rail operation in the UK, responsible for over 30 per cent of all UK passenger rail journeys through its rail franchises: GTR (Govia Thameslink Railway) Southeastern and London Midland.