21st Jun 2007 07:10
Go-Ahead Group PLC21 June 2007 For immediate release 21 June 2007 The Go-Ahead Group plc ("Go-Ahead" or the "Group") Award of West Midlands Rail Franchise Go-Ahead welcomes the announcement by the Department for Transport ("DfT") toselect Govia, Go-Ahead's 65% subsidiary, as the franchisee of the new WestMidlands rail franchise. The new franchise will run from 11 November 2007 to 19 September 2015, the lasttwo years being conditional on achieving performance targets. It combines theexisting Silverlink County franchise and the major part of the current CentralTrains franchise - specifically, the West Midlands regional services, includingthe Snow Hill Lines and the Birmingham to Liverpool route. The new franchisewill be branded London Midland to reflect its geographical market. LondonMidland's headquarters will be in Birmingham in recognition of the City'sstrategic importance to the franchise. The new franchise is expected to generate total revenue, including subsidy, ofnearly £400m in its first full year of operation. The franchise will carry highfixed costs of operation, notably in access charges for Network Railinfrastructure, and in consequence will receive significant subsidy paymentsthroughout the franchise period, on a declining basis year-on-year. Thefranchise is subject to standard revenue share and support arrangements. Commenting on the DfT's announcement, Keith Ludeman, Chief Executive ofGo-Ahead, said: "We are delighted to have been chosen by the DfT to run this important newfranchise. Our winning bid contains a range of high quality and value for moneyinitiatives which will completely transform passengers' travelling experienceincluding continuous improvement in quality, punctuality and reliability ofservice." -Ends- For further information, please contact: The Go-Ahead Group plcKeith Ludeman, Group Chief Executive 020 8929 8650Ian Butcher, Group Finance Director 0191 232 3123 Weber Shandwick Financial 020 7067 0700Richard Hews/Rachel Taylor/Hannah Marwood Note to Editors: 1. Go-Ahead is one of the UK's leading providers of passenger transportmanagement services operating in the bus, rail and aviation sectors. Employingover 24,000 staff across the county, over 800 million passenger journeys areundertaken on its services each year. In addition to the travelling public,customers include Transport for London, BAA, major airlines, local authoritiesand the Department for Transport. 2. Govia is the Group's rail division, a joint venture between Go-Ahead (65%)and Keolis SA (35%) which is a French-based operator of passenger transportservices in seven European countries and in Canada. 3. Key Highlights of the Franchise Fleet improvement •The introduction of: 37 four-car Siemens Desiros; 12 two-car and 15 three-car Bombardier Turbostars. These will replace the existing Class 321s and Class 150s respectively • Reliability improvements and interior refurbishment to the existing Class 153 and Class 170 rolling stock •Passenger information systems and CCTV installed on the majority of the fleet •Fitment of automatic load monitoring equipment to provide reliable data on heavily and lightly-loaded trains, enabling alterations to the train plan to alleviate crowding. Station enhancements £€11.5m to improve stations •Enhancements will include improvements to waiting rooms, toilets and lighting and new signage Fares and ticketing £€9.3m to introduce Smartcard technology by 2010 to make ticket purchasing easier and to enable automatic top-ups for season tickets •Provision of ticket purchasing facilities at all stations, through ticket offices, ticket machines or permit to travel (PERTIS) machines Security •Improved security at stations, including new help points at all stations •New CCTV systems at 29 stations and the development of a passenger information security centre to provide information to passengers, respond to help point enquiries and monitor CCTV •Introduction of the London Midland Task Force, a combination of London Midland staff, security personnel and British Transport Police to target crime and disorder across the network Environmental •Annual improvement targets to include carbon emissions and energy use, recycling and litter management, and noise and light pollution London Midland branding •Roll-out of the London Midland brand across the network within three years This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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