19th Sep 2006 08:02
Go-Ahead Group PLC19 September 2006 19 September 2006 The Go-Ahead Group plc ("Go-Ahead" or the "Group") Shortlisted for West Midlands rail franchise Following today's announcement by the Department for Transport concerning theshortlisted bidders for the West Midlands rail franchise, Go-Ahead ChiefExecutive Keith Ludeman said: "We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to bid for the WestMidlands franchise through Govia, the partnership between Go-Ahead and Keolis. "We have already started to develop our presence in this part of the UK,establishing a business base in Birmingham with the acquisition of two buscompanies. "The franchise is a good fit with our existing rail portfolio comprised ofSouthern and Southeastern. We have a strong focus on commuter rail operationsand extensive experience of improving performance, enhancing passengerperception and managing capacity, all of which will enable us to make a verycompelling bid for the West Midlands franchise." For further information, please contact: The Go-Ahead Group plc Keith Ludeman, Group Chief Executive 020 8929 8650Ian Butcher, Group Finance Director 0191 232 3123 Weber Shandwick Square Mile (WSSM) 020 7067 0700 Richard Hews/Rachel Taylor/Stephanie Badjonat Notes 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. Keolis is owned by 3i, SNCFand senior management. The rail division operates a fleet of 630 trains on which over 280 millionpassenger journeys are undertaken. Concentrated in the south east of Englandboth franchises, Southern and Southeastern, operate a mix of suburban commuterand mainline routes through south London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex. TheSoutheastern franchise will include the operation of new high speed trains onthe domestic Channel Tunnel Trail Link into St Pancras from 2009. -ends- This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
GOG.L