Joined
·
2,912 Posts
National Express takes over GNER train operations
Filed 10/12/07
![]()
http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=4579
![]()
New Look East Coast Trains with the New National Express Logo.
Britain's second largest transport company has taken over the operation of trains on one of the UK highest profile rail routes.
National Express East Coast succeeded GNER yesterday (9 December), gaining responsibility for running trains between London King's Cross and Aberdeen, Durham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Newcastle, Peterborough and York.
The new franchise, which is due to continue until 31 March 2015 with the last 17 months dependent on performance targets, will see National Express spend nearly £44m in an attempt to grow the business in order to pay £1.4bn back to the Department for Transport during the next eight years. The franchise is expected to generate total annual revenue of £600m in its first full year. Group chief executive Richard Bowker said: "We are privileged to be taking over inter-city East Coast, Britain's premier railway, which is known for the quality of its service by its many loyal customers. Our combined strengths of industry-leading operational performance, excellent customer service, innovation and sheer hard work give us confidence that we can make National Express East Coast a truly world class railway."
Immediate changes to the service will see WiFi internet access provided free in standard as well as first class carriages and a 100-day joint improvement plan, agreed with Network Rail, designed to significantly improve the punctuality of services. Within months of launch, on-board catering will feature a more contemporary range of dishes and snacks, complementing the option of restaurant dining, with hot food served at seat in standard class.
National Express plans innovations in ticketing and information to make it easier for customers to buy tickets and plan journeys more effectively. Proposals include real-time running information accessible by mobile phone; print at home tickets; a website which will enable total journey booking including parking and onward connection in a single visit, and smartcard ticketing. On Sunday (9 December) the GNER website, which has become familiar to customers during the past 11 years, was displaying an error message rather than forwarding visitors to the new National Express site.
From 2010, with the addition of five more trains to the East Coast fleet, there will be a further 25 services providing 14,000 extra seats each weekday. London-Leeds journeys will fall to two hours and London-York 1 hour 45 minutes, while the London-Edinburgh services journey time will be reduced to less than 4 hours 20 minutes on key services. At stations more than £10m will be spent to improve waiting rooms and information provision, increase CCTV cover, add more cycle spaces and increase car parking by 33%.
The company says it is aiming to make East Coast Britain's greenest railway. A predicted 17% reduction in fuel consumption will be targeted across the entire service and a number of stations will gain water conservation measures and wind turbines.
The business will be run by a management team based in York and led by managing director David Franks, who also retains his role as head of National Express Trains Division.
The launch of the new franchise marks the end of an era on the East Coast Main Line. GNER operated East Coast services since 1996 and became widely regarded as one of the most successful train operators created by Britain's newly-privatised rail industry. However, despite successfully winning a closely-fought new franchise term in 2005, financial problems at parent company Sea Containers and crippling subsidy payments forced it to hand back control of operations to the government, which has allowed it to run trains under a management contract until the handover to National Express.
National Express Group has also completed the purchase of Sea Containers Rail Services (SCRS) Ltd call centre at Newcastle. Under the terms of the deal more than 200 employees at the centre, in Baron House, and the assets will transfer to a new company, National Express Services Ltd, which will be a subsidiary of the National Express Group.
Filed 10/12/07
http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=4579
New Look East Coast Trains with the New National Express Logo.
Britain's second largest transport company has taken over the operation of trains on one of the UK highest profile rail routes.
National Express East Coast succeeded GNER yesterday (9 December), gaining responsibility for running trains between London King's Cross and Aberdeen, Durham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Newcastle, Peterborough and York.
The new franchise, which is due to continue until 31 March 2015 with the last 17 months dependent on performance targets, will see National Express spend nearly £44m in an attempt to grow the business in order to pay £1.4bn back to the Department for Transport during the next eight years. The franchise is expected to generate total annual revenue of £600m in its first full year. Group chief executive Richard Bowker said: "We are privileged to be taking over inter-city East Coast, Britain's premier railway, which is known for the quality of its service by its many loyal customers. Our combined strengths of industry-leading operational performance, excellent customer service, innovation and sheer hard work give us confidence that we can make National Express East Coast a truly world class railway."
Immediate changes to the service will see WiFi internet access provided free in standard as well as first class carriages and a 100-day joint improvement plan, agreed with Network Rail, designed to significantly improve the punctuality of services. Within months of launch, on-board catering will feature a more contemporary range of dishes and snacks, complementing the option of restaurant dining, with hot food served at seat in standard class.
National Express plans innovations in ticketing and information to make it easier for customers to buy tickets and plan journeys more effectively. Proposals include real-time running information accessible by mobile phone; print at home tickets; a website which will enable total journey booking including parking and onward connection in a single visit, and smartcard ticketing. On Sunday (9 December) the GNER website, which has become familiar to customers during the past 11 years, was displaying an error message rather than forwarding visitors to the new National Express site.
From 2010, with the addition of five more trains to the East Coast fleet, there will be a further 25 services providing 14,000 extra seats each weekday. London-Leeds journeys will fall to two hours and London-York 1 hour 45 minutes, while the London-Edinburgh services journey time will be reduced to less than 4 hours 20 minutes on key services. At stations more than £10m will be spent to improve waiting rooms and information provision, increase CCTV cover, add more cycle spaces and increase car parking by 33%.
The company says it is aiming to make East Coast Britain's greenest railway. A predicted 17% reduction in fuel consumption will be targeted across the entire service and a number of stations will gain water conservation measures and wind turbines.
The business will be run by a management team based in York and led by managing director David Franks, who also retains his role as head of National Express Trains Division.
The launch of the new franchise marks the end of an era on the East Coast Main Line. GNER operated East Coast services since 1996 and became widely regarded as one of the most successful train operators created by Britain's newly-privatised rail industry. However, despite successfully winning a closely-fought new franchise term in 2005, financial problems at parent company Sea Containers and crippling subsidy payments forced it to hand back control of operations to the government, which has allowed it to run trains under a management contract until the handover to National Express.
National Express Group has also completed the purchase of Sea Containers Rail Services (SCRS) Ltd call centre at Newcastle. Under the terms of the deal more than 200 employees at the centre, in Baron House, and the assets will transfer to a new company, National Express Services Ltd, which will be a subsidiary of the National Express Group.
