Rail service bidders must ensure ‘cheapest tickets’
RAIL companies hoping to take over the West Coast Main Line have been told to ensure passengers get the cheapest ticket possible.
Concern that passengers are not always sold the cheapest fare were highlighted in a Government “prospectus” setting out instructions for firms hoping to run trains.
Virgin Trains runs inter-city services on the West Coast Main Line, but its franchise expires in 2019.
The Department for Transport is inviting businesses to bid for the right to run the franchise after that, which will also include high speed rail services on the new HS2 line.
But it said in a document published for train firms: “The transition to the new partnership and high speed services offers a chance to reform the way fares are set and tickets are sold. At the moment passengers see the system as complex and are not confident that they are get- ting the best value ticket.” It continued: “On every journey, the passenger must never be in any doubt as to whether they have been sold the best value ticket.”
The firm that wins the contract will manage West Coast Main Line intercity services, including those between Birmingham, London and Manchester. They will also help plan the new HS2 high speed services, and operate them when they start. High speed rains, on a brand new rail line, will begin running between Birmingham and London from 2026. The trains will transfer on to the existing West Coast Main Line north of Birmingham, and continue to Manchester.
The high speed line will be extend- ed to Crewe in 2027 and to Manchester and Leeds from 2033. It means that the number of long distance trains between Birmingham and London will be cut on the West Coast Main Line, allowing more local services to be added.
The completion of the first phase of HS2 will nearly triple the number of seats at rush hour from 11,000 to around 30,000, the Department for Transport says. Unusually, the Department for Transport has not specified exactly how long the new franchise will run. It could end in 2029, but could continue until 2034.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “HS2 will be the backbone of Britain’s railways, creating more seats for passengers on the West Coast, and increasing capacity on the rest of the network.
“We need world-class expertise to deliver this new chapter in modernising the railways. We are calling for bidder groups with a blend of skills including operating conventional rail services, high speed rail services, technical innovation and great customer service.”