Trenitalia pulls out of the running for next South Eastern franchise

Italian state-owned rail operator Trenitalia has withdrawn from the South Eastern franchise competition, citing concerns about the West Coast Partnership (WCP) process that is taking place at the same time.

Invitations to Tender (ITTs) for the South Eastern franchise are due to be issued in September, with the franchise awarded in August 2018. The ITT for WCP will be issued in November, with the award taking place a year later.

Trenitalia recently acquired c2c from National Express, and remains shortlisted for both the West Coast Partnership and East Midlands franchises.

In a statement, Trenitalia said there would be “significant overlap between the South Eastern bid and the WCP franchise competition, which Trenitalia has considered its primary target since the start of this venture into the UK”.

The remaining shortlisted bidders for the South Eastern franchise are:

A joint venture of Abellio, East Japan Railway and Mitsui.

A joint venture between Go-Ahead and Keolis.

Stagecoach Group.