West Coast franchise

DfT reveals its ambitions for better services from 2019, with simpler tickets and fares for West Coast passengers.

WEST Coast passengers can expect better services from 2019, with the Government promising simpler tickets and fares as well as compensation for delays over 15 minutes.

The next operator of longdistance, inter-city services from London Euston to Birmingham, Manchester and Scotland will also be responsible for working with High Speed 2, to launch and run London-Birmingham services along the new route that’s expected to open in 2026.

Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling told MPs on March 27 that the new high-speed line could be an integrated operation with one company responsible for track and trains.

“One option could be an integrated railway operation in charge of both its infrastructure and its services, akin to some Japanese high-speed lines, and in line with the government strategy of bringing together track and train,” he said.

“It could also be structured as a public-private partnership, and there will also be other options that we should explore before any final decisions are made.”

Three companies have until July 13 to submit their bids for what the Department for Transport calls the West Coast Partnership. All are joint ventures. They are: FirstGroup and Italy’s Trenitalia; Hong Kong’s MTR and China’s Guangshen Railway; and Stagecoach, Virgin and France’s SNCF.