Delay to naming of new Southeastern franchisee until 2019

Government has confirmed that the planned awarding of the next Southeastern franchise has been delayed until next year.

Currently operated by Govia, the franchise was due to have been awarded before the end of 2018. It is the first deal that will feature a closer relationship between Network Rail and the operator - as announced by Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling at the end of 2017.

There are three bidders: Abellio, Govia, and a joint bid involving Stagecoach and Alstom.

On December 3, Rail Minister Andrew Jones, replying to a Commons Written Question from Andrew Griffiths (Conservative, Burton), said: “Following a review of the timescales, the award for the next franchise will now be made in the New Year.

“The evaluation of the agreement for the next franchise is taking longer than anticipated because we want to ensure passengers get the best deal possible.”

Southeastern and Network Rail have submitted a list of 22 stations on the train operator’s network to be considered for Access for All funding in Control Period 6 (April 2019 to March 2024).

The list was created following a survey in September, which garnered 8,000 responses for 107 stations.

The fund is worth a total of £300 million, and a decision on which stations have won funding is expected to be made in April 2019.