SCOTTISH transport giants FirstGroup and Stagecoach are going head to head for the right to run the new West Coast Partnership franchise, under which the first HS2 (high speed) rail services will be run between London and Birmingham.
Perth-based Stagecoach, which currently runs the west coast main line with Virgin Trains, will bid for the West Coast Partnership alongside Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and SNCF, the state-owned rail company of France. The consortium is lining up against a joint bid between FirstGroup and Trenitalia, the Italian government-owned train operator.
Stagecoach and FirstGroup selected SNCF and Trenitalia as bid partners on account of their experience operating high speed trains in France and Italy, with the UK Government having declared that the winners of the West Coast Partnership will be expected to collaborate with HS2 Ltd on the design, launch and operation of the initial high-speed services.
The Stagecoach and FirstGroup consortia will be up against a third bidder for the West Coast Franchise. MTR West Coast Partnership, a joint venture between MTR Corporation (UK) - a division of the Hong Kong-listed MTR – with sub-contractors Deloitte MSC, Panasonic Systems Europe, Snowfall AB, Trainline.com and WSP Parsons Brinkerhoff is also in the running.
The West Coast Partnership is due to take over services in April 2019.
FirstGroup recently won the right to take over the South Western rail franchise with MTR from current incumbent Stagecoach, which was seen as a major boost to the company after it lost the ScotRail franchise to Dutch-owned Abellio in 2015. It is due to take over the South Western routes in August.
Steve Montgomery, managing director of First Rail, said that the company’s joint bid with Trenitalia would “develop a completely new customer proposition both on the West Coast route and, through the exciting opportunity this franchise offers, to design and run initial services on the HS2 network.”
Mr Montgomery added: “We have a strong track record in delivering continued modernisation and investment, alongside industry partners, through our rail operating companies Great Western Railway, TransPennine Express and Rail Operator of the Year, Hull Trains."
Stagecoach has a 50 per cent stake in its West Coast Partnership bid, with SNCF holding 30 per cent and Virgin 20 per cent.
Martin Griffiths, chief executive of Stagecoach Group, said: “We are pleased that the extensive expertise and strong track record of Stagecoach and our partners has been recognised in the shortlists announced by the government for these two rail franchises, both of which are critical to the country’s economy.
"We look forward to working with local stakeholders on shaping our plans to improve services for customers and deliver significant value to the taxpayer to reinvest in public services."
Separately, Stagecoach has been invited to tender for the next South Eastern franchise, the Department for Transport announced.
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