Passenger Voice October 2015: You and your train company
30 September 2015
The future of rail services in East Anglia
Earlier this month the Department for Transport (DfT) published the Invitation to Tender for the next East Anglia franchise. This document sets out what the DfT wants potential operators to provide when this new contract starts in October 2016.
Key benefits for passengers include:
- significant improvements to condition and quality of trains
- 180 additional services a week
- targets to reduce crowding
- reduced journey times between London and Norwich.
Passengers in East Anglia tell us that the quality of trains is one of their key concerns, along with punctuality and reliability of services. We will now be working with bidders to ensure they keep passenger interests at the heart of their proposals. Local stakeholders should also take this opportunity to make their voices heard.
The shortlisted bidders are due to submit their proposals in December.
The DfT has also published a stakeholder briefing document providing an update on the previous consultation report.
You can see our response to the consultation here and the findings from our passenger research here.
New contract for East Midlands Trains
On 16 September the DfT announced that it had reached an agreement with East Midlands Trains to carry on operating rail services until March 2018.
Improvements promised in this contract include:
- extra services between Nottingham and Newark Castle on Saturdays
- a freeze on all Anytime fares to London until 2017
- 15 more automatic ticket machines installed across the network.
For more details you can read the Department’s announcement and East Midlands Trains’ press release.
You can see our recommendations for the franchise here and the findings from our passenger research here.
