On 22 Jun, 08:18, Paul Corfield wrote:
http://www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/fu...eID=293825&New...

The Department for Transport has today announced that Stagecoach Midland
Rail Limited (a subsidiary of Stagecoach Group plc) has been awarded the
contract to run the new East Midlands franchise from 11th November 2007.

And here's what Stagecoach have to say...
http://www.stagecoachgroup.com/scg/media/press/pr2007/2007-06-22/

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Stagecoach Group welcomes East Midlands rail franchise win
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22/06/2007

Stagecoach Group today (22 June 2007) welcomed the decision by the
Department for Transport ("The DfT") to award it the new East Midlands
rail franchise.

The new 7-year and 4-month franchise, which is worth £235million in
annual total revenues, will run from 11 November 2007. The last 16
months are dependent on meeting performance targets.

Stagecoach engaged with more than 80 local, regional and national
stakeholder organisations in developing its proposals for East
Midlands, which combines the current Midland Mainline franchise and
regional services transferred from Central Trains.

Brian Souter, Chief Executive of Stagecoach Group, said: "We are
delighted to be entrusted by the Government with the contract to run a
key rail franchise in a region that is the heart of the UK transport
and logistics economy, with significant growth potential.

"We plan to win back customers from the car and grow the market by
delivering a high-quality service that meets the diverse needs of
short and long distance commuters, business and leisure travellers.

"Our innovative and value-for-money plans are designed to meet the
challenges of growing demand, improving passenger perceptions of
service and security, and making it easier for people to travel by
train.

"We look forward to delivering a comprehensive package of train,
station and security investment, improved operational performance,
increased capacity, state-of-the-art ticketing options and a range of
other customer benefits.

"This is an excellent result for passengers, taxpayers and our
shareholders, and we will be working closely with local stakeholders
to help meet their aspiration for the area to become one of the top 20
regions in Europe."

The new franchise incorporates a multi-million-pound investment
programme and will generate £133million (Net Present Value) in premium
payments to the DfT over the period for the franchise.

Under the franchise, regulated fares will rise annually by RPI +1% in
line with Government policy, while unregulated fares are expected to
increase by an average of RPI + 3.4% per annum.

The East Midlands rail franchise will operate trains from the new St
Pancras International station, providing direct connections with
Eurostar services to Paris and Brussels following the opening of the
Channel Tunnel Rail Link.

The key highlights of the new franchise, which will be operated under
a single overarching brand and managed from headquarters in the East
Midlands, include:

Improved journeys and improved punctuality

* Faster journeys to Sheffield (2h08mins) and Leicester
(1hr07mins) from London as part of a new timetable in December 2008
with potential further infrastructure-based improvements thereafter
* Additional early morning train from Derby to cater for high
levels of morning peak demand
* Further features of the December 2008 timetable change include:
o A new daily direct service between London and Lincoln
o An hourly Nottingham-Matlock service
o An additional off-peak service each hour from London,
allowing a new train service exclusively to serve stations south of
Leicester
* Performance plans that will help improve the public performance
measure (PPM) to 90.4% from 83.6% by focusing on poorer performing
regional services and trains


Fleet improvement and capacity

* Significant increase in capacity, with more than 850 extra
mainline peak seats into and out of London and an increase of nearly
10,000 off-peak seats per weekday
* Increasing main line frequency to five trains per hour between
the peaks
* Bring forward first morning train arrival into London to provide
an integrated connection to Eurostar for business passengers
travelling to continent
* Additional high speed train set from June 2012 to increase
capacity in time for the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games
* A 35% increase in capacity on Norwich-Liverpool weekday services
* A 9% increase in weekday capacity on other regional routes
* A £26.5m fleet interior and performance improvement programme,
including décor, seats, on-train CCTV and technical modifications
* Significant investment at Derby train maintenance depot (Etches
Park), which will become the centre of train maintenance operations


Security

* A centralised Information and Security Centre to respond to Help
Point requests and monitor CCTV cameras
* Additional CCTV cameras at 12 stations and mobile security staff
coverage for stations and trains
* More than 60 new or upgraded Help Points at 35 stations
* Senior Conductors, Train Managers and Revenue Protection staff
equipped with PDAs to improve information provision and security for
customers
* Secure Station Accreditation covering 87% of passenger journeys
on the franchise
* More visible staff presence on trains and at key stations to
improve personal security
* Accreditation of three further secure station car parks


Fares and Ticketing

* Investment in Smartcard technology to make ticket purchasing
much easier
* Promotion of internet purchasing and telesales
* Introduction of megabus.com fares
* Flexible ticket options, with different prices depending on the
time of travel, including a trial to attract passengers to the
shoulder peak using Smartcard
* Installation of around 70 new self-service ticket vending
machines to reduce ticket office queues and provide ticket retailing
at locations such as Syston and Sutton Parkway for the first time
* Introduction of automatic gates at four additional stations to
improve security and reduce ticketless travel, resulting in nearly 90%
of passenger journeys being gated at least at one end


Station enhancements

* A £5m station investment, including a programme at the busiest
stations covering:
o refurbishment of waiting rooms, shelters, booking halls
and toilets, improved internal lighting, replacement seating, new
cycle racks and repairs to forecourts.
o fitting out East Midlands Parkway station building and
completing access
* Repainting and new signage across all stations


Customer service and stakeholder relations

* New passenger charter with clear targets and compensation
structure based on the 'Delay Repay' model supported by Passenger
Focus
* Better customer information
* Provision of an additional 750 car parking spaces, in addition
to 500 spaces at East Midlands Parkway funded by Network Rail and the
DfT
* Improved links with local authorities and regional government
agencies
* New dedicated management posts to improve stakeholder relations
and manage a range of transport integration improvements, including
additional cycle parking facilities, bus through ticketing and
Community Rail partnerships


Corby Station and Rail Service

* A competitive option has been offered to the Department for
Transport for the provision of rail services to a potential new rail
station at Corby

ENDS

For further information, please contact:
Martin Griffiths
Stagecoach Group 01738 442111

Steve Stewart
Stagecoach Group 01738 442111 or 07764 774680

John Kiely
Smithfield Consultants 020 7360 4900


NOTES TO EDITORS

East Midlands rail franchise

The East Midlands Franchise comprises:

* the former Midland Mainline franchise that operated high speed
long distance services from London St. Pancras to Sheffield, Derby and
Nottingham
* the regional services formerly operated by Central Trains
between Nottingham and Derby/Lincoln/Cleethorpes/Skegness, between
Derby and Crewe/Matlock/ and Norwich and Liverpool

It is planned that the franchise will run until 31 March 2015, the
last year and 4 months of which will be conditional upon achieving pre-
set performance targets.

Stagecoach Group

Stagecoach Group is a leading international transportation group, with
extensive bus and rail operations in the UK and North America. The
Group's businesses operate around 12,000 vehicles and rolling stock,
and employ around 27,000 people.

Rail

Stagecoach operates the South Western rail franchise, which includes
the South West Trains and Island Line networks. South West Trains, the
UK's biggest commuter rail network, runs nearly 1700 trains a day in
the south-west of England out of London Waterloo. Island Line, on the
Isle of Wight, has been designated a Community Rail Partnership. In
addition, Stagecoach has a 49% shareholding in Virgin Rail Group,
which operates the CrossCountry and West Coast inter-city rail
franchises.

Stagecoach operates the Supertram network in Sheffield, a 29km tram
system incorporating three routes in the city, on a 27-year concession
running until 2024.

Stagecoach Group plc has signed a contract with Greater Manchester
Passenger Transport Executive ("GMPTE") to operate and maintain the
Manchester Metrolink tram network. The 10-year contract, which will
commence in July 2007, involves the operation and maintenance of the
37km Manchester Metrolink system and the associated infrastructure. It
will include managing a number of special projects sponsored by GMPTE
to improve the trams and infrastructure to benefit passengers.
Stagecoach Metrolink will also be responsible for operating tram
services on the new Metrolink lines to Oldham, Rochdale, Droylsden and
Chorlton.

A Stagecoach-Virgin joint venture, inter city - railways ltd, has been
shortlisted for the InterCity East Coast rail franchise, which is
expected to start in autumn 2007.

Virgin Rail Group has been shortlisted for the new Cross Country
franchise, commencing in November 2007.

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I've yet to read it fully, or to compare Dft and Stagecoach releases.
But I've got my ten-gallon hat ready for driving my very own
Stagecoach [the new name for a Dogbox ;o) ]

R.