Media Centre

Accreditation questionnaires for the Greater Western and Thameslink/Great Northern rail franchises submitted

02 Feb 2005

National Express Group PLC (“The Group”), the UK’s most experienced train operator, today submitted its Accreditation Questionnaires to the Strategic Rail Authority for the new Greater Western and Thameslink/GN rail franchises.

The Greater Western franchise will bring together train services from the South Coast, South Wales, the West of England, the South Midlands, the Thames Valley and West London commuter areas.

The Thameslink/GN franchise will combine services currently operated by Thameslink and Wagn, providing commuter, business and leisure services between Bedford and Brighton, and between Peterborough, King’s Lynn, Cambridge and London.

Commenting, David Franks, Chief Executive of the Group’s trains division said today:

“We are confident that our experience of running a full and diverse range of passenger rail services across the United Kingdom, coupled with our success in creating the ‘one’ franchise, will help us to deliver a powerful case for being shortlisted for the new franchises.

“We already have strong roots in the West Country through our Wessex Trains services, and in London through our c2c, ‘one’, Silverlink and Wagn services. As the most experienced operator of long-distance, commuter, regional and rural train services across the UK, we are eager to apply our knowledge to these important franchises – knowledge about amalgamating franchises, improving performance, being customer-focused, developing industry-leading solutions, sharing best practice across our rail franchises and delivering value for money.

“Through our track record of running services at Wessex Trains and Wagn, we have demonstrated our ability to deliver improvements through close co-operation with stakeholders and by responding to local needs. We are passionate about delivering better services to customers, and excited by the opportunity these new franchises bring.”

For more information on the Thameslink/Great Northern franchise bid, a dedicated credentials brochure and website have been produced. Launched today, the brochure, entitled “Thameslink/Great Northern franchise….a new rail franchise for the future”, and the website, which can be found at www.nationalexpressgroup.com/tlgn/ both contain a host of information on the Group and its credentials to operate the new franchise.

For more details on the Group’s Greater Western franchise bid, the dedicated website, www.nationalexpressgroup.com/gwf/ contains detailed information, and a copy of the Greater Western brochure “A new rail franchise….requires a fresh vision”.

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• Notes to Editors:
  National Express Group is the most experienced operator of train franchises in the UK operating a mix of inter-city, rural, commuter and airport services. Its train brands include c2c, Central Trains, Gatwick Express, Midland Mainline, ‘one’, Silverlink, Wagn and Wessex Trains.
• Photographs are available at http://www.vismedia.co.uk/

For further information, please contact:

Fiona Noblet/Richard Gibson
Greater Western 020 7529 2000

Fiona Noblet/Emma Knight
Thameslink/Great Northern 020 7529 2000