Stagecoach and Virgin will partner with French SNCF in their joint bid for the UK West Coast Partnership rail franchise, which will incorporate current West Coast and new HS2 services. The shareholding for the bid is Stagecoach 50%, SNCF 30% and Virgin 20%.
The Government has announced that the West Coast Partnership franchise will run from 2019 that it will include the first few years of operation of HS2, and that bidders must have high speed experience.
“This is a very exciting development for SNCF. SNCF has a long-standing commitment to working in partnership with British companies, using their local knowledge and sharing our expertise and experience. We are delighted to announce this next step in our commitment to UK rail, working with partners who have demonstrated their own expertise in long distance rail services and are highly regarded in the industry. We appreciate Stagecoach’s widespread expertise across a variety of transport modes and Virgin’s reputation for its renowned customer experience. In partnership, we will deliver a successful HS2 service for the UK,” Guillaume Pepy, Chairman of SNCF said.
Virgin, Stagecoach, and SNCF have already worked together on the first stage of the West Coast Partnership bid, the “Expression of Interest”, which was submitted on 24 April 2017. The partners will now prepare for the “Invitation to Tender” which is expected to be issued by the end of the year.
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