Welsh Government has announced that intends to award KeolisAmey the contract to operate the Wales and Borders rail service and the South Wales Metro. The contract will be signed after 10-day standstill period, which is a normal procurement practice. It will run from June 2018, to October 2033, with rail services transferring in October 2018.
The contract to run Wales’ rail transport service for the next 15 years has a value of GBP 5 billion (EUR 5.68 billion).
KeolisAmey is a joint venture partnership of international public transport operator Keolis, and infrastructure asset management specialist Amey.
Currently, KeolisAmey runs the Docklands Light Railway in London and operates and maintains Greater Manchester’s Metrolink network.
“This is a great opportunity for us to use our joint capabilities to deliver a first-rate service for Wales. We will be focused on working with Transport for Wales to transform the existing infrastructure and introduce new trains to significantly improve the passenger experience, as well as creating hundreds of new jobs and apprenticeship opportunities,” Andy Milner, Amey’s Chief Executive said.
Abellio Rail Cymru, Arriva Trains Wales, KeolisAmey and MTR Corporation (Cymru) Ltd were invited to submit final tenders for the franchise in September 2017. Although there were four companies, Arriva Trains Wales, which run the franchise since 2003, pulled out of the contest at the end of 2017.
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