Upcoming Events :
Seminar: Outsourcing and Contract Procurement
Tue 28 Feb 2012
Minerva House, 5 Montague Close, London, SE1 9BB
Government issues guidelines to East Coast Main Line bidders
Fri 22 Jan 2010
Prospective bidders for the East Coast Main Line rail franchise have been advised what standards they will be required to meet if their bid is accepted.
According to transport secretary Lord Adonis, the East Coast Main Line is one of the most important rail routes in the whole of the UK.
As a result, the government has insisted that franchise holders must implement improvements in areas such as journey times, catering and cycle and car parking provision.
Bidders will also be required to show how they can make ticket pricing simpler and more consistent across the board.
The government is especially keen to cut journey times between London and Edinburgh to less than four hours within the next two years.
National Express had controlled the franchise until November last year, when it was taken under government control.
Lord Adonis recently said the process of renationalising the East Coast Main Line could cost the state at least £50 million.
