Potential Bidders for the next Greater Western franchise

[bnm]

According to a tweet from BBC South's transport correspondent Paul Clifton, the likely bidders for the next Greater Western Franchise are:

First Group
Stagecoach
National Express
Deutsche Bahn (Arriva)
Renfe

Keolis-SNCF withdrew.

 

[Minilad]

Can I just say I would like DB to win it.

So I can rack up loads of HST mileage with my free pass !!

 

[Tomonthetrain]

I hope NX win it....otherwise I won't be able to defend them and their good performance on the uk rail front

 

[VTPreston_Tez]

SNCF withdrew? Damn, their announcement tune would have rocked in Preston...
Right, it's Renfe for me now. Never had a bad experience with then.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

SNCF withdrew? Damn, their announcement tune would have rocked in Preston...
Right, it's Renfe for me now. Never had a bad experience with then.

What does the GW franchise have to do with Preston?

 

[LexyBoy]

Wot no Directly Operated Railways? Shurely shome mistake!

I feel strangely fond of First seeing that list, for all their faults. Feel they must be better than NX or Stagecoach! Not sure about Arriva, a lot of my problems with Crosscountry stem from their woeful lack of capacity.

SNCF withdrew? Damn, their announcement tune would have rocked in Preston...
Right, it's Renfe for me now. Never had a bad experience with then.

Didn't realise they had any franchises...

 

[anthony263]

I think a lot of people are hoping that first get the new franchise since they have started to sort things out so far

 

[VTPreston_Tez]

What does the GW franchise have to do with Preston?

Virgin, the current owners own Preston. So it's more than likely that the winner of this bid gets Preston, as well as WarringtonBQ, Stafford, Coventry, Rugby, and so on...

 

[Pumbaa]

No - they manage it. Big difference.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I am aware, but this is a discussion about the Great Western, NOT West Coast franchise.

 

[bnm]

Virgin, the current owners own Preston. So it's more than likely that the winner of this bid gets Preston, as well as WarringtonBQ, Stafford, Coventry, Rugby, and so on...

Thread title and OP read fail. :roll:

 

[ainsworth74]

Virgin, the current owners own Preston. So it's more than likely that the winner of this bid gets Preston, as well as WarringtonBQ, Stafford, Coventry, Rugby, and so on...

You're thinking about the Inter City West Coast franchise (currently operating as Virgin Trains) this thread is about the Greater Western franchise (currently operating as First Great Western).

Not really a surprising list, all the usual suspects are there (minus Virgin who would only be interested if the franchise was split back into HSS and everything else). Having said that I'm a little surprised Keolis-SNCF withdrew, is there any more detail on that? Actually I'm also surprised that Abellio haven't gone for it.

 

[Ivo]

+1 for the FirstGroup brigade. (I can't believe I just said that hock

Can I just say I would like DB to win it.

So I can rack up loads of HST mileage with my free pass !!

Can I just say that I will be screaming and probably kicking the bucket if DB win it? One Arriva train a day is enough thank you!

 

[VTPreston_Tez]

Oh right, so if it's FGW being taken over, I'd like to see Arriva or Renfe take over. thread read fail, they're too similar! XD

 

[fgwrich]

Oh right, so if it's FGW being taken over, I'd like to see Arriva or Renfe take over. thread read fail, they're too similar! XD

No Thanks!

+1 for the FirstGroup brigade. (I can't believe I just said that hock



Can I just say that I will be screaming and probably kicking the bucket if DB win it? One Arriva train a day is enough thank you!

+2 For that matter!

First Group / First Great Western - They've had there Highs, and they've had their lows, most notably in the beginning of the franchise, but since then they certainly have put a huge amount of work in turning it around from one of the worst, to one of the best franchises around - and the last operator remaining with a proper on board resturant service - Pullman Dining...

National Express - Short answer long answer...NO THANKS! After the damage done to both East Coast and East Anglia...Deffinatly no!

Stagecoach - Not for me thanks, despite the work carried out to East Midlands Trains, Stagecoach do seem rather hit and miss with EMT, Some good points and some not so good.

Arriva DB - Again, Just like National Express, No Thanks! Especially after the debacle of XC - Working Wifi anyone? In fact, im reminded of a comment made to be by a freind of mine who several years ago, thanks to an incident at Bramley, had missed his connection at Reading for the First Great Western service to Fishguard Harbour - FGW then sent him to Swansea, where they provided a replacement Taxi service...First comments by the Taxi Driver - Your lucky that First payed for this, Because if this was requested by Arriva - He wouldn't have turned up whatsoever, purely because Arriva were so bad at paying for their bills! But although some of the issues surrounding ATW and XC cannot be helped, others can - its the Arriva Effect, Something im station to very much notice in Chiltern Railways too - Bye Bye Mr Shooter anyone?!

Renfe are very much the outsiders on this one - Apart from Spanish High Speed services, Do they offer any local branch services too? Do they offer such a mixed bag of Local, Commuter and High Speed services?

Oh and apparently, according to Paul Clifton on BBC South Today tonight, the bidders for the FGW Franchise was supposed to be a highly guarded secret, with the bidding process akin to the railway equivalent to Scrictly Come Dancing! :roll:

 

[bnm]

Having said that I'm a little surprised Keolis-SNCF withdrew, is there any more detail on that?

The French surrendering without a fight. Nothing new..... <whistles innocently>

More seriously, perhaps they just want to concentrate their bid team on bagging the InterCity West Coast franchise.

 

[Aictos]

Although I'm going to hope First win it for the same reasons that XCDriver wants DB to win it I would like to see what RENFE could do with the franchise.

 

[W-on-Sea]

Anybody but NX, frankly....(however good a hand they played at Midland Mainline, they've blotted their copybook on large franchises too many times since)

Well...and, thinking about XC, anyone but Arriva/DB, too.

FGW have definitely gone some way to turn things around, and in some cases (upseating of HSTs) innovations they've made have been most appropriate. I'm almost inclined to say I hope they get a further term to carry on with the job.

 

[Michael.Y]

Can I just say I would like DB to win it.

So I can rack up loads of HST mileage with my free pass !!

Et moi.

 

[jopsuk]

I wonder if the Intercity (high Speed/Sleeper) section was still a separate franchise (as it was at privitisation) whether we would have seen a Virgin-Stagecoach bid- rather than a go-it-alone Stagecoach?

 

[Tomonthetrain]

Can someone give a good reason why not NX? They're the best thing since sliced bread

 

[Michael.Y]

Can someone give a good reason why not NX? They're the best thing since sliced bread

*sigh*

OK, breathe in.....

East Coast, NXEA. And I'll let everyone else fill in the blanks.

 

[Bellwater]

Stagecoach. They haven't got enough franchises.

 

[Schnellzug]

NX? Surely they are having a Giraffe.
Interesting to see RENFE bidding; weren't they interested in IC West Coast as well?

 

[bnm]

One blot on First Group's copybook is deciding not to take up the option of a three year franchise extension. A period when premium payments to the DfT would've likely totalled £900M.

That won't sit too pretty with the DfT, although I believe submitted bids are meant to be blind. Just how 'blind' they are in reality though.....

 

[Bellwater]

NX? Surely they are having a Giraffe.

As Managing Director?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

This is of course the "long" list of those who submitted pre-qualification documents, ie those wanting to bid.
It is not the DfT-sifted "short" list which comes in April.
Only then will we know who passes muster to get the full ITT.

 

[Schnellzug]

As Managing Director?

No, that's a Donkey.

 

[reapz]

I work in the franchise and I would like stagecoach to get it , done Nx and First bring on a new boy.

 

[deltic]

One blot on First Group's copybook is deciding not to take up the option of a three year franchise extension. A period when premium payments to the DfT would've likely totalled £900M.

That won't sit too pretty with the DfT, although I believe submitted bids are meant to be blind. Just how 'blind' they are in reality though.....

Bids are not blind