Passengers in London and Essex set for host of benefits under new rail deal
27 Jun 2014 04:13 PM
c2c to operate and
improve passenger services on the Essex Thameside rail
franchise.
A fleet of new trains will roll
out on key lines through East London and Essex, delivering tens of thousands
more seats and better journeys, after Rail Minister Stephen Hammond announced
the intention to award the Essex Thameside franchise to the current operator
c2c.
The 15-year contract will
support the government’s multi-billion pound investment in
Britain’s railways, allowing c2c to build on the impressive performance
of the franchise and improving journeys between London and the commuter hubs of
Barking, Basildon, Southend and further afield.
View the individual station
benefits of the agreement.
As part of the deal, c2c, which
is managed by National Express, has committed to rolling out a host of
passenger benefits costing around £160 million. These
include:
- an additional fleet of 17 brand
new trains providing almost 4,800 extra seats
- more than 25,000 additional
seats for morning peak time passengers every week by the end of the
contract
- free wi-fi at stations and on
board trains
- an enhanced compensation system,
meaning customers who use smart tickets will automatically receive compensation
if their train is delayed
- over £30 million invested
in improving stations, including Fenchurch Street and Barking
- complete step-free access at all
stations, providing improved accessibility for people with limited mobility and
parents with buggies and push chairs
- more than 200 new car parking
spaces and £457,000 invested in improving cycling facilities and
accessibility at stations
The operator has also committed
to hitting tough new targets for punctuality, which means more than 90% of
services will be required to reach their destination within 1 minute of the
timetable by December 2018.
Rail Minister Stephen Hammond
said:
This deal is all about putting
passengers at the heart of our railways. Brand new trains, thousands more seats
and millions of pounds invested in stations will mean significantly improved
journeys for those passengers who use these services every day. It’s
further proof that our long-term economic plan is on track with the taxpayer
getting more than £2 billion out of this deal.
The rigorous new processes we
have put in place means passengers can have every confidence we have got the
right bid for the franchise. The operator is ready to deliver and build on the
high standards that customers have rightly come to expect from these vital
services.
The Essex Thameside franchise is
one of the highest performing operators across the network with around 97% of
its trains running on time. It is in the top 10 for overall passenger
satisfaction. During the last 14 years c2c has increased the number of
passengers it carries by 42%, from over 26 million to around 37 million
passengers a year, with the majority of journeys during the morning and evening
peak as commuters travel to and from London.
The deal will mean the total
number of vehicles serving the franchise will increase to 364 by 2024. The
current fleet will be fitted with wi-fi technology and will also be
refurbished.
The Essex Thameside franchise
follows the successful award of theThameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise earlier in
the year. It is the second franchise the department has let since the re-launch
of its franchising programme in March last year. This followed an independent review into franchising by industry expert Richard
Brown, who concluded franchising was the right way to secure passenger
services.
View our Storify
board for reactions to today’s announcement
Richard Brown, chairman of
the Rail Franchising Advisory
Panel, said:
The successful award of these
competitions demonstrate the progress the department has made in its
franchising programme. They go to show that skilful public sector specification
married with excellence in delivery produce real benefits for passengers, with
both innovation and a focus on efficiency.
The new franchise will run until
November 2029.