(Parliamentary Under Secretary
for Transport): I wish to inform the House that the
Secretary of State for Transport has reached agreement with
Stagecoach Group to continue to operate train services on the
East Midlands rail franchise. This Direct Award means that
passengers from London St Pancras International to
Northamptonshire, the East Midlands, Lincolnshire, Staffordshire
and South Yorkshire will continue to be served by East Midlands
Trains until 18 August 2019. If required there is an option to
extend this agreement by up to a further six rail periods .
East Midlands Trains has achieved good performance and passenger
satisfaction levels during the time they have been operating the
franchise and the new agreement will allow for a smooth
transition into the next competitively-tendered franchise. In the
forthcoming months I expect East Midlands Trains to deliver the
following improvements as part of the new agreement:
-
Investment of £150,000 on accessibility improvements at
Stations.
-
A simplified application process for Delay Repay
As a minimum East Midlands Trains will also be expected to
continue to deliver the following:
-
Good performance levels and passenger satisfaction;
-
A mobile app which provides real time information on the
operation of passenger services and enables customers to book
and pay for travel;
-
A 4G Wi-Fi service and provide at least 15 minutes of free
access per passenger journey on standard class;
This Direct Award will ensure a smooth transition from the
current operator to the next franchise which is expected to
deliver significant passenger benefits including more services
and seats across the franchise, in addition to better facilities
and further improved accessibility at stations.
