Bidders for the next Great Eastern franchise met with leaders of the Great Eastern Main Line Taskforce yesterday (August 26), to learn about the key objectives of the Great Eastern Rail Campaign.
Norwich North MP Chloe Smith and Mark Pendlington, chairman of the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, met senior representatives of National Express, First Group and Abellio East Anglia Ltd - the three bidders for the new franchise, which is due to start in October 2016.
Smith and Pendlington, who jointly chair the GEML Taskforce, said that “top of the list” was a requirement for new and faster trains, as well as more reliable services and better timetabling. They said this is vital to delivering improvements that will enable journey times of 90 minutes between Norwich and London, 60 minutes between Norwich and Ipswich, and 40 minutes between Norwich and Colchester.
- For more on this news story see RAIL 783 on September 16 2015
Andrewjgwilt1989 - 28/08/2015 08:07
I think First Group should take over. I prefer First to win the GA franchise and to called First Eastern Trains or to separate into 2 different operators-First East Anglia and First West Anglia with Stansted Express also to be part of the First GA Franchise from October next year.