The new deals, the first contracts to be awarded under new plans to reform the
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There will be the option to extend the agreements by a further two years, the
The new National Rail Contracts (NRCs) will replace the existing franchise system, which was all but ended by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Under the new deals, which operate in as concession agreements like the one
For
And for the Transpennine Express it will receive a fixed fee of £2.3m, with bonus options of up to £5.2m.
The new contract structure is part of the government’s attempt to fix the much-maligned rail network, which has been hammered by the pandemic.
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As part of the reforms, ministers have set up a new controlling body,
For some, that brings back the spectre of British Rail, which was privatised in the 1990s. But speaking this morning, transport secretary
“I want the ticketing to be straightforward and simple and we won’t be going back to the days of British Rail with terrible sandwiches and all the rest of it,” he said.
First Group’s chief executive
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“The National Rail Contracts agreed for SWR and TPE leave us well-placed for lower risk, cash generative rail operations on those two networks.”
The post
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