West Coast Partnership contract extension announced
FirstGroup plc and Department for Transport have agreed extension until 15 October 2023
- New rail contract will now run until 15 October 2023
- Discussions ongoing with DfT over long term National Rail Contract for WCP
FirstGroup plc today announces that it has agreed with the Department for Transport (DfT) to extend the current arrangements for the West Coast Partnership (WCP) rail contract.
The current arrangements for WCP were previously set to expire on 31 March 2023 and will now run until 15 October 2023 under broadly the same terms and conditions. The WCP rail contract comprises operation of Avanti West Coast and West Coast Partnership Development, which acts as the shadow operator to the HS2 programme. Discussions are ongoing with DfT regarding the longer-term National Rail Contract for WCP.
Commenting, Graham Sutherland, FirstGroup Chief Executive Officer said: "We are working closely with government and our partners across the industry to deliver a successful railway for our customers and communities.
“Performance at Avanti is steadily improving and since the introduction of the new timetable in mid-December, the number of services operated has increased by more than 40% compared to last summer, with more seats and better frequencies. Today’s agreement allows our team to continue their focus on delivering their robust plans to continue enhancing services for our customers, including further progress on our train upgrade and refurbishment programme.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
About West Coast Partnership
The West Coast Partnership is a joint venture between FirstGroup and Trenitalia to run existing intercity services on the West Coast Main Line and deliver future high-speed services.
We were set up in December 2019 and our partnership is split at 70% FirstGroup and 30% Trenitalia. Both companies boast many years of running successful railways between them– with each possessing the individual know-how of running every type of passenger rail service.
We will use the experiences of FirstGroup in UK rail and Trenitalia's in Italian high-speed rail to be a trusted and flexible partner for the Department for Transport and HS2 Ltd. Our partnership is comprised of two businesses: Avanti West Coast – who run the existing high-speed services on the West Coast Mainline, and West Coast Partnership Development – who are the shadow operator for future high-speed train services.
https://www.westcoastpartnership.co.uk/
For the latest Avanti West Coast news, visit the Media Centre:
https://newsdesk.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/
For the latest West Coast Partnership Development news, visit the Media Centre:
https://www.westcoastpartnershipdevelopment.co.uk/
Press Office: 0845 000 3333