Contract Win

RNS Number : 3207X

National Express Group PLC

07 February 2013

 



National Express celebrates German rail success

7 February 2013

National Express Group PLC ("National Express") - which operates the UK's leading rail franchise, c2c - has been selected to run two 15 year regional commuter rail contracts in Germany.

Three German local authorities confirmed last night (6^th February) that they intended to award the two contracts which serve cities including Cologne and Bonn in Germany's most populous region, North Rhine-Westphalia, to National Express. The contracts are for a regional express service between Rheine-Munster-Cologne-Krefeld and a Bonn-Cologne-Wuppertal stopping service.

The services are currently run by Deutsche Bahn and carry around 18 million passengers per year. National Express will start operating the 15 year contract in December 2015, after first procuring 36 new electric trains on behalf of the local authorities. The contracts will generate revenues of around €1.6 billion for the 15 years as a whole.

Dean Finch, National Express Group Chief Executive said: "National Express is delighted to have been selected to run these two German commuter rail contracts. I'm particularly pleased that our success in running the UK's best performing franchise has been recognised by the German authorities. We look forward to maintaining these high standards and serving the people of North Rhine-Westphalia for many years to come."

Notes to Editors

National Express is currently pre-qualified for three other rail bids in Germany. Germany is Europe's largest rail market, twice the size of the UK, with 35 tendering competitions due to start in the next two years.

These contracts have been let by three local authorities: Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (Dusseldorf area); Nahverkehr Westfalen-Lippe (Rheine and Munster area); and Nahverkehr Rheinland (Cologne and Bonn area). The process was led by the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr authority.

The authorities' 'intention to award' was confirmed last night [http://vrr.de/de/vrr/presse/meldungen/archiv/2013/00456/index.html ]. Losing bidders have 10 days to appeal the decision. If no appeal is received the 15 year contract will then be signed.

About c2c: c2c is the award-winning train operator running services between Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness, serving 26 stations in East London and South Essex. c2c is delivering the best performance in the UK rail industry, holding the UK records for annual punctuality (97.5%) and 4-weekly punctuality (98.8%) by a franchised train operator. Customer satisfaction with c2c services measured 93% in the latest National Passenger Survey.

About National Express Group: More than 650m journeys a year are made worldwide on our bus, train, light rail and express coach operations. We deliver services in the UK, North America, Spain and Morocco. Our 40,000 employees are committed to improve the quality of life for all through travel.

Enquiries:

National Express Group PLC
Stuart Morgan, Head of Investor Relations	0121 460 8658
Anthony Vigor, Director of Policy and External Affairs	07767 425 822
Maitland	020 7379 5151
Neil Bennett
George Hudson

 

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