Sunday 23 January 2022

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::: RMT threatens national industrial action over service cuts

The Department for Transport has decided to abandon the franchising system in England.

The franchise on this page ceased to exist on normal commercial terms on 23 March 2020, and was replaced by an Emergency Measures Agreement, which guaranteed an income to operators and removed commercial risk.

From 20 September 2020 until some time in 2022 Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements (ERMAs) replaced the original EMAs, slightly reducing the fixed fees paid to operators but otherwise continuing the protection from commercial risk.

Replacement contracts of a new type may be announced later on.

(In the case of Scottish franchises, the Scottish Government announced on 18 September an extension of its EMAs from 20 September 2020 to January 2021, pending further discussions.)

East Midlands Railway
East Midlands

www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk

Replacement for the East Midlands Trains franchise, due to start August 2019. Invitation to tender April 2018, and award of contract was 10 April 2019.

The shortlisted bidders were originally FirstGroup/Trenitalia (70:30), Arriva and Stagecoach. Abellio was also shortlisted in the summer of 2017.

The consortium of FirstGroup and Trenitalia announced that it was withdrawing from the contest on 23 April 2018, and the DfT also rejected the Stagecoach bid on 10 April 2019, citing ‘non-compliance’ over provisions for pension funding. The franchise was awarded to Abellio on the same day.

The eight-year contract includes a possible extension of up to two years.

start date
18 August 2019
end date
21 August 2027

owned by
Abellio

legal title
Abellio East Midlands Ltd

service area
Long distance and regional services. London (St Pancras)-Kettering-Corby/Leicester-Derby/Nottingham/Lincoln/Sheffield/York/Scarborough. Also regional services Liverpool/Manchester-East Midlands-Skegness/Lincoln/Norwich.

replaced
East Midlands Trains

Sunday
23

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