Published on: Monday, 15 December 2014
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016
The Department for Transport has started the process for "re-letting" the East Anglia rail franchise, with a new, longer franchise planned to start in October 2016. The first stage of this process is a public consultation, now underway, on what service standards and developments customers and stakeholders are seeking in future. It provides a crucial opportunity to shape the specification of the next contract, including the type and quality of rail services you would like to see over the next decade or so.
Rail franchises are government-let contracts, so the specification that is set out (and against which bidders are invited to tender) very much influences the scope and nature of the submissions that are then put forward. So whether your priority is trains (and the on-train environment), station facilities, service frequency and timetable issues, information provision, the ease of buying tickets or any other aspect of the service, it's a great opportunity for you to have your say and provide your input.
We're passionate about the role of the railways in serving not just passengers, but the wider community and regional economy. It's really important that the next franchise specification reflects the views of the region, so that whichever company is running train services in the future (whether it's Abellio or anyone else) is in a position to deliver the significant steps forward we would all wish to see. We encourage you to make your contribution before the deadline for submissions on 16 March 2015. To find out more and put forward your priorities for future rail services please click on the following link :
www.gov.uk/government/collections/rail-franchising