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| East Coast franchise hand-over next week? | |||
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| 08:41, 05 November 2009: | Report | Quote | ||
| Rich Mackin Administrator 
Send a message Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3228 News credits: 21 |
A BBC News article suggests that the handover of the East Coast franchise from National Express to the Department for Transport's Directly Operated Railways Limited subsidiary is to take place on Friday 13 November, a month earlier than expected. All indications pointed to the franchise changing hands when the December timetable comes into effect, and the article gives no indication why the date has been moved. The franchise is expectation to remain with DOR until it is re-let in 2011. Rich -Admin-  | ||
| 10:29, 05 November 2009: | Report | Quote | ||
| robshipway Member Send a message Joined: Apr 2004 Posts: 337 |
From details I have read in Rail and Modern Railways magazines, I don't believe that NX has the funds to run the ECML services to the timetable change. This would not have been a problem if the merger with Stagecoach had gone through. | ||
| 11:25, 05 November 2009: | Report | Quote | ||
| Paul Scott Member Send a message Joined: Jan 2007 Posts: 2375 |
Not sure about midnight as changeover time in the BBC story. A service cannot normally run under two different owners, so handover has to be after all late night services have reached their destinations? Paul Number of edits: 1. Last edit: 12:22, 05 November 2009 | ||
| 12:45, 05 November 2009: | Report | Quote | ||
| Rich Mackin Administrator
Send a message Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3228 News credits: 21 |
It is unusual, most handovers take place at 0100/0200. Rich -Admin- | ||
| 13:32, 05 November 2009: | Report | Quote | ||
| Monkey Member Send a message Joined: Mar 2007 Posts: 2659 |
I would expect the 2330 KX - Leeds service to at least be allowed to get into Leeds as the last every National Express service. I wonder if they will give out champange to passengers to celebrate.  | ||
| 15:30, 05 November 2009: | Report | Quote | ||
| Gordon Member Send a message Joined: Jan 2007 Posts: 10 |
On the NX website today: "National Express - East Coast Mainline 05 Nov 2009 On 1 July 2009, National Express Group PLC (the "Company" or the "Group") announced that discussions with the UK Department for Transport ("DfT") had not secured an improved outlook for the National Express East Coast (“NXEC”) franchise. As a result, the loss-making franchise would continue to be supported by National Express in line with its franchise support commitments until the committed funding was fully utilised. During the last five months, the Group has worked with the DfT and the proposed operator Directly Operated Railways ("DOR") to ensure an orderly handover. The franchise has continued to operate on all its existing terms, with the contractual support of the Group. The Group's committed funding support, comprising of a £40 million loan, has now been fully advanced to NXEC. In order to effect the handover from NXEC to DOR, the DfT issued a termination notice after the markets closed last night and as a result, the operation of the NXEC franchise will transfer to DOR at 23.59 on 13th November 2009. We do not expect passengers, services or employees to be affected by the handover. The Group has two other rail franchises in the UK - National Express East Anglia and c2c - which are not subject to the termination notice announced today." So, it looks like a midnight cutover then... | ||
| 23:24, 05 November 2009: | Report | Quote | ||
| FirstScotrailer Member Send a message Joined: Nov 2004 Posts: 517 |
This takeover is evidently different from a normal takeover to another operator. NX want rid. The government wants it back. Who cares - lets just help them. Everyone wave goodbye  | ||
| 08:58, 06 November 2009: | Report | Quote | ||
| Sir Frederick Banbury Member Send a message Joined: Nov 2007 Posts: 260 |
Under GNER I used to be able to find a First Advance Peterborough-Aberdeen return on the HST for a reasonable amount, under NEEC they have become very expensive. I now have a ride with FGW instead, have done Paddington-Cornwall 3 times this year.  | ||
| 09:48, 06 November 2009: | Report | Quote | ||
| d.river Member Send a message Joined: Feb 2006 Posts: 462 |
anyone know what the new name of the franchise is gonna be? JUst 'East Coast'? | ||
| 10:22, 06 November 2009: | Report | Quote | ||
| Paul Scott Member Send a message Joined: Jan 2007 Posts: 2375 |
The trading name is just 'East Coast' - definitely. I posted it in the earlier thread on the same subject: http://www.railwayscene.co.uk/showthread.php?thread=6293 Paul | ||
| 20:40, 07 November 2009: | Report | Quote | ||
| dfish Member Send a message Joined: Apr 2009 Posts: 6 |
will there be any changes to the timetables at all? Or will they just go on the present timetable? | ||
| 22:19, 07 November 2009: | Report | Quote | ||
| Paul Scott Member Send a message Joined: Jan 2007 Posts: 2375 |
In my opinion, the DfT's TOC will just run the current timetable until Dec 2010, then they'll run the new ECML 6tph timetable currently under construction. IIRC when GNER went belly up last time the then current timetable continued, and all the planned improvements happened when planned. I don't think this time will be any different. DfT cannot be seen to relax their own service pattern due to passenger number reductions, if they did every other TOC would call foul... Don't forget that under direction of the DfT, Network Rail have put a huge amount of effort into the ECML 6 tph TT, as discussed here: http://www.railwayscene.co.uk/showthread.php?thread=6270 ...basically so that NXEC can run the extra services required by their franchise, and secondly so that all the open access operators can be fitted in. Paul | ||