Essex Thameside and InterCity East Coast Franchise

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Chris Mole)
My noble Friend the Secretary of State for the Department for Transport, Lord Adonis, has made the following Ministerial Statement:

The Essex Thameside franchise, currently operating as c2c, consists of services on the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway line from Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness in Essex. The current franchise is due to end in May 2011. The Department will be consulting on the new franchise specification over the spring of 2010, with a view to issuing an invitation to tender in the summer of 2010 and an announcement of the successful bidder in early 2011 to start the new franchise in May 2011.

The InterCity East Coast franchise is currently operated by the East Coast Main Line Company after the previous franchise, operated by National Express East Coast, was terminated. This franchise consists of services on the East Coast Main Line from London to Scotland, including Leeds, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. The Department will be consulting on the new franchise specification over the spring of 2010, with a view to issuing an invitation to tender in the autumn of 2010 and an announcement of the successful bidder in the summer 2011 to start the new franchise in November 2011.

I have today published the joint prior information notice (PIN) for the re-franchising of both the Essex Thameside and InterCity East Coast rail franchises, giving potential bidders further information and I have placed a copy in the Libraries of both Houses.