I’m very pleased that we’ve been granted a direct award on the West Coast Main Line by the Department for Transport (DfT).  The new contract will deliver significant benefits for our customers, including a major programme of investment to roll out free, faster Wi-Fi.

The award will see us continue to run the franchise through to at least 31^st March 2019, with the option for up to a further one-year extension at the DfT’s discretion. The new contract bridges the gap between the existing franchise and the new West Coast Partnership, which we have been shortlisted to bid for along with our bidding partners Stagecoach and SNCF, the French national operator.  

We’ll be making a number of improvements across the network, including investing £3m in improving our stations and our toilets, lighting, and carpets on board, accepting contactless payment on all our ticket machines, and providing additional staff at stations during busy times. We’ll also be rolling out improved customer information during disruption and creating new apprenticeship opportunities. We’re also in the process of partnering with some of the most exciting names in technology, to bring new innovations to our customers to improve their experience still further. I look forward to sharing further details of these initiatives with you soon.