Arriva submits bid for InterCity East Coast Rail Franchise

Arriva, the leading European passenger transport group, hastoday submitted its bid for the InterCity East Coast rail franchiseto the Department for Transport.

David Martin, chief executive of Arriva plc, said:

We have consulted with stakeholders and customers, andworked hard to develop proposals that will provide high qualityservices for all InterCity East Coast customers.

Combined with our experience as a leading European railoperator, we are confident our plans can establish the InterCityEast Coast franchise beyond doubt as the UK’s premier trainservice.

Outside the UK, Arriva is the top-performing rail operator inDenmark, one of the fastest-growing rail operators in the largeGerman market, and has recently introduced new trains and morefrequent services to meet rising passenger numbers in theNetherlands. Later this month the company will start railservices in southern Sweden. In the UK, Arriva Trains Waleshas recently delivered strong improvements in operationalperformance, with more than 90 per cent of trains arriving ontime.

The InterCity East Coast franchise is one of the UK’sbusiest long distance rail routes linking London with severalcities in both England and Scotland, including York, Leeds,Newcastle and Edinburgh.

Arriva submitted its bid for the seven year and four monthfranchise based on a specification set by the Department forTransport (DfT). The DfT is expected to announce whichoperator has won the franchise in the late summer.