The UK government has extended rail firm Arriva’s contract to run
services on the CrossCountry franchise for a further three years.
Arriva CrossCountry, which has run the service since
2007, will continue to operate the franchise until October
2023.
The company manages rail services on Britain’s most
geographically diverse routes, from Aberdeen to Penzance and from Stansted
Airport to Cardiff. Its services call at more than 100 stations and connects seven of
Britain’s ten largest cities.
The new agreement “brings stability to CrossCountry
services and provides certainty for passengers and staff as the future
direction of rail reform takes shape,” said transport minister Grant Shapps.
“Vital, long-distance rail services, which people across
the length of Great Britain rely on, will continue to run and support the UK’s
recovery from Covid-19, thanks to this new contract,” he added.
“As people
return to the railway, passengers will benefit from more capacity and
operational staff, along with new measures to help passengers with
disabilities, aligned with current best practice across the rail industry.”
CrossCountry’s managing director, Tom Joyner, said, “This is
great news for our customers and stakeholders and recognises the importance of
our continuing to deliver long-distance business and leisure services across
England, Scotland and Wales.”
“Our
trains connect towns and cities, people and communities across Great Britain,
and this will be essential as we rebuild our national and local economies. We
will continue to focus on highlighting the benefits of rail travel and ensuring
our customers can travel with confidence.”
The extension to the contract will see a renewed focus on
the environment.To reduce diesel emissions, Arriva CrossCountry will trial the
use of on-train batteries when its Voyager trains enter and leave stations.
The contract will see the government take on the revenue
and cost risk associated with the franchise and pay Arriva a performance-linked
fee to operate the service, incentivising the company to deliver improvements
to operational performance, passenger experience and service quality.
This new contract complements the Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements (ERMAs) announced in September, in place for up to 18 months, where the government pays train companies a small management fee to keep services running through the pandemic.