Go-Ahead and Keolis partnership shortlisted to bid for Crossrail
Posted: 25 June 2013 | | 1 comment
A joint venture between Go-Ahead and Keolis has been shortlisted to bid for Transport for London’s Crossrail franchise…
A joint venture between Go-Ahead and Keolis has been shortlisted to bid for Transport for London’s Crossrail franchise, the first new major UK railway in a century.
The partners currently operate three rail franchises together – Southern, Southeastern and London Midland – through Govia.
David Brown, Group Chief Executive of Go-Ahead said: “We are very pleased to be on the Crossrail shortlist and look forward to working with Keolis on a compelling bid. Over the coming months we will draw on our combined experience of operating high density rail networks both in the UK and abroad, and aim to demonstrate that we can meet Transport for London’s ambitions for delivering a world class service to passengers.”
Transport for London is expected to announce the winning bidder by the end of 2014 with the contract expected to start in May 2015.
It is interesting that Go-Ahead has established a close working relationship with Keolis in running, UK franchises but seem to have little interest in applying for contracts in continental Europe. I accept that the French Government has yet to completely open it’s doors to foreign companies but, as their partner Keolis is a subsidiary of SNCF, surely Go-Ahead would have easier access to French public transport than most other companies.