Trenitalia and First Group to issue joint bid for two British rail franchises

Trenitalia UK Ltd and FirstGroup plc are to join forces to bid for East Midlands and West Coast Partnership rail franchises.

First Group and Trenitalia, part of FS Italiane Group, have announced they will issue a joint bid for the East Midlands and West Coast Partnership rail franchise competitions which are due to be awarded in 2018.

First Trenitalia East Midlands Rail Limited submit bid for East Midlands rail franchise

The joint venture – First Trenitalia East Midlands Rail Limited – submitted and expression of interest to the Department for Transport on the 24 January 2017 in respect of the East Midlands rail franchise competition which is due to commence in July 2018.

Commenting on the joint venture bid, Steve Montgomery, First Rail Managing Director said: “We are pleased to announce that we will be partnering with Trenitalia to bid for the upcoming East Midlands and West Coast Partnership rail franchises. We have a strong track record in delivering continued modernisation and investment, alongside industry partners, through our rail operating companies Great Western Railway, TransPennine Express and Rail Operator of the Year, Hull Trains.

“Both ourselves and Trenitalia have extensive expertise of running commuter, regional and long distance services such as those that make up the East Midlands franchise. Their knowledge will add further depth and understanding as we develop our proposals to deliver passenger benefits that take full advantage of the significant investment that government and the industry are making in the region’s rail infrastructure. Our proposals will keep people moving and communities prospering.

“Similarly, Trenitalia have transformed the customer experience on Italy’s railways through their high speed Frecciarossa routes. They will be a world class bidding partner as we develop proposals to deliver excellent services for West Coast passengers and work closely with HS2 Ltd to deliver the best solutions for the new HS2 service whilst reducing crowding on the existing network and generate economic growth up and down the country.”

Barbara Morgante, CEO of Trenitalia, added: “We are delighted to announce our partnership with FirstGroup, with whom we will participate in the recently announced East Midlands and West Coast Partnership bids. We believe that the experience, competence, innovation and skills of our two companies, developed in international markets, represents a perfect mix to vie for these challenging bids. Trenitalia is ready to bring all its competencies to the partnership, both from a technical and commercial side, developed in the highly competitive Italian market. Our proposal will be driven by our highly customer focused vision. Our recent agreement-in-principle for the acquisition of c2c also serves to transform us from a potential new comer into a convincing, and effective, player in the UK market, and will strengthen the Trenitalia-FirstGroup partnership.

“This partnership is a second milestone in our plan to expand in the UK rail passenger market, in line with the internationalisation plans of the entire FS Italiane Group.”