STAGECOACH SOUTH WESTERN TRAINS FORMS ALLIANCE WITH NETWORK RAIL
Stagecoach Group plc ("Stagecoach") is pleased to announce that its subsidiary, Stagecoach South Western Trains Ltd ("SSWT"), has signed an agreement with Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd ("NRIL"), entering into an alliance to deliver rail services in the south and south-west of England.
A single senior joint management team is now responsible for both train and track on the Wessex route operating out of London Waterloo with the aim of delivering a better service for passengers and a more efficient, lower-cost railway through more collaborative working, better decision-making and fully aligned incentives.
The alliance, a first for the UK rail industry, has been formally approved by the Department for Transport ("DfT") and the Office of Rail Regulation ("ORR").
Sir Brian Souter, Chief Executive of Stagecoach Group, said: "This new model is a real opportunity to deliver change that will benefit both passengers and taxpayers and support our objective of growing the railway.
"Safety will continue to be our top priority and will remain at the core of the way we run the railway. In addition, by working more closely with Network Rail than ever before, and with aligned incentives, we can deliver a more customer-focused and more efficient railway for the long-term."
David Higgins, Chief Executive, Network Rail, said: "This marks a new phase in the evolution of Network Rail as we continue to push decision making away from the centre, empowering our front-line managers to run the railway more effectively, and forging closer working relationships with our customers, the train operators.
"Network Rail will continue to focus on delivering our obligations to all parties, protecting the interests of all customers whilst maintaining the seamless operation of the whole network."
The alliance has been set up to run until 4 February 2017, the expiry date of the SSWT franchise agreement.
