Few probably expected National Express to win another term running the East Anglia franchise, but failing to even make the shortlist ahead of the Invitation to Tender has to be humiliating for the operator – whose reputation remains questionable after the East Coast debacle.
The Dutch are making a major play for the route, as they are for the West Coast Main Line, via Abellio – although rumours that Deutsche Bahn, Renfe and Trenitalia might make the shortlist proved unfounded despite their initial interest.
Shareholders received a £67.3m dividend last year, showing why so many European operators had their eyes on the line – as well as open access operators, who have also proved unsuccessful so far.
Soon we’ll see how much investment the shortlisted operators for East Anglia and the WCML are promising – and exactly how the DfT plans to hold them to it.
