Greater Western franchise

Greater Western
The current holder of the Greater Western passenger franchise is Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western)
Current operatorGreat Western Railway
Main Route(s)Great Western Main Line, South Wales Main Line, Reading to Taunton Line, South Devon Main Line, Cornish Main Line, Wessex Main Line
Dates of operation1 April 2006 – 25 June 2028
Other
Websitehttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/first-great-western
Route map
Route map

Greater Western is a railway franchise for the provision of passenger services from London Paddington to the Cotswolds, West of England, South West England and South Wales. The current holder is Great Western Railway.

History

In 2003, as part of a franchise reorganisation by the Strategic Rail Authority, it was announced that the Great Western, Thames Trains and Wessex Trains franchises would be combined to form the Greater Western Franchise. This was part of a strategy to reduce the number of train operating companies providing services from a single London terminal, in order to improve efficiency and reliability.

In April 2005, the Authority announced that FirstGroup, National Express and Stagecoach had been shortlisted to bid for the new franchise.[1]

In December 2005, the Department for Transport awarded the franchise to FirstGroup, with the services operated by First Great Western, First Great Western Link and Wessex Trains transferred to First Great Western on 1 April 2006.[2]

The franchise was for ten years with the last three years being optional. Unusually, this option could be exercised by either party; elsewhere these options are at the sole discretion of the Department for Transport. On 14 May 2011, First announced it would not be taking up the option, with the franchise to end on 31 March 2013, citing a desire for a longer-term contract due to the impending upgrade to the Great Western Main Line.[3]

In January 2013, the government announced the franchise competition had been cancelled, with the existing franchise extended until 12 October 2013 when it would be terminated. Negotiations took place with First in January 2013 for it to run the franchise on a management contract basis for two years.[4] A two-year franchise extension until September 2015 was agreed in October 2013,[5][6] and subsequently extended until March 2019.[7][8][9] An extension to April 2019 was granted in March 2015.[10] In 2016 an extension to March 2020 was announced on the First Group website, and this was confirmed by the government in November 2017, along with an intention to discuss with First a continuation until March 2022.[11]

Cancelled 2013 franchise competition

Four bidders pre-qualified for the 2013 Great Western passenger franchise: clockwise from top left, Arriva, Stagecoach, First and National Express

Expressions of interest in bidding for the new franchise were called for in December 2011[12] and in March 2012 it was announced that Arriva UK Trains, FirstGroup, National Express and Stagecoach had been shortlisted to bid. The winner was to be announced in December 2012, with the new franchisee taking over in April 2013,[13][14] however, it was announced in July 2012 that the franchise would be extended due to the late issue of the invitation to tender (ITT).[15]

The ITT was released at the end of July 2012,[16] with bids to be submitted in October 2012, the winner announced in March 2013, and operations commence on 21 July 2013.[17] However, in the wake of the InterCity West Coast refranchising process collapsing, the government announced in October 2012 that the process would be put on hold pending the results of a review.[18]

The new franchise was to have run for 15 years and seen the introduction of new InterCity Express Trains, capacity enhancements and smart ticketing.[19]

Possible future services

In October 2013, a document released by the government[20] which described the economic case for High Speed 2 (HS2) included indications of future plans for the national rail network, as a 'Do Minimum' baseline against which HS2 was compared. The assumptions for the Greater Western franchise included:

Future of the franchise

In November 2017, the government announced it was considering splitting the franchise, to create a new West of England franchise to provide long-distance services between London, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall together, with local and regional services across the south-west.[21][22] This proposal was dropped by the Department for Transport after a consultation.[23] At the same time, the government confirmed its intention to extend the franchise to March 2020, and proposed a further extension to March 2022.[11] In March 2020, a further extension to 31 March 2023 was awarded by the DfT with an option to extend for a further year.[24][25]

In June 2022, following the COVID-19 emergency measures, the DfT replaced GWR's franchise agreement with a direct award contract expiring on 25 June 2028.[26]

References

  1. ^ "SRA - Pre-qualified Bidders for Two New Passenger Rail Franchises were announced by the SRA today". 7 April 2005. Archived from the original on 7 April 2005. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  2. ^ "Greater Western Franchise - Publications - Department for Transport". Dft.gov.uk. 2 February 2006. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  3. ^ "First Great Western bids for longer rail franchise deal". BBC News. 11 May 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  4. ^ Rail franchising future programme Department for Transport 31 January 2013
  5. ^ "First celebrates last-minute Great Western deal". Railnews. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
  6. ^ "First Great Western retains Wales and west rail franchise". BBC News. BBC. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
  7. ^ "First Great Western offered new franchise deal". BBC News. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  8. ^ "FirstGroup wins Great Western contract extension". The Guardian. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  9. ^ "Updated franchise schedule signals GW extension". Railnews. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  10. ^ "FirstGroup's Great Western rail deal extended to 2019". BBC News. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  11. ^ a b "Great Western Rail Franchise: Public Consultation" (PDF). November 2017. p. 6. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  12. ^ "UK-London: Great Western rail passenger franchise letting". Tendersdirect.co.uk. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  13. ^ Haigh, Philip (18 April 2012). "First leads a field of seven bidding for rail franchises". Rail Magazine. No. 694. Peterborough: Bauer Media. pp. 8–9.
  14. ^ "Bidders to oversee improvements on rail franchises announced - News - Department for Transport". Dft.gov.uk. 29 March 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  15. ^ "Great Western franchise to be extended". Railnews. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  16. ^ "New Great Western franchise to deliver new express trains - News - Department for Transport". Dft.gov.uk. 27 July 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  17. ^ "New Great Western franchise to deliver new express trains" (Press release). Department for Transport. 27 July 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  18. ^ "West Coast Main Line franchise competition cancelled - News - Department for Transport". Dft.gov.uk. 3 October 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  19. ^ "Weston-super-Mare to London rail re-franchise concerns". BBC News. BBC. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  20. ^ "The Economic Case for HS2" (PDF). hs2.org.uk. High Speed Two Ltd. October 2013. pp. 27–28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  21. ^ "Rail revamp aims to tackle train delays". BBC News: Business. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  22. ^ "The future of the Great Western franchise". gov.uk. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  23. ^ "Transport Committee". parliamentlive.tv. UK Parliament. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  24. ^ Critical rail services protected in new GWR and Southeastern Department for Transport 30 March 2020
  25. ^ FirstGroup says new Great Western contract has appropriate balance of risk and reward Railway Gazette International 30 March 2020
  26. ^ "First Greater Western Limited 2022 national rail contract" (PDF). Department for Transport. 14 June 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2023.

Read other articles:

1943 Kentucky Derby

69th running of the Kentucky Derby 69th Kentucky DerbyKentucky DerbyGrade I stakes raceCount Fleet winning the 1943 Kentucky DerbyLocationChurchill DownsDateMay 1, 1943Winning horseCount FleetWinning time2:04 flatJockeyJohnny LongdenTrainerGregory Duncan CameronOwnerFannie HertzConditionsFast[1]SurfaceDirtAttendanceabout 60,000[2]← 19421944 → The 1943 Kentucky Derby, also known as the Street-car Derby, was the 69th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race ...

 

قائمة ملاعب كرة القدم في العراق

هذه قائمة ملاعب كرة القدم العراق التي تتضمن أكثر من 60 ملعب.[1] ملاعب العراق الصورة الملعب المحافظة السعة الأندية الافتتاح معلومات ملعب جذع النخلة البصرة 65,000 منتخب العراق 2013 أكبر ملعب في العراق ملعب التاجيات الدولي بغداد 60,000 قيد الإنشاء ملعب الشعب الدولي بغداد 34,200 الشرط...

 

Arsitektur Ukraina

Gerbang Emas di Kyiv, sebagian besar telah direkonstruksi, sekitar tahun 1100 Berbagai struktur Kyiv Pechersk Lavra berasal dari periode waktu yang berbeda, dan melalui gayanya, memberikan wawasan tentang Sejarah Ukraina dan keahlian yang kaya yang dikembangkan dalam periode yang panjang. Arsitektur Ukraina berakar dari negara bagian Slavia Timur, Kievan Rus'. Setelah invasi Mongol ke Rus Kiev, sejarah arsitektur yang berbeda berlanjut di kerajaan Galisia-Volhynia dan kemudian di Keharyapatih...

Stregoneria

Disambiguazione – Se stai cercando altri significati, vedi Stregoneria (disambigua). Disambiguazione – Stregone rimanda qui. Se stai cercando altri significati, vedi Stregone (disambigua). Immagine tipica di uno stregone, ossia un vecchio con una lunga barba bianca, un cappello a tesa larga, e un bastone.[1] La stregoneria è generalmente considerata un insieme di pratiche magiche e rituali, perlopiù a carattere simbolico, tese a influire positivamente o negativamente su...

 

Kepulauan Andaman

artikel ini perlu dirapikan agar memenuhi standar Wikipedia. Tidak ada alasan yang diberikan. Silakan kembangkan artikel ini semampu Anda. Merapikan artikel dapat dilakukan dengan wikifikasi atau membagi artikel ke paragraf-paragraf. Jika sudah dirapikan, silakan hapus templat ini. (Pelajari cara dan kapan saatnya untuk menghapus pesan templat ini) Kepulauan AndamanLokasi Kepulauan Andaman di Samudra HindiaGeografiLokasiTeluk BenggalaKoordinat12°30′N 92°45′E / 12.500°N ...

 

Silvi Vrait

Estonian singer Silvi VraitSilvi Vrait in 1989Background informationBorn(1951-04-28)28 April 1951Kehra, EstoniaDied28 June 2013(2013-06-28) (aged 62)Tallinn, EstoniaGenresJazz, country, rock, folkOccupation(s)Singer, music teacherInstrument(s)Vocals, pianoYears active1972–2013Musical artist Silvi Vrait (28 April 1951 – 28 June 2013) was an Estonian singer and music teacher.[1] Biography Vrait was born in Kehra in 1951 to Einar Edward Wright, a Minnesota-born American of Finni...

Bad Boy (film 2023)

Bad BoyPoster rilis teatrikalSutradaraRajkumar SantoshiProduserAnjum QureshiSajid QureshiDitulis olehSanjeevRanjit KapoorBerdasarkanCinema Choopistha Mava (Telugu)PemeranNamashi ChakraborthyAmrin QureshiDarshan JariwalaJohny LeverPenata musikSongs:Himesh ReshammiyaScore:Raju SinghSinematograferTanveer MirPenyuntingSteven H. BernardTanggal rilis 28 April 2023 (2023-04-28)[1] NegaraIndiaBahasaHindi Bad Boy adalah film komedi romatis India berbahasa Hindi tahun 2023[2]...

 

John Pollard (speaker)

16th-century English politician Sir John Pollard (died August 1557) was a Speaker of the House of Commons. He became Speaker in 1553 and was made a Knight Bachelor only a few weeks before his death. Life Monument in Nuneham Courtenay Church, Oxfordshire, of Anthony Pollard (d. 1577), brother and heir of John Pollard, and his wife Philippa (d. 1606) He was second son of Walter Pollard of Plymouth, by Avice, daughter of Richard Pollard of Way, in the parish of St Giles in the Wood, near Great T...

 

Byzantinische Zeitschrift

Byzantinische Zeitschrift Academic journalByzantinische ZeitschriftDisciplineByzantine studiesLanguageGermanEdited byAlbrecht Berger (since 2004)Publication detailsHistory1892–1914, 1919–1943, 1949–presentPublisherWalter de Gruyter (since 2008) (Germany)Standard abbreviationsISO 4 (alt) · Bluebook (alt1 · alt2)NLM (alt) · MathSciNet (alt )ISO 4Byz. Z.IndexingCODEN (alt · alt2) · JSTOR (alt) · L...

Three Men and a Comic Book

21st episode of the 2nd season of The Simpsons Three Men and a Comic BookThe Simpsons episodeEpisode no.Season 2Episode 21Directed byWes M. ArcherWritten byJeff MartinProduction code7F21Original air dateMay 9, 1991 (1991-05-09)Guest appearances Cloris Leachman as Mrs. Glick Daniel Stern as the adult version of Bart Episode featuresChalkboard gagI will not show off (written in Blackletter font)Couch gagThe couch tips over backwards.CommentaryMatt GroeningJeff MartinAl JeanM...

 

Augusto Farfus

Brazilian racing driver Farfus redirects here. For the Mickey Mouse character, see Farfus (Mickey Mouse). Augusto Farfus Jr.Augusto Farfus in 2018.Nationality BrazilianBorn (1983-09-03) 3 September 1983 (age 40)Curitiba, BrazilDTM careerDebut season2012Current teamBMW Team RMGRacing licence FIA PlatinumCar number18Former teamsBMW Team MTEK, BMW Team RBMStarts103Wins4Poles6Fastest laps2Best finish2nd in 2013Finished last season16th (56 pts)Previous series20112005–1020042002–032000–0...

 

Fred Armisen

Fred Armisen agli Imagen Foundation Awards 2014 Fred Armisen, all'anagrafe Fereydun Robert Armisen (Hattiesburg, 4 dicembre 1966), è un comico e attore statunitense. È noto soprattutto per essere un membro del cast del programma televisivo Saturday Night Live, nel quale propone imitazioni di personalità famose o personaggi di sua creazione, oltre che per aver preso parte a diversi film comici tra i quali EuroTrip, Anchorman e Poliziotti fuori - Due sbirri a piede libero. Dal 2011 al 2018 �...

Ordine Nuovo (movimento)

Questa voce o sezione sull'argomento Fascismo è ritenuta da controllare. Motivo: Si citano appena le innumerevoli stragi commesse (Piazza Fontana, Peteano, questura di Milano, Piazza della Loggia). Non si parla dei rapporti col gruppo La Fenice e col MAR. Neanche un accenno ai rapporti col SID, fondamentali per capire la natura del movimento e la complessità dei processi. Partecipa alla discussione e/o correggi la voce. Segui i suggerimenti del progetto di riferimento. Movimento Polit...

 

新罕布什尔州

坐标：43°11′38″N 71°34′21″W / 43.1938516°N 71.5723953°W / 43.1938516; -71.5723953 此條目需要补充更多来源。 (2017年5月21日)请协助補充多方面可靠来源以改善这篇条目，无法查证的内容可能會因為异议提出而被移除。致使用者：请搜索一下条目的标题（来源搜索：新罕布什尔州 — 网页、新闻、书籍、学术、图像），以检查网络上是否存在该主题的更多可靠来源...

 

Appius Claudius Caecus

Appius Claudius CaecusLahir340 SMMeninggal273 SM (usia 67) Prasasti kenangan Appius Claudius C. F. Caecus, Appius Claudius Caecus, putra Gaius. Appius Claudius Caecus (yang Buta; skt. 340 SM– 273 SM) merupakan seorang politisi Republik Romawi dari keluarga Patrician yang kaya raya. Ia adalah putra Gaius Claudius Crassus.[1] Sebagai sensor ia bertanggung jawab atas pembangunan saluran air pertama di Roma dan proyek jalan utama. Lihat pula Claudius (gens) Referensi ^ George Converse ...

SOMUA S35

SOMUA S35L'S35 esposto presso il United States Army Ordnance Museum, negli Stati UnitiDescrizioneTipocarro armato medio Equipaggio3 Costruttore SOMUA Data impostazioneottobre 1934 Data primo collaudoluglio 1935 Data entrata in servizio1936 Data ritiro dal servizio1945 Utilizzatore principale Armée de terre Francia Libera Altri utilizzatori Francia di Vichy Germania nazista Italia Ungheria Bulgaria Jugoslavia Esemplaricirca 1000[1] Altre variantiS40SAu 40 Dimensioni e pesoLunghez...

 

Fourteenth Dynasty of Egypt

Ancient Egyptian dynasty during the Second Intermediate Period Fourteenth Dynasty of Egyptca. 1725 BC–ca. 1650 BCOrange shading indicates the territory possibly under control of the 14th Dynasty, according to Ryholt.[1]CapitalAvarisCommon languagesEgyptian languageReligion ancient Egyptian religionGovernmentAbsolute monarchyHistorical eraSecond Intermediate Period of Egypt• Established ca. 1725 BC• Disestablished ca. 1650 BC Preceded by Succeeded by Twelfth Dynast...

 

Bartolomeo Di Michele

Questa voce o sezione sull'argomento calciatori italiani non cita le fonti necessarie o quelle presenti sono insufficienti. Puoi migliorare questa voce aggiungendo citazioni da fonti attendibili secondo le linee guida sull'uso delle fonti. Segui i suggerimenti del progetto di riferimento. Bartolomeo Di MicheleDi Michele con la maglia del Pescara (1979)Nazionalità Italia Altezza178 cm Peso72 kg Calcio RuoloAttaccante Termine carriera1990 CarrieraGiovanili  Giulianova Squadre d...

Vytautas Švedas

Lithuanian rally driver (born 1983) Vytautas ŠvedasŠvedas at 2011 „300 Lakes Rally“Nationality LithuanianBorn (1983-01-07) 7 January 1983 (age 41)Lithuanian Rally Championship careerDebut season2002Current teamJuta RacingCar number3Starts42Wins7Podiums12Best finish1st in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2015Previous seriesWRC, ERCChampionship titles2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2015Lithuanian Rally Championship Vytautas Švedas (born 7 January 1983) is a Lithuanian rally d...

 

Six équipes originales de la LNH

Les six équipes originales de la Ligue nationale de hockey (en anglais : The Original Six) est un terme de hockey sur glace qui désigne les six équipes qui forment la LNH de 1942 à 1967. Ces équipes sont les Canadiens de Montréal, les Maple Leafs de Toronto, les Bruins de Boston, les Red Wings de Détroit, les Rangers de New York et les Black Hawks de Chicago. Le terme est trompeur puisque ces équipes ne sont pas celles qui sont présentes à la création de la LNH, en 1917 :...