West Coast Partnership combines ICWC and HS2

摘要

On November 4 DfT announced the creation of a new franchise which will combine the current Intercity West Coast 'with the development and introduction of High Speed 2 services'. The West Coast Partnership will take over ICWC services in April 2019, a year later than previously planned (RBI510 p1), and will be responsible for operating HS2 services for 'the first three to five years' following their introduction in 2026. Implementing this new policy will involve negotiating a new short-term contract extending Virgin Trains' current direct award which is scheduled to end in April 2018.