DOR figures don't bear up, says Hammond

摘要

At the unveiling of mock-ups of two Siemens Class 700 Thameslink EMU cars on January 28, Transport Minister Stephen Hammond was asked by the national press how he felt about the state-owned Xeolis of France and Eurostar bidding for the replacement Intercity East Coast franchise against only private companies from the UK. Hammond replied that DfT subsidiary and 1CEC incumbent Directly Operated Railways 'exists because the government has to have a plan if an operator fails'. He said 'they had a job to do which was to stabilise the problems, ensure that a service was provided and they've done that'.