Southeastern direct award signed

摘要

Extension of Govia's Southeastern franchise under a new direct award agreement was announced by DfT on September 11. Starting on October 12 and running until June 24 2018, it is the seventh direct award to be signed since the new franchising schedule was published in March 2013 (RBI435 p7). Direct awards were introduced to avoid peaks in the franchise replacement programme in line with the recommendations of the Brown review. While the incumbent continues to run the franchise, the direct awards are based on entirely new franchise agreements, including premium or subsidy payments which reflect current market conditions and DfT requirements. Describing the next three years as a 'challenging period' for Southeastern, Go-Ahead Group Chief Executive David Brown highlighted the major service changes associated with the rebuilding of London Bridge under the Thameslink Programme. These will be reflected in the Southeastern timetable to be introduced in January 2015.