French transport company Keolis and construction firm Amey have joined forces to bid for the next Wales and Borders rail franchise. The companies are also bidding to build the next phase of the Metro with Valley Lines electrification.
Alistair Gordon, chief executive of Keolis UK, said the partnership with Amey, which already works as a contractor for Network Rail in Wales, would be able to deliver civil engineering projects as well as operate the trains. According to him, the Welsh Government’s South Wales Metro programme, which aims to encompass bus and rail services, was a “huge attraction” for bidders.
The Welsh Government plans to start selecting the next franchise operator this summer, with the aim of concluding the process by the time Arriva’s franchise ends in October 2018.
In February the Government revealed that it was considering handing the Valley Lines to a concessionaire to modernise and operate, to avoid having to wait until Network Rail was ready to electrify the system.
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