Contract for Cross Country rail services. Currently operated by XC Trains Ltd

Tender description

Lot 1: Contract for provision of commuter, regional and long-distance rail services on the UK conventional mainline rail system. It is envisaged the services will be substantially similar to those currently operated under the XC Trains Limited Rail Contract (dated 13 October 2020), but subject to route operating and Value for Money (VfM) review. It is envisaged the services would run between: • Plymouth - Edinburgh via Leeds, with a limited service to and from Penzance - some services are extended to Glasgow via Motherwell and also to Dundee and Aberdeen; • Reading - Newcastle via Doncaster; • Bristol - Manchester; • Bournemouth - Manchester via Coventry; • Nottingham - Cardiff via Gloucester; • Birmingham - Stansted Airport via Leicester and Peterborough; and • Birmingham - Leicester local services. A Direct Award is now envisaged, in line with the policy published in March 2013 issued further to Section 26 of the Railways Act 1993.II.1.4 (nature and quantity of services or indication of needs and requirements) There is a mixture of leisure, business and commuter travel on these rail services.