West Coast Partnership Development
 | |
| Dates of operation | 8 December 2019–18 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Website | westcoastpartnershipdevelopment |
West Coast Partnership Development (WCPD) is the Shadow Operator for HS2 and part of West Coast Partnership, a joint venture between FirstGroup and Trenitalia.[1]
During November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the InterCity West Coast franchise would be replaced by the West Coast Partnership (WCP). In August 2019, the DfT awarded the WCP franchise to the First Trenitalia consortium. Originally, the franchise was scheduled to run until March 2030, and had also been set to operate the initial High Speed 2 services from 2026, before project delays moved its expected completion.[2] However, during December 2020, it was announced that First Trenitalia and the DfT had agreed to terminate the WCP franchise at the earlier date of 31 March 2026 as part of the abolition of the franchise system;[3] later revisions resulting from COVID-19 and poor performance shortened the contract expiry to October 2023 before being extended to October 2026.[4]
The role of West Coast Partnership Development is to design and deliver a fully integrated high-speed and intercity rail network along the West Coast Main Line corridor. The shadow operator is designing the high-speed services which will run on the new High Speed 2 railway, as well as planning the future Avanti West Coast intercity services.[1]
History
Background
In November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that the InterCity West Coast franchise would be superseded by the West Coast Partnership (WCP). The principal change of the WCP was the inclusion of the High Speed 2 (HS2) services, then envisioned to start around 2026.[5] Accordingly, the DfT required that bidders have experience in operating high-speed trains and the associated infrastructure, which led to all tendering parties either being, or partnering with, an existing high-speed operator.[6][7]
During June 2017, the DfT announced that three consortia had been shortlisted to bid for the franchise:[8][9]
- FirstGroup (70%) / Trenitalia (30%)
- MTR Corporation (75%) / Guangshen Railway Company (25%)
- Stagecoach (50%) / SNCF (30%) / Virgin Group (20%)
In December 2018, the Spanish state-owned company Renfe Operadora joined the MTR-led bid.[10] During April 2019, it was announced that the incumbent Stagecoach-led bid had been disqualified after it had proposed significant changes to the commercial terms, especially in regards to staff pensions.[11][12] Stagecoach disputed its disqualification and launched a legal challenge to have it overturned. On 17 June 2020 the High Court ruled against the company and that the decision had been lawful.[13][14]
In August 2019, the DfT awarded the franchise to the First Trenitalia consortium with Avanti West Coast to commence operations on 8 December 2019.[15][16] The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a merger inquiry into the award of the franchise following a referral from the European Commission.[17][18] In December 2019 it was announced that the CMA had approved the franchise's award; concerns that limited competition on some routes could lead to higher fares and less availability of cheaper tickets were offset by the agreement of price caps to be present in some regions.[19][20]
High Speed Services
West Coast Partnership Development is designing and delivering new High Speed services between London, the West Midlands, North West England and Scotland. These services will consist of new rolling stock, built by a 50/50 joint venture between Hitachi Rail and Alstom,[21] which will run on the new High Speed 2 railway and the West Coast Main Line. Trains will use new HS2 stations at London Euston, Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange and Birmingham Curzon Street.[22] Services between London and North West England and Scotland will use a junction at Handsacre, near Lichfield in southern Staffordshire, which will join the HS2 route with the West Coast Main Line.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Who are we?". West Coast Partnership Development News. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
- ↑ "Avanti West Coast prepares for launch on December 8". International Railway Journal. 28 November 2019. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Two franchises abolished for good, as First and DfT agree terms". www.railnews.co.uk. Archived from the original on 10 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "West Coast Partnership and Cross Country rail operator direct awards" (Press release). London: Department for Transport. 19 September 2023. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "New West Coast rail franchise to run HS2 services". BBC News. Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Lea, Robert. "Wanted: Superfast mover to partner Virgin and Stagecoach for HS2". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "RENFE poised to join Virgin's HS2 franchise bid". Railway Gazette International. DVV Media Group. 11 April 2017. Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "West Coast Partnership and South Eastern rail franchise bidders". Department for Transport. 22 June 2017. Archived from the original on 21 September 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Three shortlisted for West Coast Partnership franchise". Railway Gazette International. 22 June 2017. Archived from the original on 22 June 2017. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "RENFE joins MTR's West Coast Partnership bid team". Railway Gazette International. 20 December 2018. Archived from the original on 11 August 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Stagecoach disqualified from three franchises in pension dispute". Railway Gazette. 10 April 2019. Archived from the original on 11 August 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Murden, Terry (10 April 2019). "Stagecoach 'disqualified' from UK rail franchise bids". Daily Business. Edinburgh. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Decision to disqualify bidders from rail franchise procurements was lawful: High Court". Local Government Lawyer. London. 17 June 2020. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Hart, Charlie (18 June 2020). "Stagecoach 'disappointed' by High Court ruling on rail bid ban". Supply Management. Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "FirstGroup and Trenitalia welcome West Coast Partnership Award". London Stock Exchange. 14 August 2019. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "West Coast marks new partnership model for rail" (Press release). Department for Transport. 14 August 2019. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "First Rail Holdings & Trenitalia UK / West Coast Partnership Rail Franchise". Competition and Markets Authority. 20 September 2019. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Topham, Gwyn (27 November 2019). "West coast train services to be rebranded with Avanti logo". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "CMA accepts price caps on West Coast Rail lines" (Press release). London: Competition and Markets Authority. 6 December 2019. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Saker-Clark, Henry (6 December 2019). "Preston-to-Scotland fares to be capped after CMA probe into Avanti franchise". Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "HS2 agrees £2bn deal to build UK's fastest trains - BBC News". 2021-12-09. Archived from the original on 2021-12-09. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
- ↑ "London-to-Birmingham high speed train route announced". BBC News. 2010-12-20. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
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