03/04/2007
Stagecoach Group plc is pleased to announce that it has been selected as preferred bidder for the contract to operate and maintain the Manchester Metrolink tram network.
Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) announced today (3 April 2007) that Stagecoach Metrolink has been selected as its preferred bidder for a combined contract to operate and maintain the 37km Manchester Metrolink system and the associated infrastructure.
The contract will run for a 10-year term and is expected to commence within the next three months. It will include managing a number of special projects sponsored by GMPTE to improve the trams and infrastructure to benefit passengers. Stagecoach Metrolink will also be responsible for operating tram services on the new Metrolink lines to Oldham, Rochdale, Droylsden and Chorlton.
Nearly 20 million passengers travel every year on the Metrolink network, which generates an annual turnover of around £22million. Metrolink operates four routes:
- Altrincham - Manchester City Centre - Bury
- Altrincham - Manchester Piccadilly Rail Station
- Bury - Manchester Piccadilly Rail Station
- Eccles - Manchester Piccadilly Rail Station
Stagecoach already operates Supertram, a 29km tram system in Sheffield, incorporating three routes in the city.
Ian Dobbs, Chief Executive of Stagecoach Group’s Rail Division, said: “We are delighted to have been selected as preferred bidder for the contract to run Manchester’s Metrolink network, which is one of the UK’s premier light rail systems.
“Stagecoach already operates a major tram system in Sheffield, where we are now carrying a record 13 million passengers a year and we will build on this operational expertise to deliver a first-class service to passengers in Manchester in partnership with GMPTE.
“We have developed an excellent reputation for delivering high-quality bus services in Manchester over the past decade, and we are already working hard on our plans to improve Metrolink’s quality of service to customers and attract more people to the tram.”
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Steve Stewart, Head of Media and Public Affairs, Stagecoach Group
Tel: 01738 442111 or mobile 07764 774680
NOTES TO EDITORS
Metrolink
The shortlisted bidders for the new Metrolink contracts were:
| Project | Tenderers |
| Operations and Tram Maintenance |
• Stagecoach • Keolis |
| Infrastructure Maintenance | • Carillion • First Engineering |
| Combined Operations and Tram maintenance, and Infrastructure Maintenance | • Stagecoach • Keolis |
The current operator of Manchester Metrolink is Serco.
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group is a leading international transportation group, with extensive bus and rail operations in the UK and North America. The Group's businesses operate around 12,000 vehicles and rolling stock, and employ around 27,000 people.
Stagecoach currently operates more than 7,000 buses and employs around 20,000 people at its UK Bus division, which includes 19 regional operating companies. Its network stretches from south-west England to the Highlands of Scotland, covering major cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield, Hull, Oxford and Cambridge, as well as key shire towns and rural areas.
Stagecoach Manchester operates around 660 buses in South Manchester, including Trafford, Stockport, Tameside and Glossop. The company employs around 1,700 staff and carries 82 million passengers a year.
Stagecoach operates the Supertram network in Sheffield on a 27-year concession running until 2024.
Stagecoach operates the South Western rail franchise, which includes the South West Trains and Island Line networks. South West Trains, the UK's biggest commuter rail network, runs nearly 1700 trains a day in the south-west of England out of London Waterloo. Island Line, on the Isle of Wight, has been designated a Community Rail Partnership. In addition, Stagecoach has a 49% shareholding in Virgin Rail Group, which operates the CrossCountry and West Coast inter-city rail franchises.
Stagecoach Group is shortlisted for the East Midlands rail franchise, which runs from November 2007.
Virgin Rail Group has been shortlisted for the new Cross Country franchise, also commencing in November 2007.
A Stagecoach-Virgin’s joint venture, inter city – railways ltd, has been shortlisted for the InterCity East Coast rail franchise, which is expected to start in autumn 2007.
