UK: Transport for London has shortlisted four bidders for the next concession to operate services on the cross-city Elizabeth Line.
They are:
- Arriva UK Trains;
- First Keolis Elizabeth Line, a joint venture of FirstGroup and Keolis;
- GTS Rail Operations, a joint venture of Go-Ahead Group, Sumitomo Corp and Tokyo Metro;
- MTR Corp (UK) Ltd, the incumbent.
TfL plans to issue tender documentation in April, with submissions expected in July.
The contract is expected to run for seven years from the expiry of MTR Corp’s current contract in May 2025, with an option to extend by up to two years at TfL’s discretion.
It is to be let on similar terms to the current concession, with the Mayor of London remaining responsible for setting the fares while TfL specifies and markets the service and retains the ticket revenue.
Current MTR Elizabeth Line staff would transfer to the successor operator.
‘The Elizabeth Line has had a transformational impact’, commented TfL’s Elizabeth Line Director Howard Smith when the shortlist was announced on February 16. The line had already carried more than 300 million passengers since it opened in May 2022. Smith said the new operator would ‘play a major role in supporting us to continue that growth and success, providing high levels of customer service and satisfaction.’
