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The Department for Transport today confirmed that Silverlink's train franchise will be extended from 15 October 2006 to 11 November 2007. There will be an investment of £97 million in services.
New terms have been introduced to encourage recent performance improvements to be maintained. There will be no change to the timetable and service pattern Silverlink operates as a result of the franchise extension. The extension helps facilitate the re-mapping of franchises in the Midlands, which was announced by the Department for Transport in October 2005. Three new franchises - East Midlands, West Midlands and Cross Country - will replace four current franchises, which are operated by Central Trains, Silverlink, Virgin Cross Country and Midland Mainline. Remapping existing franchises will facilitate closer working between track and train to improve efficiency and performance. The extension of the contract will help to align the end dates of the four existing franchises to 11 November 2007. Rail Minister Derek Twigg said: "Our contract with Silverlink commits them to maintaining current standards of performance, where over 90% of trains are running on time. "It also means that we can continue with our plans for the new West Midlands franchise which will deliver further improvements to passengers travelling across the West Midlands." Silverlink County services will be transferred to the new West Midlands franchise. Responsibility for Silverlink Metro services will be transferred to Transport for London (TfL) in November 2007. TfL are in the process of procuring a concession to operate services after the transfer. The consultation on services in the new West Midlands franchise closed recently. Responses are being considered and will inform the Invitation to Tender, which will be given to pre-qualified bidders in Autumn 2006. The closing dates for receipt of bids is February 2007 and the winner announced in Summer 2007. Source: Press Release
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