NATIONAL EXPRESS RETAINS C2C FRANCHISE

Published at 16:46 on Friday 27th June 2014
Tags: c2c, Franchise, DfT, Essex Thameside

Class 357 No. 357040 departs from Shoeburyness with a c2c service to London Fenchurch Street. Brian Morrison

The Department for Transport has announced that the Essex Thameside franchise competition has been won by the current incumbent National Express.


National Express Group said it was delighted to have retained the franchise, which operates as c2c, and will now operate the service from until 2029.

Under National Express the c2c service has radically improved from the ‘Misery Line’ into the most punctual train operator in the UK. In the new 15-year franchise c2c will be transformed again, with new trains, extra services and a ground-breaking Personal Performance Promise at the heart of a Passenger Charter that will put it at the forefront of international standards of customer service.

From December 2015, a new timetable will add 20% more trains each weekday and 38% more capacity during each morning peak into Fenchurch Street, and the company is to order an additional 68 carriages to allow it to expand the service.

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