WelcomeAs the bid for the new East Coast rail franchise gets underway, the National Express East Coast Bid Team wanted to talk to you! They know the bidding process can be hard to follow so set up this website as your easy reference guide to the East Coast franchise contest. Here you can find maps, info about the Department for Transports East Coast page and information on their East Coast bid. We also want you to tell us what you want and let us know your vision for the new East Coast rail franchise. The rail infrastructure for travelers in Europe gets better by the day. Its now possible for the British to travel to their favorite holiday destination Spain by rail. This suits a lot of holiday makers who are not prepared to fly due to their phobias. One of the great things about rail travel today is the fact that many people in Europe can travel by train and find a cheap vacation rental in the United Kingdom which is fast becoming one of the best places to find cheap apartments, hotels, and bed and breakfasts. When traveling the world, it is important to protect yourself from unexpected health problems. Make sure to cover yourself with Travel Health Insurance whenever you travel away from home. It is a good idea to get travelers health insurance when visiting other countries. The rail and travel industry are heavily dependent on railroad infrastructure. As infrastructure is being replaced throughout Europe and the world, composite railroad ties are being considered due to their environmental friendliness and long life spans. Railroads and rail travel is here to stay. Make sure you check back regularly so we can update you on our progress and news. In the National Express East Coast Bid Team we are very excited about bidding for this much loved franchise and look forward to delivering a world class railway you can be proud of. Welcome aboard!
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We believe that listening to
customers and stakeholders is the most important first step in
producing any vision and plan so we would like to welcome you to this
website. |
Newsflash!
Last week we took to the East Coast to meet you.
Our bid team visited seven key cities on the route to meet stakeholders and discuss the franchise. We were in:
Doncaster 13 March, Leeds 13 March, York 14 March, Newcastle 14 March, Edinburgh 15 March, Aberdeen 15 March and Peterborough 16 March.
Each day we reported back here from our travels to keep you up to date. Make sure you check in with us regularly to stay updated.
Bowkers Blog
23rd March - by Richard Bowker
Work is now well advanced on putting together our thoughts on the East Coast bid following the stakeholder meetings that went so well. Our focus, as ever in National Express, is on putting the customer at the heart of everything.
Of course, the big news this week was the Budget. There werent many references to transport apart from passing mention of the Stern and Eddington reports. We have to await the Comprehensive Spending Review later in the year to see how this translates into transport spending.
However, in the meantime we are considering how National Express can take the initiative far more than train companies have perhaps done in the past. The Secretary of State for Transport recently announced funding for 1,000 new railway carriages and in so doing gave the strong impression that up till now the industrys plans had lacked ambition.
We agree with him 100%, so our plans for East Coast will be full of vision and ambition. Sadly we cant discuss it at the moment, and anyway, why give winning ideas away to others? But were getting pretty excited! In the meantime, Id like to say thank you to everyone who has sent us ideas. Keep them coming its your East Coast!
16th March - by David Franks, Chief Executive, National Express Group Trains Division
Our last stop on the tour was Peterborough - a changing city and area thats tipped for tremendous growth. Hot topics here ranged from capacity to catering - echoing themes we have heard the length of the route this week.
It was great to see representatives from Amicus and the RMT trade unions in the audience and hear directly from them what they want for the future of the East Coast route. Employees are the lifeblood of any successful business. At National Express we believe in providing our people with the skills to deliver great customer service and the opportunities to fulfil their potential.
The stakeholder roadshow has been a great opportunity to meet so many people. But its just the beginning of the conversation. Please keep your ideas coming!
15 March 2007 - by Richard Bowker
Richard meeting the Prime Minister Tony Blair and Cherie Blair
The capital of Scotland today and a clear message that rails competitiveness is a big issue. Edinburgh is a gateway to the whole of Scotland and as such, services to and from the City are a vital part of sustaining the growth in the economy that over recent years has been so spectacular. The National Express team then journeyed north to Aberdeen after which they go to Peterborough - I imagine Chris Stokes will write tomorrows Blog from somewhere in between! I headed south to Leeds to attend the Yorkshire and Humber Labour Party Gala dinner. This was an important stakeholder event at which we were able to explain the benefits that National Express brings to the whole of the region in terms of providing integrated travel solutions, although I did have to endure a few cracks about my Lancastrian roots.
On a serious note, we showed the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and other Cabinet Ministers and senior Government representatives just how focused we are on delivering sustainable, value for money transport solutions. It is clear that the vision of integrated transport is back with a vengeance and rightly so!
15th March - Aberdeen by Chris Stokes, Head of Rail Bidding, National Express Group Trains Division
To Aberdeen. First Scotrails conductor was a friendly, natural tour guide which made the scenic journey even more pleasant and showed the potential to make long distance rail journeys quality time, not simply a means of transport. The Aberdeen event was a lively discussion, ranging from the problems of anti-social behaviour on trains to the potential to improve end to end journey times, including within Scotland, and it was clear that our commitment to consultation throughout the whole length of the route was much appreciated.
Aberdeen had a great buzz, feeling friendly, prosperous and vibrant, but with grim traffic!Now going south on a GNER service to our last meeting at Peterborough, the end of a busy but very useful week.
14 March 2007 - by Richard Bowker
York was glorious this morning, bathed in spring
sunlight. We were delighted to be able to confirm to both Hugh Bayley
MP and the Leader of the Council, Steve Galloway, that National Express
would be keeping the HQ of the East Coast railway in York. York has a
proud railway past and we are determined it should have a proud future
too. It was particularly pleasing to learn we are the first bidder to
make this commitment, consistent with our approach of being a leader,
not a follower. Newcastle
came next in the afternoon where we had a tremendous turnout. Key
issues again were connecting communities and needing to recognise that
rail plays a crucial role in providing transport links for the whole
region, not just the longer intercity journeys. The issue of course
will be balancing competing priorities whilst delivering all round
excellent customer service, something National Express with its size
and experience is well placed to do. As I write we are speeding along
the Northumberland coast, Bamburgh castle to the right and Lindisfarne
in the distance. Surely there is no more beautiful and atmospheric
section of intercity railway in England?
Group Chief Executive Richard Bowker, right, meeting stakeholders in York
13 March 2007 - by Richard Bowker
Our stakeholder roadshow kicked off in Leeds and Doncaster today. Leeds is a remarkable city that has undergone amazing transformation. I lived here as a poor musician in the late 80s and Leeds, like my bank balance, was in need of a major injection of cash. That has happened in Leeds and the city today is vibrant, dynamic, a major financial and cultural centre and a great place to live and work. It was also clear from talking to the stakeholders who we met today that they arent done yet a further 5bn is to be invested in the City over the next 5 years. The East Coast railway is a vital transport artery to support that vision.In Doncaster, as in Leeds, the key messages were about frequency, reliability and connectivity. It was clear that the railway needs to do far more than it does at the moment to offer a reliable and value for money alternative to the car. We were able to explain the environmental credentials of rail but it is clear much more needs to be done to sell the benefits. The National Express vision of Making Travel Simpler as well as more environmentally sustainable was very well received.
