Consultation Into New Franchise
Passengers across South East London and Kent are being asked for their views to help shape a new franchise for train services across the area.
The consultation launched by Rail Minister Theresa Villiers today gives local communities served by the franchise a chance to say what improvements to train services they would like to see. It also asks for the views of potential bidders on how they will improve service quality for passengers.
Theresa Villiers said:
"Before we let this franchise, we want to make sure we make the right decisions to maximise the benefits passengers get from it.
"This consultation sets out a range of standards we expect any new operator to deliver as a matter of course, including improvements to stations, rolling out smart ticketing technology, better passenger information and good levels of punctuality. But we also want passengers and anyone else with an interest in the railways to tell us about other ways services could be improved."
The new South Eastern franchise is due to start in April 2014 and run until September 2020 with a possible extension by up to two years. The consultation commences on May 2012 and closes on August 2012.