Chiltern is the first train operator to be granted a new franchise – the deals have been delayed due to uncertainty following the collapse of Railtrack last October.
Chiltern has run trains on the London-to-Birmingham line for five years. Managing director Adrian Shooter said: “We will be building on the achievements of the last five years with very substantial infrastructure investments to further enhance performance and increase capacity to the benefit of all our current and future passengers.”
The advantage of the deal is that it reduces the risk for financial backers by guaranteeing payments for work carried out, even if any of the parties to the contract collapse.
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