Letter from DfT about Abellio Greater Anglia

OK, so I complained to the Department for Transport (DfT) about Abellio Greater Anglia (GA) and their total lack of commitment to improving their service. Today, I got a response from them, and here it is:

Dear Mr Collins,

Thank you for your e-mailed message of 19 June 2104 asking that we start a re-tendering process for the Abellio Greater Anglia rail franchise.

We announced a new directly awarded franchise agreement with Abellio Greater Anglia on 16 April 2014  please follow the link https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/rail-franchising-greater-anglia  . This will see the company continue to provide passenger rail services from July 2014 to October 2016.

 This will secure continuity of service until the new competed franchise, that is expected to start in October 2016, is let. The franchise will deliver £20 m of investment in improvements to services. Following comments from the public and partners in the rail industry, the government has secured a number of additional rail services in the off-peak period as part of the deal, which will lead to more services on local lines, providing a boost to the region’s economy. It will also mean more services between Cambridge and Stansted Airport, which will boost the city’s links with the rest of Europe.

The agreement secures tangible benefits for passengers, including a refresh of the Mark II rolling stock fleet that will see the installation of power sockets, new carpets, new seat covers and better lighting. The new agreement also requires Abellio Greater Anglia to install controlled emission toilets on to their train fleet, which will significantly reduce the amount of waste dropped onto the tracks on the network.

There will be a phased withdrawal of toilets which deposit sewage on the tracks. In particular the rolling stock used on the Norwich route will have modified toilets and new carpets and seat covers.

The next franchise will be awarded following a competition and as announced by the Secretary of State, the process will start with the OJEU expected in Spring 2015.  We will conduct a full public consultation to inform our specification. Details of all stages in the process will appear on the Department of Transport’s website.

I hope you will find this reply helpful.

Yours sincerely,

Sally Thomas

Franchise Design

I'm not sure if this is that helpful, to be honest, stuff that we've already been told really and the DfT not really listening to my complaints (shock horror). Come on DfT, throw us a bone.