{"id":18181,"date":"2019-04-10T11:56:01","date_gmt":"2019-04-10T10:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/?p=18181"},"modified":"2019-04-10T11:56:01","modified_gmt":"2019-04-10T10:56:01","slug":"more-seats-services-and-state-of-the-art-trains-for-passengers-on-new-east-midlands-railway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.railbusinessdaily.com\/more-seats-services-and-state-of-the-art-trains-for-passengers-on-new-east-midlands-railway\/","title":{"rendered":"More seats, services and state-of-the-art trains for passengers on new East Midlands railway"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photo\u00a0credit:\u00a0Magdanatka\u00a0\/\u00a0Shutterstock.com<\/em><\/p>\n

Abellio has today (10 April 2019) been announced as the successful bidder to operate the East Midlands Railway franchise, responsible for delivering new trains, smart ticketing and more frequent services for passengers.<\/p>\n

Abellio will oversee the introduction of brand-new trains, entirely replacing the existing intercity fleet with more reliable and comfortable trains. Passengers will benefit from an 80% increase in the number of morning peak seats into Nottingham, Lincoln and St Pancras.<\/p>\n

Passengers will also see faster journey times over long-distances, a new express service from Corby through Luton into London, the introduction of improved delay repay compensation and flexipass tickets to provide better value fares.<\/p>\n

The East Midlands Railway will also be at the forefront of the government\u2019s commitment to deliver a cleaner, greener rail network. Abellio will trial hydrogen fuel cell trains on the Midland Main Line and will run zero-carbon pilots at 6 stations along the route.<\/p>\n

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “Improving the experience for passengers is at the heart of this new franchise. Abellio will deliver state-of-the-art new trains, upgraded ticketing systems and improvements to stations.<\/p>\n

“Through zero-carbon pilot schemes, trialling hydrogen fuel cell trains and delivering more seats on modern, spacious trains, the new franchise will also play a major role in building a railway fit for the future.”<\/p>\n

Dominic Booth, Managing Director of Abellio UK, said: “Abellio is proud to have been selected as the Winning Bidder for the East Midlands franchise. We look forward to this franchise driving economic growth and delivering significant benefits for passengers.<\/p>\n

“Abellio will invest \u00a3600 million in improvements to trains and stations, maximising the effect of the government\u2019s \u00a31.5 billion upgrade of the Midland Main Line, to make journeys easier, more reliable and comfortable for our passengers.<\/p>\n

“Closer collaboration between East Midlands Railway and Network Rail will ensure that track and train are aligned to deliver vital enhancements to infrastructure and to put the interests of passengers first.”<\/p>\n

Abellio will also oversee the introduction of:<\/p>\n