Chiltern Railways awarded new contract to provide rail services until the end of 2027

Chiltern Railways has been awarded a new contract to provide rail services until the end of 2027.

The new contract means Chiltern Railways, which is part of the Arriva Group, will continue operating its existing services between London Marylebone and Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and the West Midlands.

The new contract starts on Friday 31st December 2021 and runs until the end of 2027, the contract guarantees a core term of 3.25 years with the remainder subject to the discretion of the Secretary of State.

Awarding the new contract will build on Chiltern Railways track record of investing in trains and stations to attract millions more customers over its current 20 year franchise as well as providing certainty and a sustainable service for the customers of Chiltern Railways and benefit the communities served.

Chiltern Railways has committed to delivering the following:

• To continue and expand the trials of HybridFlex technology which converts existing trains to diesel-battery hybrid with zero emissions whilst at stations.
• To work on a business case for converting all diesel trains to hybrid technology.
• To introduce Delay Repay 15 which means customers can make compensation claims when a train arrives 15 minutes or more late at its destination.
• An improved on-board customer environment with new LED lighting and CCTV on the vast majority of trains and a plan for a light refresh of train interiors with the owners of the trains.
• Extended opening hours for the customer contact centre to ensure an enhanced customer experience is offered 7 days a week.

Richard Allan managing director of Chiltern Railways said: ‘I’m delighted and proud that Chiltern Railways has agreed a new National Rail Contract with the Department for Transport (DfT) for the next 6 years. This gives certainty to customers and stakeholders and is a vote of confidence in our future and in the hard work of the Chiltern team which has made us one of the best performing train operators over many years.

We are determined to modernise Chiltern Railways again and ensure we are fit to meet the challenges of the future. We look forward to continuing to serve our customers and attracting more customers to use the railway.‘

*Source of information : Chiltern Railways.