Keolis

InterCity West Coast franchise: Keolis and SNCF welcome the news

Today’s confirmation by the Department for Transport that Keolis SNCF West Coast is being invited to bid for the InterCity West Coast rail franchise was warmly welcomed by both companies.

Alistair Gordon, chief executive of Keolis UK, said: ‘We are delighted to be qualified for the next stage.

‘Our partnership is underpinned by a wide range of world-class experience and skills gained in the UK and overseas including intercity and high-speed services. We are determined to use this to provide a compelling bid.

‘We look forward to working with stakeholders throughout the franchise area in the coming weeks as we develop our proposals.’

Bertrand Guillon, UK development director for SNCF Proximités, said: ‘We are very pleased to have qualified for this tender and will do all we can to bring our resources, experience and expertise to the InterCity West Coast franchise for the benefit of rail customers.’

Keolis key facts

• ·Keolis has been involved in passenger rail in the UK for 15 years. The group has holdings in two joint ventures in the UK which in total run four train operating companies providing high-speed, long-distance and commuter services. They carry more than a quarter of all rail passengers in Britain
• Govia, the joint venture with Go-Ahead runs Southeastern, Southern and London Midland. FirstKeolis, the joint venture with FirstGroup, operates the First TransPennine Express network in the north of England and Scotland
• Shareholders in Keolis are SNCF Participations 56.5 per cent, Axa Private Equity/Caisse de depot et de placement du Quebec – the Quebec public pension fund - 40.7 per cent and management and staff 2.8 per cent
• Keolis operates in 12 countries around the world providing rail, metro, bus and coach services, among others, and it employs 47,000 staff
• Among its key contracts are Melbourne’s Yarra Trams, the world’s largest tram system, and Virginia Railway Express, serving southern and western suburbs of Washington, DC.
• In 2010 it enjoyed record growth. Revenue reached 4.114 billion Euros, (£3.56 billion) up 20.1 per cent on 2009. Passenger rail accounted for 23 per cent of group turnover.

SNCF key facts

• SNCF is a world leader in  transport and logistics, with a presence in 120 countries and a total workforce of 241,000 
• 2010 revenues were €30.5 billion, 20% of which was generated outside of France. 
• The largest shareholder in Keolis, SNCF is 100 per cent state-owned
• Its flagship brands include TGV (Train a Grand Vitesse, launched in 1981), Eurostar, Thalys, IDTGV, Voyages-SNCF.com, Geodis and Systra
• In 2010, SNCF’s long-distance and high-speed passenger rail division - SNCF Voyages - carried 132 million passengers.