Four bidders tussle for lucrative Elizabeth line contract

Global big-hitters are among the bidders for the lucrative new seven-year contract to operate London’s Elizabeth line.

The shortlist of four bidders, announced on February 16, includes train and tram operator Keolis, which currently co-manages the adjacent Docklands Light Railway with partner Amey.

It is up against GTS Rail Operations (a joint venture between Go-Ahead Holdings and Sumitomo Corporation and Tokyo Metro Company, both based in Japan) and Arriva UK Trains.

The fourth bidder is present incumbent MTR Corporation UK, whose deal expires next year.

RAIL’s request for the value of the contract brought a response that the figure is “commercially sensitive’, although the last one was worth £1.4 billion over eight years.

Tender documentation will go out in April, with submissions expected in July.

Transport for London will decide the service pattern, set the fares, and keep all the revenue.

If passenger growth continues on the cross-capital line, which opened in May 2022, the income could fill a significant hole in TfL’s finances and even help to fund projects that are on hold.

TfL says that improving reliability on the 73-mile route from Reading to Heathrow, Shenfield and Abbey Wood, with up to 24 trains an hour in the peak, is one of its priorities from the start of the contract.

Whoever takes over in May 2025 will also be expected to work closely with TfL, Network Rail and HS2 in preparing to run services to the new interchange with HS2 at Old Oak Common.

“We have introduced new, more spacious trains which run more frequently through 41 stations that were either newly built or modernised, supporting hundreds of millions of customer journeys each year,” said Elizabeth line Director Howard Smith.

“The new Elizabeth line operator will play a major role in supporting us to continue that growth and success, providing high levels of customer service and satisfaction.”