Notice

South Western rail passenger services: prior information notice

Published 2 April 2024

© Crown copyright 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/south-western-rail-passenger-services-prior-information-notice/south-western-rail-passenger-services-prior-information-notice

Department for Transport (DfT).

T01: Prior information notice (PIN) for public service contract.

Section I: competent authority

I.1 Name and address

Department for Transport
Great Minster House
33 Horseferry Road
London SW1P 4DR

Email: railprocurement@dft.gov.uk.

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code

UKI32 – Westminster

Justification for not providing organisation identifier

Not on any register.

I.2 Information about joint procurement

N/A.

I.3 Communication

Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address.

I.4 Type of the competent authority

Ministry or any other national or federal authority.

Section II: object

II.1 Scope of the procurement

II.1.1 Title

Contract for South Western rail passenger services. Currently operated by First MTR South Western Trains Limited (Ltd).

II.1.2 Main CPV code

60200000 – railway transport services.

II.1.3 Type of contract

Services. Areas covered by the public transport services: rail transport services.

II.2 Description

II.2.2 Additional CPV code(s)

60210000 – public transport services by railways.

II.2.3 Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKI London
  • UKK South West (England)
  • UK United Kingdom
  • UKJ South East (England)
Main site or place of performance

South Western rail passenger services operate between London Waterloo, South West London, and counties in South and South West England including the Isle of Wight.

II.2.4 Description of the procurement

Contract for provision of commuter and regional rail passenger services on the UK conventional mainline rail system. These serve the key cities of London, Portsmouth, Southampton and Reading, and extend as far as Bristol, Exeter and Weymouth.

Services also operate between Ryde and Shanklin on the Isle of Wight. It is envisaged the services would run between:

(a) Ascot to Guildford

(b) Brockenhurst to Lymington Pier

(c) Portsmouth Harbour to Southampton Central

(d) Salisbury to Southampton Central

(e) Salisbury to Yeovil Junction (via Westbury and Castle Cary)

(f) Eastleigh to Romsey

(g) Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin

(h) London Waterloo to Weymouth

(i) London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour (via Haslemere and Botley)

(j) London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids

(k) London Waterloo to Guildford (via Cobham, Esher, and Bookham)

(l) London Waterloo to Alton

(m) London Waterloo to Basingstoke

(n) London Waterloo to Hampton Court

(o) London Waterloo to Shepperton (via Twickenham and Kingston)

(p) London Waterloo to London Waterloo via Kingston

(q) London Waterloo to Dorking (via Bookham)

(r) London Waterloo to Chessington South

(s) London Waterloo to Reading

(t) London Waterloo to Windsor and Eton Riverside

(u) London Waterloo to London Waterloo via Hounslow

(v) London Waterloo to London Waterloo via Richmond

(w) London Waterloo to Weybridge and Woking (via Brentford and Chertsey)

There is a mixture of leisure, business and commuter travel. These services would be similar to those currently operated under the South Western National Rail contract.

A direct award is now envisaged, in line with the Public Service Obligations in Transport Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023 No.1369).

II.2.5 Award criteria

N/A.

II.2.6 Estimated value

N/A.

II.2.7 Envisaged start date and the duration of contract

Start date

25 May 2025.

Duration in months

No less than 36 months and a maximum of 96 months.

N/A.

Section IV: procurement

IV.1 Type of procedure

Direct award for railway transport under Regulation 17(1) of the Public Service Obligations in Transport Regulations 2023 (S.I.2023 No.1369).

Section V: award of contract

N/A.

Section VI: complementary information

VI.1 Additional information

It is anticipated that the contract will include a core period of at least 3 years with discretion for the Secretary of State to determine whether, and if so to what extent, the contract will continue beyond that core term, subject to a maximum contract period of between 6 and 8 years in total.

The competent authority reserves the right not to proceed with the direct award as envisaged or to use an alternative method to procure an operator for the contract.

This pre-award publication is published by the competent authority under Regulation 22 of the Public Service Obligations in Transport Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023 No. 1369), and relates to a direct award of a public service contract concerning transport by rail under Regulation 17(1) of those Regulations. The competent authority reserves the right to amend this notice at any point before the relevant day (as defined in Regulation 22(2) of those Regulations), and to publish a rectification where required to do so.

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