Notice

TransPennine Express rail services: prior information notice

Published 15 March 2022

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Prior information notice for public service contract

Form for notification under Article 7(2) of Regulation 1370/2007, as amended by the Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 (Public Service Obligations in Transport) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020, to be published one year before the launch of the invitation to tender procedure or direct award on the Department for Tranport’s website.

Competent authorities may decide not to publish this information where a public service contract concerns an annual provision of less than 50,000 kilometres of public passenger transport services.

Section I: competent authority

I.1) Name and address

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

Email: railprocurement@dft.gov.uk

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code

UKI32 – Westminster

I.3) Communication

Additional information can be obtained from the address above.

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 TransPennine Express rail Services. Currently operated by First TransPennine Express Ltd.

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

• UKC – North East (England)
• UKD – North West (England)
• UKE – Yorkshire and the Humber
• UKM – Scotland

Main site or place of performance

TransPennine Express rail services link North West England, Yorkshire and the Humber, North East England and Scotland. They serve the key cities of Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Hull and Newcastle.

II.2.4) Description of the procurement

Contract for provision of commuter, regional and long-distance rail services on the UK conventional mainline rail system.

It is envisaged the services will be substantially similar to those currently operated under the TransPennine Express Limited Rail Contract (dated 19 May 2021). There is a mixture of leisure, business and commuter travel on these rail services.

II.2.7) Envisaged start date and the duration of the contract

Start date: 1 April 2023.

Duration in months: 96.

Section IV: procedure

IV.1) Type of procedure

Direct awards for railway transport (art. 5(6) of 1370/2007).

Section VI: complementary information

VI.1) Additional information

The start date will commence between 1 April 2023 and 28 May 2023. The 96-month duration comprises a core term of 4 years with up to a further 4 years entirely at the Secretary of State for Transport’s discretion. It is terminable at any time after the core term with a minimum of 3 months’ notice.

A key feature of this direct award will be an obligation to:

• support delivery of the Trans Pennine route upgrade (TRU) programme
• comply with, support, stand behind and drive the delivery of both rail services and workforce reform

The length of the direct award is intended to ensure service and stewardship continuity, given the scale and complexity of the planned TRU infrastructure programme.

The latter would benefit from having a single operating company to deliver a partner role during the most disruptive phases of programme delivery, to reduce the risk of delay or increased cost introduced by going out to competition and changing owning group at a critical time of programme delivery.

V1.4) Date of dispatch of this notice

8 March 2022