Commenting on the Feb. 27 announcement by the DfT of the invitation to tender for the new TransPennine Express franchise competition, a FirstGroup spokesperson said:
"We note the DfT's publication today of the invitation to tender for the new TransPennine Express franchise, and will take time to study the detail as we work on the upcoming submission of our bid. FirstGroup has a great track record with the current First TransPennine Express franchise which provides vital connections between the key cities of the North of England and Scotland. Since the franchise began, the team at First TransPennine Express have worked hard to introduce more capacity with brand new trains, increased frequency and improved journey times and as a result the service is more popular than ever, with 26m passengers last year compared to 13m in 2004. We are currently in negotiations with the DfT concerning a direct award to continue this successful operation of First TransPennine Express to April 2016 and these talks are progressing well."
