DLR Concession bidders announced

[snoggle]

TfL have announced the shortlisted bidders for the next DLR concession period which starts in September 2014.

An interesting range of companies - Serco (the incumbent), Stagecoach, Keolis and Amey, Go Ahead and Colas Rail.

The split between two different bidders of Go Ahead and Keolis is notable. The two companies have partnered for many years on rail franchises. The press release refers to a "franchise" but this is not a franchise in the same sense as applies on the National Rail network.

[grahamhewett]

The rumour machine says that not all of those short listed will necessarily bid. Serco, who had an internal coup in their bid team a little while ago*, in particular, are reported as having cold feet about their engagement with the the rail sector generally - not quite as easy as changing loo rolls in motorway service stations, eh?

GH

* This led to the removal of their then bid director and the abandonment of their bid for Calmac.

[Deleted]

Apr 17, 2013 14:08:38 GMT grahamhewett said:

The rumour machine says that not all of those short listed will necessarily bid. Serco, who had an internal coup in their bid team a little while ago*, in particular, are reported as having cold feet about their engagement with the the rail sector generally - not quite as easy as changing loo rolls in motorway service stations, eh?

GH

* This led to the removal of their then bid director and the abandonment of their bid for Calmac.

How have Serco performed as the Concessionaire?

[Deleted]

One of the tasks is:

 

* The environmental impact of the railway is reduced

Given that the line is electrified and uses ATO, how much scope does the franchisee have on environmental variables? They can't change the urban amenity visual impact of DLR's structures. Are there any loos on the DLR, subject of this franchise/concession? Could station cleaning be the area for improvement? Depot operations, train cleaning, management of lubricants etc? Or is it lineside and station litter?

[grahamhewett]

dw54 - I understood that TfL were not that satisfied with Serco's performance. I'm not sure what the basis for this might be - it may be that Serco's USP - managing down to a contract spec - was too inflexible for TfL?

As to "environmental impact", it may be none of the things you mention but about noise pollution (a common grouse in mainland Europe ).

GH

[Deleted]

Apr 18, 2013 8:35:52 GMT grahamhewett said:

dw54 - I understood that TfL were not that satisfied with Serco's performance. I'm not sure what the basis for this might be - it may be that Serco's USP - managing down to a contract spec - was too inflexible for TfL?

As to "environmental impact", it may be none of the things you mention but about noise pollution (a common grouse in mainland Europe ).

GH

In which case, apart from noise pollution of the kind that Greg Tingey moans about on LR: incessant DVAs; what scope does a concessionaire/franchisee have to influence noise? Seems an odd one - more in TfL's ball park than the day-to-day operator.

[Chris M]

Apr 18, 2013 8:35:52 GMT grahamhewett said:

it may be that Serco's USP - managing down to a contract spec - was too inflexible for TfL?

I've heard anecdotally that this was a factor in them losing the Woolwich Ferry contract.

Well noise could be from PAs - you can here the Beckton Park and Royal Albert ones from Beckton Park, and I think also the King George V ones are audible from the street outside. There is also the scope for noise problems from Polar depot, although I have no knowledge of whether there are any.
Would noise from running rails may be decreasable by increased wheel/flange lubrication? Track realignments are obviously something that is not in the concessionaire's remit.

Visual amenity could be improved in places by painting the vast swathes of concrete.

The depots are probably the places with the greatest scope for environmental improvements from waste management, oil, etc.

Are timetables/service patterns something that TfL specify or does the concessionaire have a role as well?

[snoggle]

A small further development about the rebidding for the DLR concession. Railway Gazette have clearly got hold of some aspects of the tender which allows for the assumption of the maintenance activities on the Woolwich / City Airport link. It also confirms that the CGL consortium will see out their term on the Lewisham extension to 2021 when it will likely come all "in house" or be re-let as a complete network concession.