NEW YORK -- Virgin Rail, a partnership of Stagecoach, a public
transport group based in Perth, Scotland, and Richard Branson's
Virgin Group, bid $11 billion to operate the U.K.'s East Coast Main
Line (ECML) between London and Edinburgh, Scotland.
The proposal calls for refurbishing intercity trains and
rebranding them as Virgin Vitesse trains by 2004. It also provides
for the construction, by 2009, of a 119-mile high-speed section
between Peterborough and Doncaster, England, and the introduction
of 54 Super Vitesse electric trains.
The high-speed trains would travel at speeds of up to 205 mph
and cut rail travel time from London to Edinburgh from four hours
to about two hours and 40 minutes.
Tim Roebuck, managing director of Montreal-based ACP Marketing,
which markets and distributes BritRail products worldwide, said the
ECML route has grown by 22% in passenger numbers in the past three
years, and "has had some overcrowding problems." Virgin said its
proposal would alleviate overcrowding and increase rail's market
share.
ECML's current operator, Great North Eastern Railways is owned
by Sea Containers. Sea Containers' competing bid includes about $2
billion worth of improvements to the ECML, with new and refurbished
trains and new and improved stations.
Roebuck said Shadow Strategic Rail Authority will likely award
the contract "at some stage next year."