Press releases

The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) has announced today (1 August 2003) that Arriva, one of the leading transport services organisations in Europe, is the preferred bidder for the new Wales and Borders franchise.

Bob Davies, chief executive of Arriva plc, commented:

We are very pleased with the announcement and look forward to working with the National Assembly for Wales, the SRA and other stakeholders to deliver high quality rail services for Wales and the border counties.

Euan Cameron, managing director of Arriva Trains, the group's UK trains division, added:

Arriva's growing expertise in UK rail, together with our experience in running trains in mainland Europe, means that we are able to respond to the needs of different countries and communities.

We have achieved substantial improvements at Arriva Trains Northern, the rail franchise we operate in the north of England. When we took over the franchise it was failing and effectively bankrupt. With a strong focus on customer service and performance we have worked in partnership with our employees and other stakeholders to turn it around.

The latest SRA figures show that out of the four train companies operating in the north east of England, Arriva Trains Northern is now the highest performer in terms of punctuality and reliability - and we have pledged to bring further improvements. It is this focus, determination and robust management that we will bring to the Wales and Borders franchise.

Notes to editors

• Arriva is one of the largest passenger transport services organisations in Europe. The Group has operations in Wales, England, Scotland, Denmark, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden providing more than one billion passenger journeys every year. With around 30,000 employees, Arriva operates an extensive range of services including buses, trains, commuter coaches and water buses. In addition, in the UK, Arriva operates a national vehicle rental business and is engaged in bus and coach distribution.
• Until July 2003 Arriva operated the Arriva Trains Merseyside franchise. Arriva handed over the franchise to the new operators as the best performing UK mainland train operator from June 2002 to July 2003 in terms of punctuality and reliability (based on SRA figures).
• Arriva operates rail services in Denmark and The Netherlands.