East Coast Franchise Pre-Qualification

[Eagle]

Why does the railways act permit German state railways to operate sevices in England, but wouldn't allow an independent Scottish state transport to operate services in (predominantly) in England?

Deutsche Bahn is a company (a limited company, in fact, with shares and everything; that just happen to all be owned by the federal government).

Transport Scotland is a government department. They'd need to create a company before they can bid.

 

[route:oxford]

Deutsche Bahn is a company (a limited company, in fact, with shares and everything; that just happen to all be owned by the federal government).

Transport Scotland is a government department. They'd need to create a company before they can bid.

Well, that's not difficult.

Takes a few minutes to fill in the form, or buy a company off the shelf.

Transport Scotland (East Coast) Limited

 

[tbtc]

There's a thread about Independence already, which is better suited to the "hypothetical" stuff for the future.

And even if there is an independent Scotland in the future, then there's certainly no guarantee that it'd be an SNP-dominated one - would there even be a need for an SNP in a post-independent Scotland? So I wouldn't get too bogged down by Salmond's current policies.

Back to reality, December 2016 is when the current Open Access paths on the ECML will end - but IEP (and bi-mode) won't be ready until 2018... does that make adding Sunderland/ Hull into the main ECML franchise less likely?

 

[route:oxford]

There's a thread about Independence already, which is better suited to the "hypothetical" stuff for the future.

And even if there is an independent Scotland in the future, then there's certainly no guarantee that it'd be an SNP-dominated one - would there even be a need for an SNP in a post-independent Scotland? So I wouldn't get too bogged down by Salmond's current policies.

Back to reality, December 2016 is when the current Open Access paths on the ECML will end - but IEP (and bi-mode) won't be ready until 2018... does that make adding Sunderland/ Hull into the main ECML franchise less likely?

Goodness no. SNP is merely a means to an end for Nationalists and Republicans.

Once that's done I can see a new start for Conservatives in Scotland - when the people who live in the former Grampian & Border TV areas are sickened by the bloated public sector in Edinburgh & Glasgow.

 

[Zoe]

Because under the glorious SNP 'independence' they will still be under the combined throne.
That makes the Scottish Government an emanation of the Crown, which disqualifies it from operating franchised passenger services under the Railways Act 1993 (as amended)

Scotland would have the same monarch but I'm not sure a state owned company count as an emanation of the same crown. If this was the case then Australian and Canadian state owned companies would also be excluded. I've just had a quick look and it seems that what is referred to as "The Crown" is legally separate in each Commonwealth realm.

 

[HSTEd]

And if they ditch monarchy?

The Greens formally voted that an independent Scotland should be a republic.

Then they haven't a hope of winning the referendum.

 

[IanXC]

Back to reality, December 2016 is when the current Open Access paths on the ECML will end - but IEP (and bi-mode) won't be ready until 2018... does that make adding Sunderland/ Hull into the main ECML franchise less likely?

That's when the current track access rights expire, but both HT and GC are working on their renewals. As I understand it the ORR would have to have good reason NOT to approve the renewals, in many ways an OAO has a much more secure position than a franchisee.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Well, that's not difficult.
Takes a few minutes to fill in the form, or buy a company off the shelf.
Transport Scotland (East Coast) Limited

Which TOC on the shelf had you in mind? Where do they get the expertise to run the ECML?
TS funds the Scotrail TOC, but Scotrail (at the moment) has to be a private operator.

Some people (not me) would argue that we already have "Scottish" TOCs running "English" services - anything under the First or Stagecoach banner (companies with HQ in Scotland).
Arriva, of course, already runs services across the UK. It is not "English", or even German, it is a UK TOC based in Sunderland and is entitled to bid for all UK franchises.

 

[TheWalrus]

Bradford and Hull are covered by Open Access operators now anyway.

Should this really affect frachised services though? What if Hull Trains or Grand Central were to go bust?

yes if they are being operated commercially leave it to the Open Access operators until they are withdrawn, then update the franchise contract to fill in the gaps left by the withdrawals if necessary.
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Can't they just keep HSTs on for a while longer for the Inverness and Aberdeens instead of bi-mode?

For how much longer? It could be decades before wires make it to Aberdeen and Inverness...

This is what they are saying for London-Plymouth/Penzance…

 

[YorkshireBear]

Lets go back to EC rather than Scottish independence. The delay over lease extensions might come from the fact that if the government can confirm there use elsewhere beyond the EC franchise they will get a much better deal and a refurb!

 

[shinkansen1966]

There are goes the East Coast rewards scheme.

 

[Danny Dire]

Should be great fun seeing it all unfold, better than an episode of Homeland.