For sale to a private buyer: the biggest train set of them all
By HUGH MUIR
PRIVATE companies are being invited to bid for a varied collection of railway operations, including some of the most picturesque routes and heaviest commuter services, writes Hugh Muir.
Gatwick Express
This 27-mile route connects Gatwick Airport in Sussex with Victoria Station and has already been running as a "shadow franchise".
Three and a half million passengers are carried each year, giving a turnover of £25 million. It employs 324 people and has 67 trains. Future prospects include plans to synchronise better with airline services, possibly leading to the combined sale of train and airline tickets.
London Tilbury and Southend
Runs from Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness in south-east Essex, via Basildon, as well as routes covering parts of Essex and east London. Had a £54 million turnover last year, manages 24 stations and employs 800.
Carries 24,000 commuters each day on 86 four-car trains and is involved in a £100 million resignalling project. There is speculation that senior employees and managers may attempt a buy-out.
South West trains
Mains services from Waterloo to Exeter, Weymouth, and Portsmouth. Also covers south-west London and Surrey such as Hampton Court, Epsom, Teddington and Chessington.
Employs 4,000 staff, carries 300,000 passengers each day and has a turnover of £230 million.
Lines passing through the New Forest in Hampshire, Somerset and Wiltshire considered to be picturesque.
Midland main line
Primary route stretches from St Pancras to Sheffield, passing through Derby, Leicester and Nottingham. Sixty-six trains, including 14 high-speed, carry 15,000 passengers each day, contributing to a turnover of £58 million.
Services running from Leicester to Sheffield and through the Derbyshire Dales considered pretty. Sells 27,000 cheeseburgers on various routes throughout the year.
Network SouthCentral
Covers Surrey and Sussex, parts of Kent, Hampshire and Dorset but main route stretches from Victoria to Brighton.
Two-thirds of the £158 million turnover is derived from commuters who use 218 stations, though SouthCentral, which has 3,200 employees, only manages 175. Includes famous Arun Valley line.
East Coast
Runs from King's Cross to Peterborough, Doncaster and Leeds. Also to York, Newcastle Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness,Hull, Bradford and Harrogate. Over 25,000 passengers each day provide a turnover of £217 million a year. It employs 3,000 and runs 100 services each day.
Feature lines include the Leeds, Carlisle and Settle route, some of the Scottish routes and journeys between Newcastle and Edinburgh.
May be subject to a staff and management buy-out.
Great Western
Responsible for Intercity services from Paddington to Swansea, Penzance, Hereford and Cheltenham.
Employs 3,200 and has a turnover of £156 million from 14 million passenger journeys a year. Could be subject to a buy-out by managers.
ScotRail
Runs throughout Scotland, with express routes connecting Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness, Aberdeen, Perth and Dundee. Observers think the company, with a turnover of £300 million, is ripe for a management buy-out.
