East Midlands Trains - Direct Award Franchise consultation

The DfT is negotiating a number of short-term franchises with existing train operators.  In EMT’s case there would be a further term expiring in October 2017 rather than April 2015.  In connection with this, the DfT wrote to interested parties including HRU in October 2014 asking what aspects of the current service provided by EMT we would wish to see protected and what improvements we would like to see.   We responded:

• Calling for the present extent, frequency, speed and quality of service and staffing, including staffing at the station, to be retained.
• Calling for the previously sought timetable improvements, including enhancements to the evening weekday peak service from St Pancras, an earlier first train arrival in Nottingham, and a later weekday southbound last train from Leicester.
• Seeking other improvements including greater capacity on overcrowded trains, facilities for disabled passengers especially on the HSTs, better provision for the carriage of bicycles and more flexible ticketing for people who commute to part-time jobs
• Reiterating the need to improve access at Market Harborough station, though acknowledging that this goes beyond the remit of a short-term franchise with EMT.