Meeting with franchise bidder Stagecoach and Neil O’Brien MP: 1st June 2018

​Stagecoach Rail requested a meeting with Harborough MP Neil O’Brien, and HRU Chair Steve Jones was invited to join them.  Stagecoach operate the current East Midlands Trains franchise.  However, as the bid teams are required to work entirely separately from the operational staff, we met in the coffee bar at Harborough District Council's Symington Building, on 1st June.   
All of the bidders are meeting interested parties throughout the franchise area to gather information that will help them in preparing their bids.  Though in no position to tell us their own plans or proposals, they are interested in local information and opinions about the rail service, both as it now is and the improvements we would like to see.  We discussed our aspirations for the train service, new rolling stock, the station enhancements and the Midland Main Line upgrade. 
This meeting means we have now met all three of the remaining potential bidders.  The Invitation to Tender (ITT) is expected in early June from the Department for Transport and we now eagerly await what it says for our train service.  We hope it contains good news!