Serco appointed preferred bidder for £400m Docklands Light Railway service
Date : 22 November 2005
Serco Group plc ("Serco") today announces that it has been appointed preferred bidder to operate and maintain the Docklands Light Railway ("DLR") in London.
The contract will run for seven years and may be extended for a further two years, subject to performance. The contract is valued at around £400m to Serco over the whole nine years. Final discussions will now start for the new contract which is due to run from April 2006.
The contract incorporates enhancements for passengers, including the introduction of three car trains and new services to Woolwich Arsenal and Stratford International.
Serco has operated the DLR since 1997, winning National Rail Awards for six consecutive years including an award for Outstanding Achievement in the rail industry in September 2005. In the last seven years, the DLR service consistently improved its performance and is currently achieving passenger satisfaction scores close to 95% and reliability scores of over 97%.
Serco operates a similar driverless urban transport service in Copenhagen, as well as the Manchester Metrolink, heavy rail services at Merseyrail and Northern Rail (in joint venture with NedRailways) and across Australia on the Ghan and Indian Pacific trains.
Christopher Hyman, Chief Executive of Serco Group plc said: "We are very pleased that Transport for London has recognised the commitment of Serco's Docklands team to meeting and exceeding the expectations of passengers. We have an excellent working relationship with Transport for London and are passionate supporters of their plans for DLR which continue to support regeneration and growth in this part of London.
"We look forward to maintaining and improving upon the standards we have reached, and contributing to London's successful staging of the 2012 Olympics."
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