Connex

BuffyBot

I see that Connex have had their South East rail franchise in the UK removed from them today...having traveled with them previously, I can't say i'm disappointed.

These are the same guys who have the LUAS operating contract - does anyone feel they will make a good job of this?

gombín

I wouldn't read too much into this. Apparently they were dumped not because of their punctuality record but because of their "ineptitude with money". Connex also run the Paris Metro, which as anyone will tell you, is quite efficient.

Victor

LUAS operator has UK rail contract terminated
From:ireland.com
Friday, 27th June, 2003

French train company Connex, which has been contracted to run Dublin's LUAS, has had its contract to run railways in the southeast of England terminated three years early.

Britain's Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) said Connex had failed to meet a detailed action programme of improvements on its busy London and southeast England routes.

SRA chairman Mr Richard Bowker said the decision had been taken "to protect taxpayers' money and passenger delivery".

But Connex chief executive Mr Olivier Brousse said: "I am shocked by the SRA's decision, most particularly for our staff who worked tirelessly to run this railway as best as they could".

Connex's franchise had been due to run until 2006, but the company was heavily dependent on subsidies from the SRA.

In December last year the SRA gave the company £58 million sterling to stabilise its position, at the same time demanding that it draw up plans to improve its financial performance radically. But the operator recently requested another £200 million in subsidy.

After today's announcement there will be a six-month "managed exit" period, after which Connex will hand over to a temporary shadow company, headed by two SRA directors and representatives from other operators. That body will be responsible for services until the franchise is again put out to tender among private operators.

Connex is the largest private transport operator in Europe, with an annual turnover of over €3 billion and over 40,000 employees. The company has built its reputation by moving into public sector businesses and running them privately.

maxheadroom

They run lots of public transport in scandanavia too - Helsinki night buses, some of Stockholm's metro I think?

Winters

Connex are part of one large French company, i cant remember the name of them but heard it on the BBC news earlier.

If you really look Connex and most of the rail operators in the UK are just waiting to be closed down. The way the UK railway's are run is really the problem not the company itself.

Victor

Originally posted by Winters
Connex are part of one large French company, i cant remember the name of them but heard it on the BBC news earlier.

http://www.onbusiness.ie/2002/0226/luas.html

Connex is a subsidiary of French company Vivendi, whose core activities are utilities and telecommunications. It operates transport services in a number of countries and employs 34,000 worldwide.

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/unison/national/940290?view=Eircomnet

Fears for Luas as firm stripped of UK contract
From:The Irish Independent
Saturday, 28th June, 2003
Bernard Purcell, Treacy Hogan and Ben Quinn

THE private transport firm chosen to operate the capital's long-awaited light rail system (Luas) was stripped of a UK rail franchise for the second time yesterday.

And Transport Minister Seamus Brennan warned that he would have no hesitation in terminating the firm's contract to operate Dublin's Luas system if it did not meet "the highest possible standards".

He said: "I know of no reason why they can't do a super job here and I believe that they will."

Connex Transport Ireland is due to operate the Luas from next year and plans to employ more than 100 drivers and 90 other staff.

Yesterday, the UK Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) axed Connex's contract to run mainline services in the south-east of England after the company failed to improve services which had been slated by the public.

The SRA said one of the reasons it ended the contract was to protect taxpayers' money as Connex UK was heavily subsidised.

It emerged yesterday evening that a delegation from the Irish Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) will come before the Oireachtas Committee on Transport next week to answer concerns about yesterday's developments.

Committee member and Labour TD Roisin Shorthall, who requested next Wednesday's meeting, said that serious questions had now arisen in relation to Connex.

"We need assurances that a robust contract is in place," she said.

The RPA said yesterday that Connex Transport Ireland was a separate stand-alone subsidiary of the French-based Veolia and expressed full confidence in its ability to run the Luas.

Frank Allen, RPA chief executive, said they were very pleased with how Connex successfully runs the Stockholm tram system carrying 70pc of the Swedish capital's commuters.

"We are confident that the UK action should not have any impact here," he added.

A spokesman for Connex Transport Ireland said: "We have our own local management team in place in Ireland and we are committed to operating Luas as a safe, reliable, effective and value for money light rail system in Dublin."

Connex runs light rail and mainline systems around the world and employs more than 49,000 people. It is responsible for 236 road and rail networks worldwide with a turnover of €3.1bn every year.

Yesterday's public humiliation was the latest in a string of failures with which the company has become synonymous in Britain.

Last year, it lost the south-central franchise for the Brighton line. In the latest setback on Thursday, the firm was stripped of its remaining south-east franchise.

In a brutally frank public statement yesterday the SRA chairman Richard Bowker told the company simply: "You're out . . . there are no further discussions."

It was being sacked "in the interests of taxpayers and passengers", he said, adding that the company had "drunk dry the last chance saloon".

"They have let down their passengers and the rail industry. We had lost total confidence in their ability to run the business," said Mr Bowker.

Over the two years ending last October Connex was fined stg£11m for trains that failed to arrive on time and a further stg£2m for running trains with not enough coaches.

BuffyBot

Originally posted by gombín
Apparently they were dumped not because of their punctuality record but because of their "ineptitude with money".

Well, I beleive punctuality and level of service had something to do with it, but if ""ineptitude with money" had something to do with it, I'd be just as worried!

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/unison/national/964171?view=Eircomnet

Contract will be terminated if Luas firm 'derails'
From:The Irish Independent
Thursday, 3rd July, 2003
Kathy Donaghy

THE contract between the Rail Procurement Agency (RPA) and the company hired to run the Luas allows the RPA to terminate it if the company does not meet strict performance targets.

Senior representatives of the RPA last night told the Dail Transport Committee that Connex Transport Ireland was a separate firm from the British outfit Connex, which was stripped of a UK rail franchise last month.

The committee heard that while the Irish company is a 100pc subsidiary of a French parent company, the protection afforded to the RPA is under the strict €20m-a-year contract signed with the company.

RPA chief executive Frank Allen admitted he did not know much about Connex in the British context except what he read in the media.

"We do not have much information. It's a separate company," he said.

And he said in relation to the "sort of issues" that had taken place, they had a very strict regime in place in relation to punctuality and performance.

On the punctuality issue, Mr Allen told the committee chaired by FF TD Eoin Ryan that if the company fell below 99pc they could impose penalties immediately.

"We could immediately terminate the contract if performance production falls below 25pc. Long before we would have got to that stage we would have penalised Connex severely," he added.

According to Mr Allen, the RPA was also putting in place an auditing system to protect themselves.

He said they would carry out an audit of services twice a month and would penalise Connex for any shortcomings.

The RPA chief told the committee that the cash from fares would be collected and would go straight into an account managed by them.