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Bids from each of the three companies competing for the Scotrail passenger rail franchise have been received by the SRA.
The Authority is now evaluating submissions from Arriva Trains Ltd, FirstGroup plc and National Express Group PLC. The SRA and its Scottish partners are planning to announce the preferred bidder by early next year.
Nicola Shaw, SRA Managing Director, Operations said: "We have three experienced bidders competing to run this franchise. As we move into the next stage of the franchising process, strict evaluation criteria will be applied by ourselves and our partners to ensure that the right bidder is selected to run Scotland's rail services."
Notes to Editors 1. The new franchise will be for seven years. 2. The incumbent franchisee is National Express Group PLC whose ScotRail franchise is due to expire in April 2004. Serco Rail/Netherlands Railways, the fourth qualified bidder withdrew in September 2003 to concentrate on their bid for the Northern Rail franchise. 3. The SRA's partners in the franchising process are the Scottish Executive and Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive.
