- The Guardian,
- Friday January 21 2000
The French state-run rail operator, SNCF, was last night said to be bidding for the £3.2bn contract to run part of the London Underground now Railtrack has withdrawn from the chase.
The company, which relies on a considerable subsidy from the French government and which last year made a loss of £720m, would make no comment. But its engineering arm, Cintra, is said to have registered an interest by yesterday's deadline.
LU refused to identify firms expressing an interest in the proposal to repair and maintain the tube's surface lines. Cintra staff have attended a briefing on the government's private-public partnership scheme given by the deputy prime minister, John Prescott.
Railtrack's involvement with the project was undermined by the Paddington rail crash. It had been about to sign a deal when the crash occurred.
Within hours of Railtrack's announcement TubeRail, a consortium of banks and contractors, said it had formally lodged a bid to run the sub-surface stations. It has already been shortlisted to bid for the two deep tube infrastructure companies including the Jubilee line (seen left at North Greenwich).
• Railtrack admitted yesterday it was unlikely to meet the target to cut passenger train delays fixed by the rail regulator, Tom Winsor. It faces a fine of at least £12m, but is seeking a judicial review.
And Connex said it could lose up to £2m a day from six one-day strikes starting next Tuesday, when 90% of its services were likely to be cancelled. The company published a list of earnings for its 1,500 drivers who are pressing for a 35-hour week and an end to compulsory rest day working. They show projected earnings for some drivers at Victoria up to £46,000 and an average of about £38,000.
