Article: Connex losing bid battle to run Melbourne's trains

[ozbob]

From the Herald Sun click here!

Connex losing bid battle to run Melbourne's trains

Connex losing bid battle to run Melbourne's trains
Article from: Herald Sun

Ashley Gardiner

June 25, 2009 12:00am

UPDATE 10.10am: THE government will today name the winners of the three-way battle for the $7 billion-plus contract to run Melbourne's trains.

Long suffering commuters are expected to be able to breathe a sigh of relief as the existing operator Connex is tipped to be replaced with rival French-owned transport group Keolis, which is believed to have tabled a cheaper bid for the eight-year contract.

Connex chiefs are believed to be privately pessimistic, but in the lead-up to the decision the company has registered new brand names for the train system should it win.

The list includes Bearbrass Trains, in honour of Melbourne's original name.

Other names registered by Connex include Batman Trains, Metro Melbourne, Transmelbourne and Yarra Trains.

The Government has said it wants a new Melbourne-themed brand for the train network.

Three groups, Connex and Keolis from France, and MTR from Hong Kong, submitted their bids in April.

Department of Transport officials have been assessing the documents and will make a recommendation to the Government on the preferred bid.

The process has been rocked by the leak of confidential Connex documents that were supposed to have been secure.

Officials have also been assessing the bids for the tram system and it was believed the incumbent, Yarra Trams, was leading.

Keolis has also bid for the tram network, but the Government has previously said the same company would not be given both contracts.

A spokesman for Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky last night said a decision had not been made.

The announcement was expected to be made within days, possibly as early as today or tomorrow.

News that the Connex parent company, Veolia, was interested in buying a stake of the Yarra Trams parent, Transdev, has held up the announcement.

Keolis declined to comment when contacted last night.

The reputation of Connex has suffered a battering, particularly during the summer meltdown and the Oaks Day debacle last year.

But the company has recently turned in its best performance in five years, with just 25 trains cancelled last week.

[ozbob]

From the Melbourne Age click here!

Logo change to cost as much as a train

Logo change to cost as much as a train
Clay Lucas and Jason Dowling
July 17, 2009

REMOVING Connex's name from Melbourne's train fleet and replacing it with the new operator's logo will cost more than $15 million ? almost the price of an entire new six-carriage train.

The Brumby Government last month dumped Connex as the city's rail operator, and named a new consortium led by Hong Kong's MTR Corporation as the preferred train operator.

They will take over from Connex on December 1. A final name for the new operator has not yet been announced.

Senior industry sources have told The Age the rebadging process for the new operator will be a major operation, which will entail removing Connex's name from the city's fleet of 164 six-carriage trains and 213 railway stations. And it must be replaced on the uniforms of about 2000 staff.

If the change is done quickly, it could cost the new operator even more, as trains will need to be taken out of service so new signs can be put on them.

Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky yesterday refused to answer any questions about the removal of Connex's logo from the city's trains, or the cost of the project.

Ms Kosky would also not release the name that would replace Connex on the city's rail system. "The name of the new operator and the cost of the rebadging will be announced once the contracts for the new train operator have been signed," Ms Kosky's spokesman said. The contract is expected to be signed on August 12.

Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder said the change most commuters wanted was for Ms Kosky to leave the transport portfolio. "Lynne Kosky's departure should be the change that is made to our train system ? and it wouldn't cost $15 million," he said.

The new train operator has so far gone by the name Metro Trains Melbourne. The group has been gagged by the Government, and yesterday would not discuss the rebadging costs or its new name.