A joint venture partnership of public transport operator Keolis and infrastructure asset management specialist Amey has been shortlisted to tender for the operation and maintenance of Greater Manchester’s Metrolink tram network when the current franchise expires in July 2017.
The partners, trading as KeolisAmey, currently run the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) in London and will draw on their combined national and international expertise to submit a final bid for the ten-year franchise MetroLink to Transport for Greater Manchester next year.
Keolis is the world’s largest operator of light rail networks and is the majority partner in the bid (Keolis 60% / Amey 40%). Amey is one of the largest and most diverse companies working for the public and regulated sectors in the UK, helping some of the world’s biggest asset owners make smart decisions about their infrastructure.
Alistair Gordon, chief executive of Keolis UK, said: “Our partnership with Amey represents a proven combination of operational and technical excellence and we welcome the opportunity to demonstrate how we might deliver the highest levels of performance and reliability for this growing and vital network for Greater Manchester.”
Lee Jones, director of rail and Metro for Amey, said: “We have built a strong partnership with Keolis that is already delivering improvements to service levels on the Docklands Light Railway. We’re confident that we can achieve the same for Greater Manchester and look forward to participating in the next stage of the tender process.”