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| Abellio agrees to sell 40% of Greater Anglia franchise to Mitsui | Abellio agrees to sell 40% of Greater Anglia franchise to Mitsui |
| (about 20 hours later) | |
| Train operator Abellio has agreed to sell 40% of its Greater Anglia rail franchise to Japanese firm Mitsui. | |
| The line has been run by Greater Anglia since 2012 and the company renewed the franchise in August. | The line has been run by Greater Anglia since 2012 and the company renewed the franchise in August. |
| It says the deal will result in a £1.4bn investment over nine years, with new trains and average journey times reduced by 10%. | It says the deal will result in a £1.4bn investment over nine years, with new trains and average journey times reduced by 10%. |
| The rail union RMT said Britain's rail network was being sold off like it was a "dodgy car boot sale". | The rail union RMT said Britain's rail network was being sold off like it was a "dodgy car boot sale". |
| Mick Cash, general secretary of the RMT, said the deal, which follows the sale of the c2c franchise to Ternitalia last week, was "making a mockery" of the Department for Transport's (DfT) franchising process. | Mick Cash, general secretary of the RMT, said the deal, which follows the sale of the c2c franchise to Ternitalia last week, was "making a mockery" of the Department for Transport's (DfT) franchising process. |
| "The checks and balances for both passengers and the taxpayer, which the DfT claims are enshrined in its multi-million pound franchising programme, are clearly lacking when the winning bidder can simply walk away, share out its responsibilities and choose its replacement whenever it sees fit," he said. | "The checks and balances for both passengers and the taxpayer, which the DfT claims are enshrined in its multi-million pound franchising programme, are clearly lacking when the winning bidder can simply walk away, share out its responsibilities and choose its replacement whenever it sees fit," he said. |
| "They are flogging off Britain's transport assets like Derek Trotter at some dodgy car boot sale." | "They are flogging off Britain's transport assets like Derek Trotter at some dodgy car boot sale." |
| Abellio has refused to reveal the value of the deal, which is pending final regulatory approval. | Abellio has refused to reveal the value of the deal, which is pending final regulatory approval. |
| Dominic Booth, managing director of Abellio, said: "With the introduction of Mitsui's knowledge and experience, we look forward to delivering significant improvements for Greater Anglia's customers." | Dominic Booth, managing director of Abellio, said: "With the introduction of Mitsui's knowledge and experience, we look forward to delivering significant improvements for Greater Anglia's customers." |
| Mitsui has yet to comment on the deal. | Mitsui has yet to comment on the deal. |
| Last year both companies put in a joint bid to run the West Midlands franchise. A decision on who will operate that franchise is expected from the DfT in June. | Last year both companies put in a joint bid to run the West Midlands franchise. A decision on who will operate that franchise is expected from the DfT in June. |
| A DfT spokeswoman said: "This sale is a commercial decision for Abellio. The government will only approve this partial sale once both parties have satisfied us that passengers will benefit from it." | A DfT spokeswoman said: "This sale is a commercial decision for Abellio. The government will only approve this partial sale once both parties have satisfied us that passengers will benefit from it." |