Spanish state-owned operator Renfe has partnered with MTR for its West Coast Partnership bid.
The new West Coast Partnership is a franchise which will combine the existing InterCity West Coast services with the development and introduction of services on HS2 as a ‘shadow operator’.
The two other bidders for the franchise are: First Trenitalia West Coast, a joint venture between First Rail Holdings and Trenitalia; and West Coast Partnership, a joint venture between Stagecoach Group, Virgin Holdings and SNCF.
Other partners in MTR’s bid team include Guangshen Railway Company, Deloitte, Panasonic Systems Europe, Snowfall, Trainline and WSP.
Renfe operates Spain’s high-speed network – Europe’s largest – and is also a partner in the development of the Texas Bullet Train in the United States and the Haramain high-speed railway in Saudi Arabia.
Jeremy Long, CEO of MTR in Europe, said: “We have sought to bring the best and most up-to-date high speed expertise into our bid – we believe Renfe has that.
“With Europe’s largest high speed network and significant expansion plans, Renfe has unrivalled knowledge of how to bring new high speed lines into service in Europe.”
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