RAIL CATERING
VIRGIN AND FIRST TO FIGHT OVER FRANCHISE
In a sensational u-turn by the UK Government, the bidders for the West Coast Main Line will have to go through the whole franchise process all over again and at a cost to the tax payer that some have estimated at over £40m. With the franchise provisionally awarded to First Group, Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Trains immediately challenged the Government’s Department of Transport to justify its decision and to review its commercial calculations. Virgin maintained that the amount of money First had promised to pay to the Government during the contract term was unrealistic, predominantly stacked towards the end of the contract term and that the risk of
failure was much higher than calculated. Consequently, Virgin Trains felt that First Group should have been asked for a much higher financial guarantee. The Government initially disagreed but Virgin felt so incensed by the decision that it took the Government to court.
However, on the eve of the court case starting, newly appointed Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin, announced that the franchise bidding process had been flawed and agreed to re-run the contest. The blame for this was laid squarely on civil servants in the Department of Transport and a full investigation has been commissioned.
STARBUCKS CAFES ON SWISS
In a move that was predicted by some as the next logical step in onboard management, a franchised global café brand is soon to hit the rails.
Potentially exciting for Swiss rail travellers, in 2013 SBB will join with Starbucks to launch branded stores onboard two SBB intercity trains between St. Gallen and Geneva. The pilot project will convert the current onboard bistro and restaurant facilities of two ‘IC 2000’ bi-level trains. The design has been jointly developed to deliver customers a Starbucks store which fits inside a double-decker train. Starbucks, which already has a special supply partnership with Rail Gourmet in the UK and Ireland, has always looked like the franchise most likely to be the first introduced onboard. It will be interesting to see if the cafes can be a stand alone commercial success with the limited footfall of a train. If so, I am sure others will follow.
ALL ABOARD THE MARRAKECH EXPRESS – MOROCCO’S RESTAURAIL
When I think of Northern Africa it conjures up a picture in my mind of hot climates, great historical places, exciting bazaars and ancient mysteries to solve in towns spread across vast swathes of desert. One such country, rich in culture and just waiting to be explored, is Morocco.
This vibrant country has a growing economy and a thriving rail network joining together its main cities of Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech, and is soon to benefit from investment in new trains and high speed routes. Moroccan train catering company Restaurail,
incorporated in 1997, and which recently joined IRCG as our first member from the African continent, is preparing new service ideas for the future to coincide with the new faster trains. General manager Toufiq Rhamani said, “Our focus is on preparing for the future as modern trains begin to replace older rolling stock. This will speed up the journey times, for example from Casablanca to Tangier in 2h 10 m instead of 4h 45m, so we will need to adapt our service accordingly. Meanwhile, we are delighted to join IRCG and look forward to welcoming members to Morocco in September 2013.”
www.onboardhospitality.com 37
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