Go Ahead loses contract to run services in West Midlands. The train company behind the chaos on the Southern network in the south east has lost its contract to run services to and across West Midlands. Go Ahead has run the West Midlands franchise for ten years but has lost out for the next round to a Dutch and Japanese consortium due to invest 1bn. Last year it survived calls to be stripped of the Southern franchise due to huge disruption amid ongoing battles with unions over plans for drivers to open and close doors. The train company behind the chaos on the Southern network in the south east has lost its contract to run services to and across West Midlands. Go West: A Lucky Luke Adventure Free Streaming' title='Go West: A Lucky Luke Adventure Free Streaming' />Luke Plunkett. Luke Plunkett is a Contributing Editor based in Canberra, Australia. He has written a book on cosplay, designed a game about airplanes, and also runs. Get the latest music news, watch video clips from music shows, events, and exclusive performances from your favorite artists. Discover new music on MTV. As for streaming TV, youll need to sign up for a Sling TV subscription. Sling offers two streaming packages. The Orange package, at 20, streams channels like ESPN. A daily roundup of all the newest free Kindle eBooks in easy to navigate format. You can also sign up for our newsletter if you wish and have a daily email alert with. Yesterday Go Ahead said it was disappointed to lose the West Midlands contract, which it ran with partner Keolis under the name Govia, claiming it had delivered significant improvements. The franchise was awarded to a joint venture between Abellio, East Japan Railway Company and Misui and Co Ltd. Govia will continue to run the trains until December this year. Free Downloads Piper there. The Department for Transport promised that, under the new West Midlands operators, 4. Birmingham and London. Longer trains will provide extra seats and space, the department added, and passengers will also get free Wi Fi on all main line services by the end of 2. For the first time, passengers will also get compensation for services delayed more than 1. Transport secretary Chris Grayling said This is great news for passengers using West Midlands services with new trains, more space, more regular services and easier access for disabled people. We are improving the whole travelling experience. Dominic Booth, managing director of Abellio UK, said We will be investing nearly 1bn into the network, delivering new trains, better stations, and a whole host of other benefits for passengers. West Midlands mayor Andy Street said We want to see a new golden era for our local trains and todays announcement is an important step towards that. But the RMT union demanded an urgent meeting with the new consortium over guards, tickets offices and station staffing. Go Ahead has run the West Midlands franchise for ten years but has lost out for the next round to a Dutch and Japanese consortium due to invest 1bn. General secretary Mick Cash said The union has already made it clear that we will fight any moves to de staff trains and stations on the new franchise and we will be looking to secure assurances from the company before they take over in a few months time. Green MP Caroline Lucas, whose Brighton Pavilion constituency has been affected by the problems on Southern, said Im sure that passengers in the West Midlands are pleased to see GTR a Go Ahead subsidiary lose this contract, after the company have consistently shown their inability to properly manage a railway. I hope that the companys bosses take note of this decision, and use this opportunity to see how they can improve if they want a chance of renewing the contracts they currently have. I continue to believe that Southern should be taken into public hands, but until that moment comes I urge the company to work day and night to improve the service for passengers. Hundreds of thousands of passengers on Southerns network have endured more than one year of disruption as GTR tries to push through government backed plans for driver only operated trains. Unions say the plans are dangerous and will lead to job losses. The government stepped in last year with a 2. Southern after it was forced to temporarily axe services to make the timetable more reliable. Emily Yates, who co founded the Association of British Commuters due to the problems with Southern said It cannot be a bad thing but we have to remember that this driver only operation is a systemic issue, a government issue. EzineArticles. com allows expert authors in hundreds of niche fields to get massive levels of exposure in exchange for the submission of their quality original articles. Breaking News, Sports, Weather, Traffic, and the Best of Tampa. Go Ahead has run the West Midlands franchise for ten years but has lost out for the next round to a Dutch and Japanese consortium due to invest 1bn.