"This franchise will deliver real changes for passengers, who can look forward to modern trains, faster journeys and a more reliable service," UK Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling said as quoted by the outlet.
Tim O’Toole, the chief executive of FirstGroup, expressed his gratification for winning such a franchise, hailing MTR’s reputation for its "disciplined operating practices for a high-frequency commuter service." He also noted that the contract, worth 2.6 billion British pounds ($3.3 billion), stipulates compensation for the operator in the case London's GDP and employment fall due to Brexit.
The deal provoked criticism by London’s industrial unions, which condemned the government for giving the franchise to the state-controlled Hong Kong’s operator which, alongside the Dutch, German, Italian and French national rail operators, were now controlling and operating up to 75 percent of UK railroads.
The South West Trains network includes the commuter services and longer distance trains out of Waterloo to the southwest London.
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