The company behind Tokyo’s renowned metro system has won a deal to take over the operation of London’s Elizabeth line, replacing the incumbent Chinese-owned operator MTR.
Tokyo Metro Company (TMC) has promised to bring Japanese reliability and punctuality to London’s newest rail line after its consortium with the UK transport group Go-Ahead and the Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corporation beat three other bidders for the deal.
The GTS Rail Operations consortium will now take over the running of the line, which opened in 2022, for at least seven years from next May.
MTR, which is three-quarters owned by the Hong Kong government and operates the transport network in the administrative region of China, won the deal to manage services on the Elizabeth line in 2014 when Boris Johnson was mayor.
Relations between China and the UK have deteriorated significantly since then, with this partly caused by the introduction of national security laws in Hong Kong by China’s ruling Communist party. This has resulted in a crackdown on protests and civil liberties in the former British colony.
The Elizabeth line, which carries about 700,000 people a day, has experienced reliability problems over the past 12 months. Between April and June, about 17% of trains arrived late, placing it 10th in the reliability score compared with other UK rail operators.
TfL said the new contract would introduce the best parts of Tokyo and London to the Elizabeth line and optimise the current operation, as well as prepare the line for the increase of services when the new HS2 station at Old Oak Common opens in 2030.
Japan is known for having one of the most reliable railway systems in the world, with 99% of Tokyo’s metro services coming within five minutes of their scheduled time in 2022, according to one of its sustainability reports.
Go-Ahead is the lead partner in the joint venture, with a 65% investment, while Tokyo Metro and Sumitomo Corporation own 17.5% each.
It will be the first time that Tokyo Metro has helped to run an overseas railway operation. However, it has previously taken part in some consulting work, including helping with the development of the Hanoi metro system in Vietnam.
The business has said that it is aiming to further develop its overseas railway business and participate in more operations and maintenance projects across the world.
Sumitomo Corporation is a trading and investment company with a presence in 65 countries and has been involved in the sale of trains and parts to countries in Asia, as well as the US.
Go-Ahead is the UK’s largest train operating company, running a number of lines including Southern, Thameslink, and Gatwick Express.
The deal will have the option to be extended by a further two years depending on performance.
Despite opening four years after its initial completion date, the Elizabeth line, which runs from as far west as Reading to as far east as Shenfield, is one of the UK’s most popular lines, with demand grow by 40% between June 2022 and October 2023.
Miguel Parras, group chief executive officer of Go-Ahead, said: “We look forward to bringing our collective expertise across UK and international rail operations to London.
“Our objectives are aligned with TfL – to connect communities across London through safe, reliable, and sustainable public transport services, delivered to the highest level of customer satisfaction.”
