Stagecoach Group PLC Rail Franchise Schedule (4692S)

TIDMSGC

RNS Number : 4692S

Stagecoach Group PLC

08 July 2015

Stagecoach Group plc

8 July 2015

Department for Transport rail franchise schedule

Stagecoach Group ("Stagecoach") notes the revised rail franchise schedule published by the UK Department for Transport.

The new schedule envisages:

-- East Midlands Trains: the core period of a direct award to run to March 2018, rather than October 2017 as previously planned.

-- South West Trains: an extension option called to June 2017. The current franchise is due to end in February 2017.

-- Virgin Trains West Coast: the franchise running until September 2017. The franchise was previously planned to run until at least 31 March 2017.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:

Stagecoach Group plc www.stagecoachgroup.com

Investors and analysts

Ross Paterson, Finance Director 01738 442111

Bruce Dingwall, Group Financial Controller 01738 442111

Media

Steven Stewart, Director of Communications 01738 442111 or 07764 774680

John Kiely, Smithfield Consultants 020 7360 4900

Notes to Editors

Stagecoach Group

-- Stagecoach Group is an international public transport group, with extensive operations in the UK, mainland Europe, the United States and Canada. The Group employs around 39,000 people, and operates around 13,000 buses, coaches, trains and trams.

-- Stagecoach is one of the UK's biggest bus and coach operators with around 8,500 buses and coaches on a network stretching from south-west England to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Low-cost coach service, megabus.com, operates a network of inter-city services across the UK and mainland Europe.

-- Stagecoach is a major UK rail operator, running the South West Trains, Island Line and East Midlands Trains networks. It has a 49% shareholding in Virgin Rail Group, which operates the West Coast rail franchise. It also has a 90% shareholding in Virgin Trains East Coast, which operates the East Coast rail franchise.

   --    Stagecoach operates the Supertram light rail network in Sheffield. 

-- In North America, Stagecoach operates around 2,400 buses and coaches in the United States and Canada. megabus.com links around 130 key locations in North America. Stagecoach is also involved in operating commuter, transit, contracted, charter, airport shuttle and sightseeing services.

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END

MSCSSLSIAFISEEW