REG-FirstGroup PLC: South Western Railway Contract Extension

FirstgroupAnnouncement

10/02/2023 07:15

FIRSTGROUP PLC

SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY CONTRACT EXTENSION

FirstGroup plc ('FirstGroup' or ‘the Group') today announces that the
Department for Transport (‘DfT’) have exercised their option to continue
the current contractual arrangements for the Group’s South Western Railway
(‘SWR’) train operating company for the full two year extension period, as
set out in SWR’s National Rail Contract (‘NRC’). The current NRC, which
began in May 2021, will now run until 25 May 2025 on the existing terms.

Commenting, Graham Sutherland, FirstGroup Chief Executive Officer said:

“We welcome the contract extension for South Western Railway, which enables
us to build on the achievements of the first two years of the contract and
continue improving the customer offering. We are committed to working closely
with government and our partners to deliver a successful railway network that
provides vital connections for customers and communities along the SWR
route.”

 Contacts at FirstGroup: Marianna Bowes, Head of Investor Relations Stuart Butchers, Head of Corporate Communications corporate.comms@firstgroup.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 20 7725 3354  Contacts at Brunswick PR: Andrew Porter / Simone Selzer Tel: +44 (0) 20 7404 5959                    
 Contacts at Liberum Capital Limited: Nicholas How / John Fishley / William Hall Tel: +44 (0) 20 3100 2000                                                                        Contacts at RBC Europe Limited:  James Agnew / Jonathan Hardy / Jack Wood Tel: +44 (0) 20 7653 4000  

Forward-looking statements
Certain statements included or incorporated by reference within this
announcement may constitute 'forward-looking statements' with respect to the
business, strategy and plans of the Group and our current goals, assumptions
and expectations relating to our future financial condition, performance and
results. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown
risks, assumptions, uncertainties and other factors that cause actual results,
performance or achievements of the Group to be materially different from any
future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. No statement in this announcement should be
construed as a profit forecast for any period. Shareholders are cautioned not
to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Except as required
by the UK Listing Rules and applicable law, the Group does not undertake any
obligation to update or change any forward-looking statements to reflect
events occurring after the date of this announcement.

Notes                                               
                                                   
                                                   
  
Legal Entity Identifier (LEI): 549300DEJZCPWA4HKM93. Classification as per DTR
6 Annex 1R: 3.1

FirstGroup plc (LSE: FGP.L) is a leading private sector provider of public
transport services. With £4.6 billion in revenue and more than 30,000
employees, our UK divisions transported nearly 1.5m passengers a day in the
last financial year. First Bus is the second largest regional bus operator in
the UK, serving two-thirds of the UK’s 15 largest conurbations with a fleet
of c.4,900 buses. First Rail is the UK’s largest rail operator, with many
years of experience running long-distance, commuter, regional and sleeper rail
services. We operate a fleet of c.3,800 rail vehicles through four management
fee-based train operating companies (Avanti West Coast, GWR, SWR, TPE) and two
open access routes (Hull Trains and Lumo). We create solutions that reduce
complexity, making travel smoother and life easier. Our businesses are at the
heart of our communities and the essential services we provide are critical to
delivering wider economic, social and environmental goals. We are formally
committed to operating a zero-emission First Bus fleet by 2035 and to not
purchase any new diesel buses after 2022; and First Rail will help support the
UK Government’s goal to remove all diesel-only trains from service by 2040.
In 2022 FirstGroup was named as one of the world's cleanest 200 public
companies for the third consecutive year by sustainable business media group
Corporate Knights in partnership with US not-for-profit organisation, As You
Sow. Visit our website at www.firstgroupplc.com and follow us @firstgroupplc
on Twitter.



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