  | |
| Company type | Joint venture |
|---|---|
| Industry | Train operating company |
| Founded | 2002 |
Area served | Northern England |
| Owner | Serco (50%) Transport UK Group (50%) |
| Subsidiaries | Merseyrail |
Serco-Abellio (formerly Serco-NedRailways) is ajoint venture betweenSerco andTransport UK Group, each owning 50%. The joint venture is thetrain operating company of theMerseyrail franchise since July 2003 in theLiverpool City Region. It previously operated theNorthern Rail franchise inNorthern England from December 2004 until March 2016.
Serco-Abellio also lodged unsuccessful bids for theWales & Borders,West Midlands (which Abellio later successfully bid for itself) andTyne & Wear Metro franchises.
Transport UK Group was established in February 2023, following amanagement buyout ofAbellio.
In April 2003, Serco-NedRailways was awarded theMerseyrail franchise for 25 years from July 2003.[1][2]
In July 2004, Serco-NedRailways was awarded theNorthern Rail franchise for six years and nine months from December 2004 with a two-year extension subject to performance targets being achieved.[3][4]
In May 2010, theDepartment for Transport confirmed that Northern Rail had met the performance targets and the franchise was extended for two years until September 2013.[5][6][7] In May 2012, the Department for Transport granted Northern Rail a six-month extension until March 2014.[8][9][10] In March 2014, theSecretary of State for Transport announced a direct award until 4 February 2016, later extended to 31 March 2016.[11] The franchise was taken over byArriva Rail North on 1 April 2016.[12]
The joint venture was also shortlisted for a number of other rail franchises:
In 2014, it was confirmed that each partner bid independently for the 2016Northern franchise. Only Abellio made the shortlist of three bidders, however the franchise was awarded to Arriva. The joint venture will continue to operate the Merseyrail franchise until its 2028 conclusion.[18][19]
Abellio was shortlisted for theLondon Overground,South Central,Greater Anglia,InterCity West Coast,Essex Thameside andThameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchises in its own right.
In April 2015, Serco, in its own right, commenced operating theCaledonian Sleeper franchise, whileAbellio ScotRail took over the ScotRail franchise.[20][21]
Abellio managed to keep the Greater Anglia franchise and will operate it until 2025.[22]
In December 2017,West Midlands Trains, a joint venture withEast Japan Railway Company andMitsui in which Abellio owns 70%, commenced operating the West Midlands franchise.
In 2022, Abellio announced its intention to sell its UK business to amanagement buyout led by its managing director. Full regulatory approval was received in February 2023, so Abellio becameTransport UK Group (TUK).[23][24]