Blake Lapthorn's Rail group has a wealth of expertise and
experience advising clients on:
rail franchising
- negotiating for new franchise arrangements
- arrangements for participation in bidding consortia
- renegotiation of network service level agreements
- general issues arising on interpretation and implementation of
existing and new franchise agreements
track access
- S17, S18 and S22 Railways Act applications to ORR for new
long-term track access agreements with Network Rail under
operator’s successive new rail franchises
- track access agreement amendments with Network Rail
- track access supplemental agreements
rolling stock leasing and procurement
- implementation of procurement and leasing arrangements for new
fleets of rolling stock, including acceptance and bonding
arrangements with the manufacturers
- amendment and renewal of leases for existing fleets of rolling
stock on franchise renewal, including negotiation with the
Department for Transport
- amendment of leasing arrangements to facilitate rolling stock
modification programmes
- sale and purchase agreements for various fleets of secondhand
rolling stock
- trial agreements for technological innovations
rolling stock maintenance
- heavy maintenance framework contracting arrangements for fleets
of rolling stock
- associated bogie and engine maintenance subcontracting
arrangements
- access agreements and pooling agreements for train spare
parts
- sale and purchase of spare parts pools
- warranty issues on rolling stock maintenance
- industry insurance arrangements for rolling stock
stations and depots
- access agreements
- contracting arrangements and related claims on procurement and
operational issues, such as bus through ticketing, taxi regulation,
car park pricing, advertising concessions, cleaning, catering,
environment, noise, recruitment, maintenance and
subcontracting
rail infrastructure projects
- track maintenance contracts
- arrangements with Network Rail to deal with the degradation of
railway network assets
- buyback of long term network maintenance contracts
IT and general procurement
- contracts for goods, services and labour including new
integrated ticketing network and other major IT systems
IP and branding
- advising on brand protection, IP and trade mark arrangements
for rail services promotions; regulations governing promotions and
data protection compliance
competition
- general competition compliance advice
- responding to OFT investigations
- advice on potentially anti-competitive arrangements and
dominance
- advice on industry collective arrangements such as zonal fares
and through ticketing
employment law
- employment tribunal applications including
rail union related and industry sensitive matters
- advice on TUPE issues
- advice on application of DDA in the rail industry
claims and dispute resolution
- legal support following fatalities and injuries on the network;
attendance at inquests; environmental claims; responding to adverse
publicity; application for ASBOs
