Bids Wanted For New Commuter Newspaper

Network Rail is seeking bids for a publisher to produce and distribute a free afternoon paper at ten of London’s busiest stations.

The paper could rival Associated Newspaper’s freesheet Metro, as well as the company’s paid-for evening paper The Evening Standard. It is planned to be distributed between 3pm and 9pm on weekday afternoons, prime commuting time.

This tender is in addition to the Transport for London freesheet tender announced by Ken Livingstone in March.

Both tenders follow an Office of Fair Trading review putting an end to Independent Newspaper’s station-distribution monopoly.

Network Rail’s bidding process begins in the next two weeks and will be concluded by the end of June. Bids are being tendered online via consultancy service provider State of Flux.

Each day, almost one million of London’s commuters begin or end journeys at the ten key stations, which include Liverpool Street, Kings Cross and Waterloo. A massive 76% of these passengers fall into the ABC1 category.

John Pike, Network Rail’s director of commercial property, said: “Potential bidders will have access to Britain’s biggest stations, which already play host to some of the country’s busiest retailers. For Network Rail, the benefits would be yet another offering for passengers and an extra revenue stream to invest back into the railway.”

Network Rail www.networkrail.co.uk