History
The London, Tilbury & Southend railway franchise was due to start in February 1996 but, because of allegations of ticketing and settlement irregularities with the preferred bidder, Enterprise Rail, it was re-tendered.
In May 1996 the franchise was awarded to Prism Rail by the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising for 15 years with an average annual subsidy of £18.4 million. It began operating as LTS Rail on 26 May 1996.
In July 2000 Prism Rail was bought by National Express.
The franchise was originally due to finish on 26 May 2011. On 23 December 2010 the Department for Transport granted National Express an extension until 26 May 2013 to allow it time to conduct a review of the franchising process.
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“A poet’s object is not to tell what actually happened but what could or would happen either probably or inevitably.... For this reason poetry is something more scientific and serious than history, because poetry tends to give general truths while history gives particular facts.”
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“I feel as tall as you.”
—Ellis Meredith, U.S. suffragist. As quoted in History of Woman Suffrage, vol. 4, ch. 14, by Susan B. Anthony and Ida Husted Harper (1902)