Thelondonpaper wins Network Rail distribution contract

LONDON - Thelondonpaper has won the contract to be distributed at 10 Network Rail stations in the capital in a blow to the Daily Mail & General Trust and the Evening Standard.

The contract means the News International-owned freesheet will be able to distribute Monday to Friday from 3pm and will be exposed to up to 1m commuters a day.

Iain Coucher, Network Rail's deputy chief executive, said: "The award of this contract is great news for our passengers. It will secure another stream of revenue for Network Rail to invest in the railway."

The award to News International could further hit sales of the Evening Standard, which recorded a drop of 7.6% or 23,926 copies to 289,254 in September from its August ABC figure of 313,181.

More than half of rail passenger journeys begin or end at one of Network Rail's terminals. The award means that the News International freesheet, which launched on September, has the exclusive contract to be distributed in the London stations Cannon Street, Charing Cross, Euston, Fenchurch Street, King's Cross, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, Paddington, Victoria and Waterloo.

The bid will not affect Associated Newspaper's rights to distribute Metro at Network Rail-managed stations.

There are currently no plans for Network Rail to extend the point of distribution to London's other major suburban railway stations.

Although there was never an official shortlist for tender proposals, it is understood that News International, Associated Newspapers, Metro International and Richard Desmond's Northern & Shell Group all entered into the tender process.

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