TRANSPORT group Go-Ahead has failed to make the shortlist on a franchise it has run for the past nine years.

The Newcastle-based plc - which relies heavily on commuter routes in and around London - expressed "surprise and disappointment" that it had not been selected as a bidder for the Thameslink franchise, which it has run since 1996. Go-Ahead held the Thames Trains franchise at the time of the Ladbroke Grove disaster.

The company, which already runs the Southern (formerly South Central) route, also failed to make the shortlist for a new Greater Western franchise.

The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) announced that five companies - National Express, FirstGroup, Stagecoach, MTR/John Laing and a consortium comprising Danish Railways and freight company EWS - had qualified to bid for the Thameslink franchise, which is being combined with the Great Northern part of the West Anglia Great Northern franchise.

Whoever wins will take over for four years from April next year, with two extra years if targets are met.

National Express, FirstGroup and Stagecoach will also compete for Greater Western, which will be made up of the existing FirstGroup-run Great Western franchise and the National Express-run Wessex Trains franchise.

Go-Ahead, which operates under the name of Govia, said: "We are surprised and disappointed that Govia has not been selected by the SRA. The shortlisting process is complex and we will be seeking urgent feedback from the SRA to understand why Govia was not selected for either franchise."

An SRA spokesman said: "We take companies' track records into account when deciding bidders and we also look at their future plans."