Provision of on train and gateline advertising

Rail Advertising and Ticket Gate Advertising Concession

South Western Railway Ltd intends to procure a commercial advertising concession under which a supplier will market, sell and manage paid advertising across on‑train media and station ticket gate media on behalf of South Western Railway Ltd. The appointed supplier will secure advertisers, manage sales activity, collect advertising revenue and provide management information, sharing revenue with South Western Railway Ltd under an agreed commercial model. The new concession is expected to protect an established revenue baseline while placing greater emphasis on incremental revenue growth, innovation and performance.

South Western Railway Ltd services and stations included in this concession extend widely across South West London, Surrey, Berkshire, Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and Devon including Guildford, Basingstoke, Portsmouth, Southampton, Salisbury, Bournemouth, Weymouth and Exeter.

The anticipated high level supplier requirements are as follows, however are subject to change following premarket engagement:

• Fulfil on‑train commercial advertising space across a variety of formats within the South Western Railway Ltd fleet; including approx. 16,000 interior advertising spaces of mixed sizes across around 325 train sets, with 1,250 landscape format digital screens expected launch during 2026; other formats may be agreed during the current or future contracts.
• Fulfil station ticket gate advertising formats within the South Western Railway Ltd network, currently consisting of 316 double sides gates at 42 stations.
• Maximise overall advertising revenue through strong sales execution, enhanced agency and advertiser engagement, and innovative monetisation of on‑train and ticket gate formats, including currently unutilised space.
• Market and sell all available advertising inventory to advertisers and agencies.
• Manage advertiser and agency relationships and sales pipelines.
• Advise and implement formats, pricing and yield management strategies to maximise overall revenue.
• Coordinate campaign delivery with South Western Railway Ltd commercial and fleet teams, and any other relevant parties.
• Collect, reconcile and report advertising revenues by various agreed metrics.
• Provide regular performance reporting and management information, including ongoing engagement with South Western Railway to understand performance and seek ongoing opportunities.
• Propose and implement innovation in formats, data use, and sales approaches.

Contract Dates (estimated)

Estimated 1 July 2027 to 30 June 2031 with option for extension to 30 June 2032 subject to performance and business needs. These dates may be subject to change.

Engagement

Engagement Deadline

18 August 2026

Purpose of Engagement

This UK2 preliminary market engagement notice is being issued to:

• Inform the market of South Western Railway Ltd.'s intention to procure a rail advertising and ticket gate advertising concession.
• Invite interested suppliers to participate in early market engagement to help shape the procurement approach, commercial model and contract documents.
• Test market appetite for performance‑based and innovation‑led commercial structures that reward incremental revenue growth above the existing baseline.
• Gather supplier views on practical delivery issues, innovation opportunities, and appropriate performance and reporting arrangements.

Format of Engagement

South Western Railway Ltd plans to undertake the following engagement activities:

• Make available a supplier information pack and questionnaire.
• Provide further detail on the opportunity, objectives and scope.
• A structured questionnaire will invite feedback on:

o Experience of advertising concessions.

o Previous or potential approaches to driving incremental revenue and innovation.

o Views on potential commercial models (e.g. revenue share structures, minimum income guarantees, incentives for).

• Share expectations around reporting, data, and performance management.

Market engagement event - 25 August 2026

A subsequent in person presentation and event will take place on 25 August 2026.

Location: TBC

Time: 10:00 to 13:00. One to one sessions to follow from 14:00 to 16:00.

This event will:

• Outline the opportunity and objectives.
• Provide further high‑level information on the existing estate.
• Explain the proposed procurement timetable.
• Highlight key topics on which feedback is sought.
• Provide an opportunity for questions and clarifications.
• Provide an opportunity for optional one‑to‑one meetings.

South Western Railway Ltd will offer a limited number of one‑to‑one meetings with interested suppliers following the main event.

Suppliers wishing to request a one‑to‑one meeting should indicate this when registering their interest. Allocation of one‑to‑one slots will be at South Western Railway Ltd's discretion, with the aim of ensuring fair and proportionate engagement.

Written feedback following the event

Suppliers will be invited to provide written responses to the questionnaire and any follow‑up comments by email after the event.

Timetable and deadlines

The current indicative timetable for preliminary market engagement is:

• Publication of this notice: 13 July 2026
• Deadline to register interest and request attendance at the market engagement event: 18 August 2026
• Market engagement event and optional one‑to‑one meetings: 25 August 2026
• Deadline for written questionnaire responses / emailed feedback: 8 September 2026

South Western Railway Ltd currently anticipates publishing the tender notice around September 2026, with contract commencement estimated for July 2027, subject to change. The indicative contract term is 4 years with an option to extend for a further 1 year (4+1 years), subject to performance and business need.

How to register interest and participate

Suppliers interested in participating in this preliminary market engagement should:

Email: [email protected] & [email protected]

Subject line: "Rail Advertising and Ticket Gate Advertising Concession"

In the email, please provide:

• Organisation name, registered address and company number (if applicable).
• Main contact name, role, email and telephone number.
• Number of employees attending the engagement day (maximum 2 per supplier), if applicable.
• A brief description of your organisation's relevant experience or competences.
• Confirmation of whether you wish to attend an optional one‑to‑one meeting at the engagement day.

South Western Railway Ltd may ask suppliers to sign a confidentiality agreement before issuing any detailed, non‑public information.

Additional information

Participation in this preliminary market engagement is voluntary and at the supplier's own cost. South Western Railway Ltd will not reimburse any associated expenses.

Information provided by suppliers during the engagement may be used to refine the procurement strategy, tender documentation, commercial structure and performance framework. South Western Railway do not make any claim to final content of any tender requirements either now or at the engagement session.

Any information shared that is not commercially sensitive may be summarised and shared more widely with participants to ensure transparency and equal treatment.

This notice is not a tender notice or a call for competition. Publication of this notice does not bind South Western Railway Ltd or subsidiaries to any guarantee, and it is possible that no tender will result from this Pre-Market Engagement exercise. The requirements, contract duration, start and end dates detailed within this notice are subject to amendment following Pre Market Engagement and confirmation of the route to market.