The names of the four companies bidding to run the south eastern rail franchise have been announced.

Current operator Southeastern, officially called London and South East Passenger Rail Services Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Govia Limited, will be hoping to continue running train services in Kent.

But it will be up against three other companies including South Eastern Holdings Limited, a joint venture company that on franchise award will be wholly owned by Abellio Transport Group Limited and East Japan Railway Company and Mitsui & Co Limited.

Also in the running are Stagecoach South Eastern Trains Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Stagecoach Group plc; and Trenitalia UK Limited, wholly owned by Trenitalia S.p.A.

The government has warned that whoever is awarded the contract needs to make improvements to the service being offered at the moment.

The Department for Transport, while announcing the names of the four companies this morning, said transport secretary Chris Grayling had set out four areas that require improvement.

The new franchise holder must create more space for passengers on modern comfortable trains, he said.

The company must also increase the reliability of trains by using the latest technology while reducing delays by working closely with Network Rail.

Improving passenger compensation arrangements and supporting smart ticketing is another target.

Finally, the transport secretary wants to see the new operator improving customer service, with staff able to respond quickly and effectively, including during disruption.

Mr Grayling said: "South Eastern is one of the busiest franchises in the UK, running almost two thousand services every weekday. We want passengers to be at the heart of everything that the new operator does, enjoying modern, spacious trains on a more punctual and reliable service.

"We will listen to what passengers say in the current public consultation, and we will seek to make changes and improvements only with their support."

David Statham, Managing Director, Southeastern said: “Since 2006, we have introduced 500 extra services, as well as Britain’s first domestic high speed service, slashing journey times from Kent to London.

“Improving passengers’ experience is our absolute priority and in the last three years alone we have invested more than £70m in areas they have told us matter to them most, including upgraded station facilities, better information and more customer-facing staff.

"Our recent passenger satisfaction scores show that people are noticing the improvements, but we know there is still more to do and we welcome the opportunity to continue to build on the progress that has been made."

A public consultation, for people to share their views and priorities for the South Eastern franchise, runs until June 30. The new franchise is planned to start in December 2018.