National Express and Stagecoach are among four rail companies that have made the shortlist to run the lucrative South Central rail franchise, which could be worth about £600m a year to the winning bidder.

The shortlist, published by the Department for Transport on Wednesday, slightly earlier than expected, also included the incumbent, GoVia – a venture between Britain’s Go-Ahead and Keolis, France’s largest private sector transport company – and NedRailways, wholly owned by Dutch Railways.