TOC's & FOC's

Franchise Information

Franchise Agreements &Terminations To directly view details for a particular Company click on Companies information page. The following Franchises will terminate on 10 November 2007... CENTRAL TRAINS - National Express Group, CROSS COUNTRY - Virgin Trains, MIDLAND MAINLINE - National Express Group and Silverlink - National Express Group.

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Arriva Trains Wales
(Formerly Wales & Borders) Arriva Trains Ltd

Franchise Start Date: 1st December 2003
Franchise End Date: 31st December 2018

Principal Routes

Arriva Trains Wales operates almost all services in Wales, and a number of routes between Wales and England.

The principal routes it operates are:

  • Cardiff to Swansea and West Wales
  • Cardiff Valleys
  • Cardiff - Hereford - Shrewsbury - Crewe - Manchester Piccadilly
  • Cardiff - Hereford - Shrewsbury - Chester - Bangor - Holyhead
  • Manchester Piccadilly and Crewe to Chester, Rhyl, Bangor and Holyhead
  • Shrewsbury - Pwllheli and Aberystwyth
  • Shrewsbury - Swansea (Heart of Wales line)

Overview

Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) was formed in December 2003, replacing the previous Wales and Borders franchise that had been operated by National Express. ATW is part of Arriva Group plc, one of the UK's largest transport operators

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Arriva CrossCountry



Franchise Start Date: 11th November 2007
Franchise End Date: 1st April 2015

Principal Routes

CrossCountry will operate long-distance services centred on Birmingham New Street and avoiding London, from 11th November 2007. The principal routes are:

· Birmingham – Oxford – Reading – Southampton – Bournemouth

· Birmingham – Cheltenham – Bristol – Taunton – Exeter – Plymouth – Truro – Penzance

· Birmingham – Derby – Sheffield – Leeds – York – Darlington – Newcastle – Edinburgh – Glasgow / Dundee – Aberdeen

· Birmingham – Wolverhampton – Stafford – Stoke – Stockport – Manchester

· Cardiff – Newport – Gloucester / Hereford – Birmingham – Derby – Nottingham

· Birmingham – Leicester – Peterborough – Cambridge – Stansted Airport

Overview

From 11 November 2007 Arriva CrossCountry will operate the CrossCountry franchise, with services extending across Great Britain from Penzance to Aberdeen, from Cardiff to Stansted Airport and from Manchester to Bournemouth. This new franchise combines most of the services previously operated by Virgin CrossCountry Trains and some services previously operated by Central Trains.

Virgin Trains CrossCountry services presently operated between Birmingham and Glasgow via Preston will be transferred and operated by Virgin Trains West Coast.

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c2c
National Express Group

Franchise Start Date: 26th May 1996
Franchise End Date: 31st May 2011

Principal Routes

London Fenchurch Street to:

  • Barking
  • Basildon
  • Southend
  • Shoeburyness
  • Rainham
  • Grays
  • Tilbury

Overview

c2c is a National Express Group company. The franchise was originally awarded to Prism Rail in 1996, and Prism Rail was purchased by National Express in 2000. In 2002 the franchise was rebranded c2c.

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Chiltern Railways
M40 Trains Ltd

Franchise Start Date: 3rd March 2002
Franchise End Date: 31st December 2021

Principal Routes

London Marylebone to:

  • Birmingham Snow Hill, via High Wycombe, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Warwick Parkway, Solihull, Birmingham Moor Street and some trains continue to Stourbridge and Kidderminster
  • Stratford-upon-Avon, via High Wycombe, Banbury and Leamington Spa
  • Aylesbury, via Rickmansworth and Amersham
  • Aylesbury, via High Wycombe

Overview

Laing Rail won the original Chiltern Railways franchise in 1996. A new 20-year franchise was granted in 2002.
Since winning the original franchise in 1996, Chiltern Railways has run scheduled passenger services along the M40 corridor between London Marylebone and Birmingham Snow Hill, and London Marylebone to Aylesbury via Amersham along the London Underground Metropolitan line.

In 2002 Chiltern Railways extended its operations as far as Kidderminster and in 2004 took over services between Stratford-upon-Avon and London.
Chiltern Railways is owned by M40 Trains. All shares in M40 Trains are owned by John Laing plc through Laing Rail Ltd.

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Cross Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL)
Domestic Services (new franchise)

Franchise Date: To be finalised.

Description: The CTRL franchise will provide some high- speed domestic services between Kent and London St Pancras via intermediate stations at Ebbsfleet and Stratford following completion of the route in late 2006.

Proposal: Preparatory work on the franchise proposition is under way to facilitate the franchising process.

The SRA announced on the 4th January 2003 consultation on new passenger services for Kent commuters using the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL). The SRA say that services could start as early as 2007 following completion of the full CTRL.

The SRA's consultation document sets out six possible service options along with their benefits and financial and other implications. The basis of all the options is a new Integrated Kent rail franchise which will integrate the new high-speed CTRL services with the existing network of South Eastern services currently operated by an interim management company.

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East Midlands Trains


Franchise Start Date: 11th November 2007
Franchise End Date: 31st March 2015


Principal Routes

East Midlands Trains will operate:

· London St. Pancras to Sheffield, Derby, Nottingham and Leicester.

· Nottingham and Derby / Lincoln / Cleethorpes / Skegness

· Derby to Crewe and Matlock

· Norwich to Liverpool via Peterborough, Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester.

Overview

From 11 November 2007 East Midlands Trains (Stagecoach) will operate the East Midlands franchise, with services between London, the East Midlands and South Yorkshire, as well as services in central England and between Liverpool and Norwich. This new franchise combines services previously operated by Midland Mainline and some of the services previously operated by Central Trains.

East Midlands Trains is part of the Stagecoach group.

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EUROSTAR


Operations Started On: 14th November 1994

Principal Routes

London Waterloo International to Paris Gare du Nord and Brussels Midi, with intermediate stops at Ashford International, Calais Frethun and Lille Europe.

Some services also operate to Disneyland Paris, Avignon, Moutiers, Aime-la-Plagne and Bourg-Saint-Maurice.

From late 2007 trains will terminate in London at St Pancras International instead of Waterloo International, with additional calls at Stratford International and Ebbsfleet.

Overview

Eurostar is jointly owned and operated by Eurostar (U.K.) Ltd, SNCF (French Railways) and NMBS / SNCB (Belgian Railways).

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Hull Trains


Operations Started On: 25th September 2000

Principal Routes

Hull Trains operates services from London Kings Cross to Hull, calling at:

  • Stevenage
  • Grantham
  • Retford
  • Doncaster
  • Selby
  • Howden
  • Brough

Overview

Hull Trains commenced operations in September 2000 (three weeks before the Hatfield crash) as Britain's first Open Access operator.

Having started operating three trains daily (on weekdays) between London and Hull, services have now increased to seven trains each way on weekdays.

Hull Trains is majority-owned by First Group PLC

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Heathrow Express


Operations Started On: 23rd June 1998

Principal Routes

From London Paddington to Heathrow Central and Heathrow Terminal 4. Once Heathrow Terminal 5 opens (2008), Heathrow Express Trains will stop there instead of Terminal 4.

Overview

Heathrow Express is owned and operated by BAA plc.

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First Great Western
First Group

Franchise Start Date: 1st April 2006
Franchise End Date: 31st March 2016

Principal Routes

Inter-City services from London Paddington to:

  • Swansea, via Reading, Swindon, Bristol Parkway, Newport and Cardiff
  • Bristol Temple Meads, via Reading, Didcot Parkway, Swindon, Chippenham and Bath Spa (some trains are extended to Weston-super-Mare and Taunton)
  • Penzance, via Reading, Newbury, Westbury, Taunton, Tiverton Parkway, Exeter St Davids, Newton Abbott, Plymouth, Truro and St Austell
  • Paignton and Newquay
  • Oxford and Banbury, via Slough, Reading and Didcot Parkway
  • Hereford, via Oxford, Evesham, Worcester (Shrub Hill and Foregate Street stations) and Great Malvern
  • Cheltenham, via Reading, Didcot Parkway, Swindon and Gloucester

Local services in the Thames Valley and surrounding areas between:

  • London Paddington, Slough and Reading
  • Ealing Broadway and Greenford
  • Slough and Windsor & Eton Central
  • Maidenhead and Marlow (via Bourne End)
  • Twyford and Henley-on-Thames
  • London Paddington and Bedwyn
  • Oxford and Bicester Town
  • Reading and Basingstoke
  • Reading and Gatwick Airport

Local services in Devon and Cornwall, including all Cornish branch lines.
Services from Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour and Brighton, via Newport, Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa, Trowbridge, Westbury, Warminster, Salisbury and Southampton Central. Also services from Swindon to Southampton Central via Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and Salisbury.
Services from Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth, via Bath Spa, Trowbridge, Westbury, Frome, Castle Cary, Yeovil Pen Mill, Maiden Newton and Dorchester West.
Local services in the Bristol area, including those to Weston-super-Mare and Taunton, Severn Beach and Gloucester via Bristol Parkway.

The First Great Western franchise was formed on 1st April 2006 from the merger of First Great Western, First Great Western Link (previously Thames Trains) and Wessex Trains. The passenger journey, passenger kilometre and train kilometre information below is therefore the combined total of those three franchises for the year 2005-06.

Overview

The First Great Western franchise was formed on 1st April 2006 from the merger of First Great Western, First Great Western Link (formerly Thames Trains) and Wessex Trains (a National Express franchise).

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First Capital Connect

First Group

Franchise Start Date: 1st April 2006
Franchise End Date: 31st March 2015

Principal Routes

Bedford to Brighton via Luton, St Albans, central London (Kings Cross Thameslink, Farringdon, City Thameslink, Blackfriars and London Bridge stations), East Croydon, Gatwick Airport and Haywards Heath

Luton to Wimbledon and Sutton, via St Albans and Central London.
Bedford and Luton to Moorgate via Kings Cross Thameslink and Farringdon (peak hours only).
Peterborough to London Kings Cross via Huntingdon, Hitchin and Stevenage.
Kings Lynn to London Kings Cross via Ely, Cambridge, Royston, Letchworth and Stevenage.
Letchworth to London Kings Cross (and also Moorgate) via Hitchin, Stevenage, Welwyn Garden City and Hertford North.
First Capital Connect commenced operations on 1st April 2006, and merged together the operations of the two previous franchisees - Thameslink and WAGN. The passenger journey, passenger kilometre and train kilometre data below is the combined total of Thameslink and WAGN for 2005-06

Overview

First Capital Connect commenced operations on 1st April 2006, combining the operations of Thameslink and WAGN. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of First Group.
The new franchise has been awarded by the DfT for a minimum of four years, which will automatically continue for a further two years if performance targets are met.
After the end of year six, the DfT has discretion as to whether to continue for all or part of a further three years. The DfT has introduced this flexibility in order to allow for the uncertainty surrounding the Thameslink 2000 project and its impact upon the franchise

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Gatwick Express
National Express Group

Franchise Start Date: 28th April 1996
Franchise End Date: 31st May 2011

Principal Routes

London Victoria to Gatwick Airport

Overview

Gatwick Express is part of the National Express Group

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London Overground


Franchise Start Date: 11th November 2007
Franchise End Date: 31st March 2014

Principal Routes

London Overground will operate suburban services from 11th November 2007:

· Richmond to Stratford, via Willesden Junction, Gospel Oak and Dalston Junction

· Gospel Oak – Barking

· Watford Junction – London Euston local (‘DC line’) services, via Harrow & Wealdstone and Willesden Junction

· Willesden Junction – Clapham Junction

Overview

London Overground will start operations from 11th November 2007, taking over the services currently provided by Silverlink Metro.

It is a concession rather than franchise and will be operated by a joint venture between MTR and Laing.

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London Midland

Franchise Start Date: 11th November 2007
Franchise End Date: 19th September 2015

Principal Routes

London Midland will operate services to and from London Euston, Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street from 11th November 2007, principally:

· London Euston to Birmingham New Street stopping services calling at Watford Junction, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Rugby, Coventry and Birmingham International; and stopping services from London Euston to Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield, Rugeley, Stoke on Trent and Crewe. Inter-City services along this route will continue to be operated by Virgin Trains

· Birmingham New Street to Liverpool Lime Street via Wolverhampton, Stafford, Crewe and Runcorn

· Local services from Birmingham New Street to Hereford, Redditch, Stratford upon Avon, Leamington Spa, Northampton, Lichfield, Rugeley, Stafford and Shrewsbury

· The Watford to St Albans and Bletchley to Bedford branches

Overview

From 11 November 2007 London Midland (Go-Ahead) will operate the West Midlands franchise. It will operate services between London Euston, Milton Keynes, Birmingham New Street (via Northampton), together with the lines from Bletchley to Bedford and Watford Junction to St Albans. In addition it will operate the local and regional service groups in the West Midlands, including trains between Birmingham and Liverpool, and Stafford / Stoke / Crewe.

London Midland is part of the Govia group.

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Merseyrail
Serco Ltd / NS Dutch Railways

Franchise Start Date: 20th July 2003
Franchise End Date: 19th July 2028

Principal Routes

Merseyrail operates the urban electric railway serving Liverpool and Birkenhead in Merseyside.

The principal routes are:

  • Northern Line: Southport, Ormskirk and Kirby to Hunts Cross via Liverpool (Moorfields and Central stations)
  • Wirral Line: Chester, Ellesmere Port, New Brighton and West Kirby, via Birkenhead, to Liverpool (James Street, Moorfields, Lime Street and Central stations)

Overview

Merseyrail is a unique concession in the UK as the role of the SRA has been delegated by Parliament to the Merseyside Public Transport Executive Merseytravel and the concession agreement is between the operator and Merseytravel.

The concession is operated by Merseyrail Electrics (2002) Ltd, a 50/50 Joint Venture company between Serco and NedRailways. The new operator (branded Merseyrail) operates the Wirral Line and the Northern Line.

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National Express East Coast

Franchise Start Date: 9th December 2007
Franchise End Date: 31 March 2015

Principal Routes

GNER operates long-distance Inter-City services on the East Coast Main Line, between London Kings Cross and:

  • Wakefield Westgate, Leeds, Bradford Forster Square, Harrogate and Skipton

  • Peterborough, Grantham, Newark, Retford, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle, Alnmouth, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Dunbar, Edinburgh Waverley, and then on to Glasgow Central (via Motherwell), Aberdeen (via Kirkcaldy, Dundee and Arbroath) and Inverness (via Stirling, Perth and Aviemore)

  • Hull, via Selby

Overview

GNER started services in 1996 and is now running 24% more services and carrying 43% more passengers.

A new Inter-City East Coast franchise was retendered during 2007, and National Express East Coast will start on 9th December 2007. In the meantime GNER is operating under a management contract and continuing to invest in rebuilt trains, better stations, easier ticket purchase and improved information.

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'ONE'Railway( National Express East Anglia name change from end of February 2008)

National Express

Franchise Start Date: 1st April 2004
Franchise End Date: 31st March 2014

Principal Routes

'one' is the franchise that covers East Anglia. Almost all services out of London's Liverpool Street station are operated by 'one'. Principal routes are:

  • London to Norwich via Colchester and Ipswich
  • London to Southend Victoria and Southminster via Shenfield
  • London to Braintree, Harwich, Clacton and Walton
  • Ipswich to Felixstowe, Lowestoft, Cambridge and Peterborough
  • Marks Tey to Sudbury
  • Norwich to Cambridge, Sheringham, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft
  • London Liverpool Street to Cambridge via Bishop's Stortford
  • London and Stratford to Stansted Airport
  • Metro services from London to Shenfield via Romford
  • Romford to Upminster
  • London to Hertford East, Enfield Town and Chingford

'one' is part of the National Express Group

Overview

'one' was formed on 1st April 2004 through the merger of First Great Eastern, Anglia Railways and the West Anglia part of WAGN. The Great Northern part of WAGN continued as a standalone franchise until it was merged with Thameslink on 1st April 2006 to form the First Capital Connect franchise.

'one' is owned by National Express Group plc.

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Northern Rail

Franchise Start Date: 12th December 2004
Franchise End Date: 11th September 2013

Principal Routes

Northern Rail has an extensive route network, operating services in the following counties:

  • Cumbria
  • Lancashire
  • Merseyside
  • Greater Manchester
  • Cheshire
  • Staffordshire
  • Derbyshire
  • South Yorkshire
  • Lincolnshire
  • West Yorkshire
  • East Riding of Yorkshire
  • North Yorkshire
  • Cleveland
  • Durham
  • Tyne & Wear
  • Northumberland

Overview

Northern Rail is a joint venture between Serco Group and NedRailways. NedRailways is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dutch Railways (NS).

When the franchise commenced in December 2004, it took over the majority of services that had previously been operated by First North Western and Arriva Trains Northern. The longer-distance services of these two operators had, in February 2004, been transferred to TransPennine Express.

Northern Rail operates services in five out of six of the English PTEs (Merseyside, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and Tyne & Wear) and works closely with each PTE in developing and operating services.

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First ScotRail
National Express Group

Franchise Start Date: 17th October 2004
Franchise End Date: 1st October 2011

Principal Routes

First ScotRail operates almost all services in Scotland, including the Glasgow and Edinburgh commuter services, services to Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness, and all local and rural services.

The company also operates Glasgow - Carlisle local services (via Dumfries) and the Caledonian Sleeper service from London Euston to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William.

Inter-City services from England to Scotland are provided by both GNER and Virgin Trains, which operate services from Glasgow to Carlisle (direct) as well as some services from Edinburgh to Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness.

Overview

First ScotRail is part of FirstGroup plc.

Until 17th October 2004 the ScotRail franchise was operated by National Express.

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Southern
Govia Group

Franchise Start Date: 26th August 2003
Franchise End Date: 31st December 2009

Principal Routes

Southern operates routes south of London, principally from London Victoria and London Bridge stations.

The principal routes are:

  • London to Brighton via East Croydon and Gatwick Airport
  • London to Lewes, Eastbourne and Newhaven
  • London to East Grinstead and Uckfield
  • London to Hove, Worthing, Littlehampton, Bognor Regis and Chichester
  • London to Sutton, Epsom and Horsham
  • South London Metro services
  • Ashford – Hastings – Eastbourne – Lewes – Brighton – Chichester – Portsmouth – Southampton South Coast Services
  • Watford Junction to Clapham Junction

Overview

Southern is part of the Govia Group. The franchise was called South Central until May 2004 when it was rebranded Southern.

Govia took over the franchise from Connex South Central in August 2001; Connex had been operating the franchise since privatisation in May 1996.

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South Eastern Trains
The go-head group and Keolis

subsidiary of SRA

Franchise Start Date: 1st April 2006
Franchise End Date: 31st March 2014

Principal Routes

Southeastern provides services from central London to south east London, Kent and some destinations in Sussex.

The London stations it serves are:

  • London Charing Cross
  • London Waterloo East
  • London Cannon Street
  • London Bridge
  • London Victoria
  • London Blackfriars

The principal routes are:

  • London to Greenwich, Dartford, Gravesend, Strood, Chatham, Rochester and Gillingham
  • London to Medway Towns, Sittingbourne, Faversham, then either Dover via Canterbury East or Ramsgate via Margate and Whitstable
  • London to Maidstone East, Ashford International, Canterbury West, Ramsgate and Margate
  • London to Orpington, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Ashford International, then to either Margate via Canterbury West and Ramsgate or Ramsgate via Folkestone, Dover and Deal
  • London to Orpington, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Battle, St Leonards and Hastings
  • London to Herne Hill, Beckenham Junction, Shortlands, Catford, Bromley South, Bickley, St Mary Cray, Swanley Orpington, Otford and Sevenoaks
  • London to Catford Bridge, Elmers End and Hayes (Kent)
  • Strood to Maidstone West, Paddock Wood, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells
  • Tonbridge to Gatwick Airport and East Croydon via Redhill

Overview

Southeastern is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between The Go-Ahead Group and Keolis.

On 1st April 2006 Southeastern took over operation of the franchise from South Eastern Trains (SET), a subsidiary of the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA). South Eastern Trains had taken over operations from Connex South Eastern, the original franchise holder since October 1996, in November 2003.

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South West Trains

Stagecoach Group

Franchise Start Date: 4th February 2007
Franchise End Date: 3rd February 2017

Principal Routes

South West Trains serves south west London, Hampshire, Dorset, and parts of Surrey, Berkshire, Wiltshire and Devon. It also provides services on the Isle of Wight.

The principal routes from London (all from London Waterloo) are:

  • London to Weymouth, via Woking, Basingstoke, Winchester, Southampton, Bournemouth, Poole and Dorchester
  • London to Portsmouth, via Woking, Guildford and Haslemere
  • London to Exeter via Woking, Basingstoke, Andover, Salisbury, Yeovil and Honiton (some trains continue from Exeter to Paignton or Plymouth, and from Salisbury to Bath and Bristol Temple Meads)
  • London to Reading via Clapham Junction, Richmond, Barnes, Hounslow, Ascot, Bracknell and Wokingham
  • London to Kingston and Shepperton
  • London to Wimbledon, Surbiton and Hampton Court
  • London to Guildford via Cobham
  • London to Dorking via Epsom and Leatherhead
  • London to Alton via Aldershot and Farnham

Other services operated include:

  • Romsey - Chandler's Ford - Eastleigh - Southampton Airport Parkway - Southampton Central - Totton
  • Brockenhurst - Lymington
  • Reading - Brighton
  • Ryde Pier Head - Shanklin (Isle of Wight)

Overview

South West Trains is a subsidiary of Stagecoach Group plc.

It was the first part of British Rail to be privatised, and ran the first privatised train service - the 05.10 Twickenham to London - on 4th February 1996.

The Island Line and South West Trains franchises were previously separate franchises, but were combined into one franchise with effect from 4th February 2007.

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TransPennine Express
Joint venture between First Group & Keolis

Franchise Start Date: 1st February 2004
Franchise End Date: 31st January 2012

Principal Routes

TransPennine Express operate three principal routes:

  • North TransPennine: Liverpool Lime Street via Warrington Central, and Manchester Airport, to Manchester Piccadilly, Huddersfield, Leeds, York, Scarborough, Northallerton, Middlesbrough, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle, Selby and Hull
  • South TransPennine: Manchester Airport, Manchester Piccadilly and Stockport to Sheffield, Doncaster, Scunthorpe, Grimsby and Cleethorpes
  • North West: Manchester Airport, Manchester Piccadilly and Salford Crescent to Bolton, Preston, Blackpool North, Lancaster, Barrow-in-Furness, Kendal and Windermere

Overview

TransPennine Express was formed in February 2004 by combining the longer distance routes of Arriva Trains Northern and First North Western. The more local services of these two operators were combined into the Northern Rail franchise, which started in December 2004.

TransPennine Express is a joint venture between First Group and Keolis.

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West Coast Trains

Virgin Trains

Franchise Start Date: 9th March 1997
Franchise End Date: 31st March 2012

Principal Routes

Services from London Euston to:

  • Coventry, Birmingham International, Birmingham New Street, Sandwell & Dudley and Wolverhampton
  • Manchester Piccadilly, via Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield and Stockport; and also via Crewe and Wilmslow
  • Liverpool Lime Street, via Crewe and Runcorn
  • Holyhead, via Crewe, Chester, Llandudno Junction and Bangor
  • Glasgow Central, via Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme (for the Lake District), Penrith, Carlisle, Lockerbie and Motherwell.

Many of the services above also call at the intermediate stations of Watford Junction, Milton Keynes, Rugby, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley and Stafford.

Overview

Virgin Trains operate two separate franchises - Virgin West Coast and Virgin Cross Country. Virgin Trains is a joint venture between Virgin Group and Stagecoach Group plc.