London Midland
London Midland[1] was a train operating company in England, owned by Govia, which operated the West Midlands franchise between 2007 and 2017.
Class 350 Desiro at Watford Junction in 2011 | |||
Overview | |||
---|---|---|---|
Franchise(s) | West Midlands 11 November 2007 – 10 December 2017 | ||
Main region(s) | West Midlands, London | ||
Other region(s) | North West, East Midlands | ||
Stations called at | 178 | ||
Stations operated | 146 | ||
Parent company | Govia | ||
Reporting mark | LM | ||
Predecessor | Central Trains Silverlink | ||
Successor | West Midlands Trains | ||
Technical | |||
Length | 867.4 | ||
Other | |||
Website | www | ||
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London Midland operated local services in the West Midlands and surrounding areas through their City sub-brand. They also provided long distance and commuter services on the West Coast Main Line through the Express sub-brand from London Euston to and from the West Midlands, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire. Additionally, services on the Stourbridge Town Branch Line operated by Pre Metro Operations were branded as the London Midland Stourbridge Shuttle.
The franchise was originally due to expire in September 2015; this was extended to March 2016, and then again to October 2017 after London Midland agreed to put on extra trains and improve services.[2][3] In July 2017, it was further extended until 10 December 2017,[4] when West Midlands Trains took over.
Services
London Midland's services were divided between four groups of routes: London Euston Routes, Birmingham Regional, West Midlands Local and Branch Lines.[5]
- London Euston Routes included train services between London Euston and Birmingham New Street or Crewe, as well as services which only use a small section of the route (e.g. Northampton – Birmingham New Street).
- Birmingham Regional included longer-distance, semi-fast services between Birmingham New Street and Hereford, Shrewsbury or Liverpool Lime Street.
- West Midlands Local included stopping services through Birmingham to nearby settlements such as Lichfield and Kidderminster.
- Branch Lines included services which operate on branch lines that are essentially separate from the rest of the network.
London Midland operated several "parliamentary train" stations, where only a handful of trains a day call. These include:
- Bordesley; 1 train per week on a Saturday, from Whitlocks End to Great Malvern, plus football specials.
- Polesworth; 1 train per day from Northampton to Crewe.
London Midland also operated stations where it operated no services. These stations are only served by CrossCountry, which does not manage any stations. These included:
London Midland's off-peak Monday to Friday routes, with frequencies in trains per hour (tph), included:[6]
London Euston routes | ||
---|---|---|
Route | tph | Calling at |
London Euston to Tring | 2 | Wembley Central (1tph), Harrow & Wealdstone, Bushey, Watford Junction, Kings Langley, Apsley, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted |
London Euston to Milton Keynes Central | 1 | Watford Junction, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring, Cheddington, Leighton Buzzard, Bletchley |
London Euston to Birmingham New Street | 3 | Watford Junction (2tph), Hemel Hempstead (1tph), Berkhamsted (1tph), Leighton Buzzard (2tph), Bletchley (2tph), Milton Keynes Central, Wolverton (2tph), Northampton, Long Buckby, Rugby, Coventry, Canley (2tph), Tile Hill, Berkswell (2tph), Hampton-in-Arden (2tph), Birmingham International, Marston Green, Lea Hall (1tpd), Stechford (1tpd) Note: In the northbound direction this service was timetabled as two separate services, terminating/originating at Northampton. |
Birmingham International to Birmingham New Street | 1 | Lea Hall, Stechford, Adderley Park |
London Euston to Crewe | 1 | Milton Keynes Central, Rugby, Nuneaton, Atherstone, Polesworth (limited service), Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Rugeley Trent Valley, Stafford, Stone, Stoke-on-Trent, Kidsgrove, Alsager |
Birmingham regional | ||
Route | tph | Calling at |
Birmingham New Street to Liverpool Lime Street | 2 | Smethwick Galton Bridge (1tph), Coseley (1tph), Wolverhampton, Penkridge (1tph on southbound), Stafford, Crewe, Winsford (1tph), Hartford (1tph on northbound), Acton Bridge (limited service), Runcorn, Liverpool South Parkway |
Birmingham New Street to Shrewsbury | 1 | Sandwell & Dudley, Wolverhampton, Bilbrook, Codsall, Albrighton, Cosford, Shifnal, Telford Central, Oakengates, Wellington |
Birmingham New Street to Hereford | 1 | University, Bromsgrove, Droitwich Spa, Worcester Foregate Street, Malvern Link, Great Malvern, Colwall, Ledbury |
West Midlands local (Cross City route) | ||
Route | tph | Calling at |
Lichfield Trent Valley to Longbridge (and Redditch) | 2 | Lichfield City, Shenstone, Blake Street, Butlers Lane, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, Wylde Green, Chester Road, Erdington, Gravelly Hill, Aston, Birmingham New Street, Five Ways, University, Selly Oak, Bournville, Kings Norton, Northfield 1 tph extended to Redditch calling at Barnt Green and Alvechurch |
Lichfield City to Longbridge (and Redditch) | 2 | Blake Street, Butlers Lane, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, Wylde Green, Chester Road, Erdington, Gravelly Hill, Aston, Birmingham New Street, Five Ways, University, Selly Oak, Bournville, Kings Norton, Northfield 1 tph extended to Redditch calling at Barnt Green and Alvechurch |
Four Oaks to Longbridge (and Redditch) | 2 | Sutton Coldfield, Wylde Green, Chester Road, Erdington, Gravelly Hill, Aston, Duddeston, Birmingham New Street, Five Ways, University, Selly Oak, Bournville, Kings Norton, Northfield 1 tph extended to Redditch calling at Barnt Green and Alvechurch |
West Midlands local (Chase Line route) | ||
Route | tph | Calling at |
Walsall to Wolverhampton via Aston | 2 | Bescot Stadium, Tame Bridge Parkway, Hamstead, Perry Barr, Witton, Aston, Duddeston, Birmingham New Street, Smethwick Rolfe Street, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Sandwell & Dudley, Dudley Port, Tipton, Coseley |
Rugeley Trent Valley to Birmingham New Street | 1 | Rugeley Town, Hednesford, Cannock, Landywood, Bloxwich North, Bloxwich, Walsall, Tame Bridge Parkway |
Walsall to Birmingham New Street | 1 | Tame Bridge Parkway |
West Midlands local (Snow Hill route) | ||
Route | tph | Calling at |
Stratford-upon-Avon to Stourbridge Junction via Dorridge | 1 | Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway, Dorridge, Widney Manor, Solihull, Olton, Acocks Green, Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Snow Hill, Jewellery Quarter, The Hawthorns, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Langley Green, Rowley Regis, Old Hill, Cradley Heath, Lye |
Dorridge to Kidderminster | 1 | Widney Manor, Solihull, Olton, Acocks Green, Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Snow Hill, Jewellery Quarter, The Hawthorns, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Rowley Regis, Cradley Heath, Stourbridge Junction, Hagley, Blakedown |
Dorridge to Worcester Shrub Hill or Worcester Foregate Street | 1 | Widney Manor, Solihull, Olton, Acocks Green, Tyseley, Small Heath, Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Snow Hill, Jewellery Quarter, The Hawthorns, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Rowley Regis, Cradley Heath, Stourbridge Junction, Kidderminster, Hartlebury, Droitwich Spa Most trains ran to Worcester Shrub Hill, then reversed to continue to Foregate Street. Some irregular off-peak trains either terminated at Shrub Hill or ran through to Foregate Street, avoiding Shrub Hill. |
Stratford-upon-Avon to Stourbridge Junction via Whitlocks End | 1 | Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway, Wilmcote, Wootton Wawen, Henley-in-Arden, Danzey, Wood End, The Lakes, Earlswood, Wythall, Whitlocks End, Shirley, Yardley Wood, Hall Green, Spring Road, Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Snow Hill, Jewellery Quarter, The Hawthorns, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Langley Green, Rowley Regis, Old Hill, Cradley Heath, Lye |
Whitlocks End to Kidderminster | 1 | Shirley, Yardley Wood, Hall Green, Spring Road, Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Snow Hill, Jewellery Quarter, The Hawthorns, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Rowley Regis, Cradley Heath, Stourbridge Junction, Hagley, Blakedown |
Whitlocks End to Worcester Shrub Hill or Worcester Foregate Street | 1 | Shirley, Yardley Wood, Hall Green, Spring Road, Tyseley, Small Heath, Bordesley (limited service), Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Snow Hill, Jewellery Quarter, The Hawthorns, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Rowley Regis, Cradley Heath, Stourbridge Junction, Hagley, Kidderminster, Droitwich Spa Most trains ran to Worcester Shrub Hill, then reversed to continue to Foregate Street. Some irregular off-peak trains either terminated at Shrub Hill or ran through to Foregate Street, avoiding Shrub Hill. |
Branch lines | ||
Route | tph | Calling at |
Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town[lower-alpha 1] | 6 | |
Coventry to Nuneaton | 1 | Coventry Arena, Bedworth, Bermuda Park |
Bletchley to Bedford | 1 | Fenny Stratford, Bow Brickhill, Woburn Sands, Aspley Guise, Ridgmont, Lidlington, Millbrook, Stewartby, Kempston Hardwick, Bedford St Johns |
Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey | – | Watford North, Garston, Bricket Wood, How Wood, Park Street Irregular service; approximately every 45 minutes. |
Former services
In December 2008, London Midland discontinued the direct service between Walsall and Wolverhampton. Traffic on the route was low, but growing, and there was a campaign to keep the service.[7] The service was a priced option with the new West Midlands franchise, but the Department for Transport decided not to provide funding from December 2008, and as a result the service ceased.[8] There was only one early morning train on Saturdays from Wolverhampton to Walsall (Parliamentary service).[9]
In December 2008, a two-hourly Worcester Shrub Hill to Gloucester service was introduced to improve transport links between the two towns as well as to provide an increased service at Ashchurch for Tewkesbury. This service was withdrawn in December 2009 because of low passenger use.[10]
Proposed services
In October 2010, London Midland applied to the Office of Rail Regulation to run a new hourly Birmingham to Preston service from 2016 by diverting every other Birmingham to Liverpool train. The Euston to Crewe service would also then be extended to Liverpool to maintain a half-hourly service between Crewe and Liverpool by 2016.[11][12] This was rejected by the Office of Rail Regulation.[13] London Midland also sought to run additional evening and Sunday trains between Euston and Crewe, to satisfy what the company says was unmet demand.[11] From April 2012, London Midland began operating an hourly Euston to Crewe service on Sundays.[14]
In order to win a contract extension, London Midland had agreed to put on extra services, resulting in an extra 6,600 seats per week.[15]
Performance
The company stated that it experienced many breakdowns due to the outdated rolling stock it inherited and which it has now replaced,[18] and also provided extra seats in the 2014 timetable.[19]
In autumn and winter 2012, many services suffered cancellations owing to a shortage of train operating staff.[20][21][22]
Performance since the staff shortages have been varied with a low of 76% for the period 10 November to 7 December 2013 to a 92.2% for the period 1–26 April 2014.[23] The average punctuality since the start of the franchise was 87%[24]
A new partnership agreement between London Midland and transport authority Centro was set to trigger a £10 million investment in station improvements across the West Midlands. 'Transforming Rail Travel' was a deal between the two organisations to continue a two-year arrangement with the aim of delivering further enhancements to services and facilities.[25]
Amidst a background of ongoing rail strikes nationwide, in January 2017, the RMT announced that they would be balloting guards at London Midland for potential industrial action over concerns regarding the introduction of externally-contracted security staff on their trains at the end of December 2016, which the RMT alleged would replace the role of "safety-critical" guards on some services, paving the way for DOO operation.[26] London Midland denied having plans in place to implement DOO operation on their network. Following negotiations with the RMT, London Midland ceased using externally-contracted security staff on their trains on 30 January; as a result, the RMT suspended their ballot on 2 February, averting potential industrial action, before formally declaring the dispute closed.[27]
Rolling stock
London Midland inherited a fleet of Class 150, Class 153, Class 170, Class 321, Class 323 and Class 350/1s from Central Trains and Silverlink.
One of the major franchise commitments was the replacement of the existing fleet of Class 150 and Class 321 units.[28] Upon being awarded the franchise, London Midland ordered a total of 66 new trains of three different types, comprising two Class 139 Parry People Movers, 12 two-car and 15 three-car Class 172 Turbostars and 37 four-car Class 350/2 Desiros.[29][30][31]
All but three Class 150 units were cascaded to First Great Western (12 x two-car, 2 x three-car) and Northern Rail (18 x two-car) and the Class 321s to First Capital Connect (13) and National Express East Anglia (17).[32][33] The Class 153, Class 170 and Class 323 units were all refurbished.
The first of the Class 350/2 units arrived in the UK in early October 2008 for testing at the Northampton Kings Heath Siemens Depot.[34] By July 2009, they were all in service.
London Midland was to lose all of its Class 321 units, but a change of plan saw it retain seven for use both on the Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey branch line and on peak-hour express services between Northampton/Milton Keynes Central/Tring-London Euston.[35][36][37] The final seven units moved to Abellio ScotRail in 2015/16,[38][39][40] and were replaced by seven Class 319s cascaded from Thameslink.[41][42][43]
The two Class 139 railcars were due to enter service on the Stourbridge line with the start of the new timetable on 15 December 2008. However, problems in testing caused a delay in their introduction, with a replacement bus covering the route following the reallocation of the Class 153 originally used.[44] The two railcars finally entered full passenger service in June 2009.[45]
London Midland was to lose all of its Class 150 units, but a change in plan saw it retain three Class 150 units as additional capacity, following a statement from the Department for Transport on 10 August 2011. However, London Midland transferred two Class 153 units to First Great Western as a result.[46] The other Class 150 units were transferred to First Great Western and Northern Rail.
In 2011, London Midland announced that it would be procuring a further 18 four-car Class 350 units, eight for itself and ten for sub-lease to First TransPennine Express.[47] In February 2012 it was announced that 20 Class 350 units had been ordered by London Midland. Ten Class 350/3 units entered service with London Midland, and ten Class 350/4 units with First TransPennine Express.[48][49]
The franchise agreement included the option of replacing the three remaining Class 150/1 in the fleet with six Class 153 units in June 2017.[50] The Northern franchise agreement indicates this option has been taken up, as the London Midland Class 150 units will transfer to Northern in 2017. The Northern franchise agreement also rules out the option of any additional Class 323 units being leased from Porterbrook to London Midland before 1 January 2019.[51]
In July 2016, London Midland and the West Midlands Combined Authority announced that it would run a year-long trial of the prototype Vivarail Class 230 DMU on the Coventry to Nuneaton Line.[52] In January 2017, this was cancelled by the West Midlands Combined Authority as a fire on the trial unit would have caused the trial to be impossible to complete before the end of the franchise.[53]
Fleet at end of franchise
Trainset | Class | Image | Type | Top Speed | Carriages | Number | Routes Operated | Built | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mph | km/h | ||||||||
Parry People Movers | 139 | Railcar | 40 | 64 | 1 | 2 | 2008 | ||
Sprinter | 150/1[54] | DMU | 75 | 121 | 2 | 3[55][56] | 1984-1987 | ||
153 Super Sprinter | 1 | 8 | 1987–1988 | ||||||
Bombardier Turbostar | 170/5 & 170/6 | DMU | 100 | 161 | 2 | 17 | 1999–2000 | ||
3 | 6 | ||||||||
172/2 & 172/3 | 2 | 12 | 2011 | ||||||
3 | 15 | ||||||||
BR Second Generation (Mark 3) | 319/0, 319/2 & 319/4 | EMU | 100 | 161 | 4 | 7 |
|
1987–1988 | |
Hunslet-Barclay | 323 | EMU | 90 | 145 | 3 | 26 | 1992–1996 | ||
Siemens Desiro | 350/1, 350/2 & 350/3 | 100 | 161 | 4 | 77 | 2004–2014 | |||
110 | 177 | ||||||||
Past fleet
Former units operated by London Midland include:
Trainset | Class | Image | Type | Carriages | Number | Built | Notes | Withdrawn |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BR Second Generation (Mark 3) | 321/4 | EMU | 4 | 37 | 1989–1990 | Transferred to: First Capital Connect (13)[32] National Express East Anglia (17)[33] Abellio ScotRail (All 7 converted into Class 320/4s)[39] |
2009–2015 | |
Incidents
On 26 November 2015 an early morning commuter service caught fire during the morning commuter rush and had to be evacuated at Lapworth Station.[57]
Demise
In April 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that Govia, MTR Corporation and a consortium of Abellio, East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and Mitsui had been shortlisted to bid for the next franchise.[58] The Invitation to Tender (ITT) was issued in August 2016 and the franchise was due to be awarded in June 2017.[59] In July 2016 MTR Corporation withdrew from the bidding process.[60]
In July 2017, the franchise was extended until 10 December 2017.[4][61] In August 2017, the franchise was awarded to the consortium led by Abellio. The new company, named West Midlands Trains, commenced operations on 10 December 2017.[62][63]
Footnotes
- Operated by Pre Metro Operations on behalf of London Midland; services are branded as London Midland.
References
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- London & Birmingham Railway Limited: application for approval of track access rights Archived 26 October 2012 at the UK Government Web Archive Office of Rail Regulation letter 10 March 2011
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- "London Midland reveals new timetable and additional seating across network". Birmingham mail. 2014. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- "London Midland staff shortages cancel trains". BBC News. 2012. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- "More London Midland trains hit by driver shortage". BBC News. 2012. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
- "London Midland driver shortage hits 37 trains". BBC News. 2012. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
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- Parry People Movers for Stourbridge branch line Archived 17 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine London Midland News 14 December 2007
- Twenty seven new trains for London Midland Archived 17 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine London Midland News 13 December 2007
- Porterbrook purchases new Siemens Class 350 Desiro trains for West Midlands Franchise Archived 17 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine London Midland News 6 November 2007
- "FCC receives its first Class 321" Today's Railways UK issue 89 May 2009 page 65
- "The Class 321 EMUs" Today's Railways UK issue 154 October 2014 page 50
- "Siemens unveils Desiros for London Midland". Rail (603). Peterborough. October 2008.
- "London Midland's 321 trains get a fresh coat of paint" (Press release). London Midland. 11 June 2009. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010.
- "London Midland to introduce more seats for London commuters" (Press release). London Midland. 1 October 2009. Archived from the original on 22 January 2010.
- "London Midland keeps seven Class 321s" Rail Express issue 158 July 2009 page 51
- "ScotRail to receive LM Class 321/4s" Rail issue 766 21 January 2015 page 7
- "London Midland 321s Scotland Bound" Railways Illustrated issue 151 September 2015 page 10
- "LO 321/4 converted for ScotRail" Rail issue 797 30 March 2016 page 26
- "London Midland takes on Class 319s for Euston work" Rail issue 779 22 July 2015 page 30
- "Seventh 319 for LM" Today's Railways issue 174 June 2016 page 69
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- "Delay to new Class 139 Parry People Mover service" (Press release). London Midland. 5 December 2008. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
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- "London Midland's new trains bring extra capacity and faster journeys" (Press release). London Midland. 29 February 2012. Archived from the original on 17 May 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- London Midland Direct Award Franchise Agreement Archived 2 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine Department for Transport
- Northern Franchise Agreement Archived 2 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine Department for Transport
- Gillman, Alice (22 July 2016). "Class 230 to enter passenger service this year". Vivarail. Archived from the original on 25 July 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
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External links
Media related to London Midland at Wikimedia Commons
Preceded by Central Trains Central Trains franchise |
Operator of West Midlands franchise 2007–2017 |
Succeeded by West Midlands Trains |
Preceded by Silverlink North London Railways franchise |