Northern Trains

In December 2015, the Department for Transport (DfT) awarded Arriva a contract to operate the Northern franchise. It commenced in April 2016 and was scheduled to run until March 2025.[2][3]

The franchise encountered a number of problems. In May 2018, a new timetable was introduced, however rolling stock and crew shortages resulted in widespread delays and cancellations from which the operator never recovered.[4][5][6]

In October 2019, the Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, issued a request for proposals to incumbent operator Arriva and the operator of last resort, which would result in termination of the franchise with either Arriva to be awarded a short-term management contract or the operator of last resort to take over.[6] The DfT decided to terminate the franchise with the operator of last resort to take over.[7][8][9]

Northern took over all the services operated by Arriva Rail North on 1 March 2020.

Northern Trains took over all of the rolling stock operated by its predecessor, namely Class 142, 144, 150, 153, 155, 156, 158, 170 and 195 diesel multiple units and Class 319, 321, 322, 323, 331 and 333 electric multiple units. All Class 321 and 322s were withdrawn in mid-2020 and moved to Greater Anglia.[11]

Current fleet

Trainset	Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number	Carriages	Routes	Built
				mph	km/h
Diesel multiple units
Sprinter	150/0		DMU	75	121	2	3	Local and commuter services across the North	1984
	150/1					50	2		1985–1986
	150/2					28			1986–1987
	153 Super Sprinter					18	1	Local and commuter services across the North Also used to boost capacity on peak time services	1987–1988
	155 Super Sprinter					7	2	Halifax–Hull via Leeds York-Bridlington via Hull Local and commuter services across Yorkshire
	156 Super Sprinter					47	2	Local, commuter and regional services across the North	1987–1989
	158/0 & 158/9 Express Sprinter			90	140	45	2	Regional express and commuter services in West Yorkshire Regional express and commuter services in the North East Stalybridge-Manchester Victoria/Southport Rochdale-Blackburn/Clitheroe via Manchester Victoria Manchester Victoria station to Leeds railway station Wigan Wallgate/North Western-Blackburn via Manchester Victoria & Todmorden Wigan Wallgate/North Western-Leeds via Manchester Victoria Leeds-Carlisle Leeds-Morecambe Also regularly covers routes in which Class 170 & Class 195 also do	1990–1992
						8	3
Bombardier Turbostar	170/4			100	161	16	3	Leeds–York via Harrogate Sheffield-Scarborough via Hull York-Bridlington via Hull Halifax-Hull via Leeds	2003–2005
CAF Civity	195/0					25	2	Liverpool Lime Street–Wilmslow/Manchester Airport via Warrington Central Manchester Airport–Barrow-in-Furness/Windermere via Wigan North Western Oxenholme–Windermere Chester-Leeds via Manchester Victoria Barrow-in-Furness-Preston Blackpool North-York Leeds-Nottingham Leeds-Lincoln via Sheffield	2017-2020
	195/1					33	3
	Electric multiple units
BR Second Generation (Mark 3)	319/3		EMU	100	161	15	4	Electrified commuter services in Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Lancashire	1990
	323			90 [12]	145	17	3	Electrified commuter services in and around Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Merseyside	1992-1996
CAF Civity	331/0			100	161	31	3	Leeds–Doncaster Liverpool Lime Street–Blackpool North Blackpool North-Manchester Airport via Chorley Blackpool North-Hazel Grove via Chorley Liverpool Lime Street–Wigan North Western Liverpool Lime Street–Crewe via Manchester Piccadilly Liverpool Lime Street–Warrington Bank Quay Crewe-Manchester Piccadilly via Stockport	2017-2020
	331/1					12	4
Siemens/CAF	333					16	4	Electrified commuter services in West Yorkshire	2000-2003

Future fleet

Seventeen Class 323s are to be transferred from West Midlands Trains[13][14] and eight Class 769s delivered.[15] This will result in the withdrawal of all Class 153 and Class 319 units.[16]

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number	Carriages	Routes	Built	In Service
			mph	km/h
Diesel multiple units
150/2 Sprinter		DMU	75	121	3	2	Local services across the North	1986-87	2021
Electric multiple units
323[17]		EMU	90	145	17	3	Electrified commuter services in Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Merseyside	1992–1996	2021
Bi-mode multiple units
769/4 Flex		BMU	100	161	8	4	Southport-Alderley Edge Wigan–Stalybridge via Manchester Victoria[18]	2017–2020[nb 1]	2021

Past fleet

Former train types operated by Northern Trains include:

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number	Carriages	Routes	Notes	Built	Left fleet
			mph	km/h
142 Pacer		DMU	75	121	79	2	Local and commuter services across the North	Replaced by Class 150, Class 156, Class 158, Class 170, and Class 195 units. Preserved, stored and scrapped.	1985–1987	2020
144 Pacer					23				1986-1987
153 Super Sprinter					2	1		Replaced by Class 150 units. (Transferred to Abellio ScotRail)	1987–1988
321/9		EMU	100	161	3	4	Electrified commuter services in West Yorkshire	Replaced by Class 331 units. Transferred to Greater Anglia.	1991
322					5				1990

Northern Trains' fleet is maintained at Allerton, Blackburn King Street, Botanic Gardens, Heaton, Newton Heath, Neville Hill and Wigan Springs Branch depots.

Northern Trains currently has depots for its train crew at Barrow-in-Furness, Blackburn, Blackpool North, Buxton, Carlisle, Darlington (drivers), Doncaster, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Hull, Liverpool Lime Street, Leeds, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Victoria, Middlesbrough (conductors), Newcastle, Sheffield, Skipton, Wigan Wallgate, Workington and York.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Northern Trains.

• Official website