Northern Rail

Northern Rail is a train operating company that has operated local services in the north of England since 2004. The franchise was won by a consortium formed of NedRailways (the English unit of Nederlandse Spoorwegen, the state-owned train operating company of the Netherlands) and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems. This consortium had already won the contract to operate the Merseyrail network earlier in 2003.

Serco-NedRailways was announced as the 'preferred bidder' for the Northern franchise by the SRA on 1 July 2004, and signed the agreement to operate the franchise on 19 October. However, the new operators did not actually commence ownership and take over from the previous incumbents (First North Western and Arriva Trains Northern) until 12 December 2004. Most of the former Arriva long-distance routes were separated out into the Transpennine Express franchise, won by First and Keolis; Northern was left with a mix of commuter routes around Manchester and West and South Yorkshire, rural branch lines, and some longer-distance stopping services (e.g. York-Blackpool via Manchester Victoria). Some services are supported by Passenger Transport Executives.

The franchise is planned to run for a maximum of 8 years and 9 months, depending on how well Serco-NedRailways perform. As the media have reported throughout, the franchise does not require them to purchase new trains, but there have been rumours of a large fleet of Chinese-built diesel multiple units being purchased at a cost of £650,000 per carriage - a substantially lower price than their European competitors. The franchise agreement commits only to a 15% reduction in delays before 2009 and to a new 'incentive/penalty régime' and 'local focus on performance'.

Northern Rail leases a fleet comprised of diesel and electric multiple units and has not continued First and Arriva's practice of hiring locomotive-hauled trains.

Timetable Number	Route
1	Morpeth to Newcastle and MetroCentre
2	Middlesbrough to Newcastle and MetroCentre (Durham Coast Line)
3	Newcastle and Bishop Auckland to Saltburn (Tees Valley Line)
4	Sunderland and Newcastle to Carlisle (Tyne Valley Line)
5	Middlesbrough to Whitby (Esk Valley Line)
6	Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness to Preston and Manchester (Cumbrian Coast Line and Furness Line)
7	Route not in use
8	Preston to Blackpool composite
9	Colne, Burnley and Blackburn to Preston and Blackpool
10	Liverpool to Wigan, Preston and Blackpool and Preston to Ormskirk
11	Bolton to Manchester and Manchester Airport
12	Manchester to Blackburn and Clitheroe
13	Blackpool to Manchester, Manchester Airport and Buxton
14	Manchester and Manchester to Southport and Kirkby
15	Liverpool to Manchester Airport and Warrington Bank Quay via Earlestown
16	Liverpool to Manchester Piccadilly via Warrington Central
17	Manchester to Chester via Altrincham
18	Manchester, Manchester Airport and Stockport to Crewe
19	Manchester to Macclesfield and Stoke-on-Trent
20	Manchester to Buxton
21	Route not in Use
22	Manchester to New Mills Central and Rose Hill Marple
23	Manchester to Sheffield (The Hope Valley Line)
24	Manchester to Hadfield and Glossop
25	Manchester to Wakefield and Huddersfield
26	Manchester to Rochdale via Oldham and Moston
27	Leeds to Carlisle and Morcambe and Lancaster to Heysham
28	Leeds to Manchester Victoria, Selby to Huddersfield and York to Blackpool
29	York to Leeds via Harrogate
30	Hull to York, Leeds, Doncaster & Sheffield and York to Sheffield via Pontefract Baghill
31	Barton-upon-Humber to Cleethorpes
32	Hull to Scarborough (Yorkshire Coast Line)
33	Sheffield to Lincoln

Northern Rail Stock List

464, 466, 468–473, 475, 479–484, 486–491, 497–498

Class	Quantity	Unit numbers
142	80	142001, 003–005, 007, 009, 011–058, 060–068, 070–071, 078–079, 084, 086–096
144	23	144001–023
150	42	150133–150, 201, 203, 205, 207–208, 211, 215, 218, 222–225, 228, 268–277
153	20	153301, 304, 307, 315–317, 319, 324, 328, 330–332, 351–352, 357–360, 363, 378
155	7	155341–347
156	46	156420–421, 423–429, 438, 440–441, 443–444, 448, 451–452, 454–455, 459–462,
158	19	158752–759, 787, 901–910
321	3	321901–903
323	17	323223–239
333	16	333001–016

External links

Post-privatisation British railway companies

Northern Rail | Northern Rail Youth Fare valid for adults under 26

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Northern Rail

Northern Rail Stock List

External links