- List of companies operating trains in the United Kingdom
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There are several companies operating trains in the United Kingdom. These include the operators of passenger services, which are, rather confusingly, officially referred to as "train operating companies" or TOCs, as distinct from "freight operating companies".
Contents
Passenger operators in Great Britain
Passenger operator structure in Great Britain
Sector of British Rail Franchise Original Privatised Operator Current Operator(s) InterCity East Coast Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) East Coast formerly National Express East Coast West Coast Virgin Trains Unchanged Midland Midland Mainline East Midlands Trains (EMT) Great Western Great Western Trains First Great Western (FGW) Gatwick Express Gatwick Express Southern CrossCountry Virgin Trains CrossCountry Great Eastern Anglia Railways National Express East Anglia Branded as ‘one’ from 2004-2008 Network SouthEast Essex Thameside LTS Rail C2C Chiltern Chiltern Railways Unchanged Great Eastern First Great Eastern (FGE) National Express East Anglia Branded as ‘one’ from 2004-2008 Thames Trains Thames Trains First Great Western (FGW) Island Line Island Line Now part of South West Trains (SWT) North London North London Railways (Silverlink) London Midland
London OvergroundSouth Eastern Connex South Eastern Southeastern formerly South Eastern Trains (SET) South Central Connex South Central Southern Branded as SouthCentral from 2000-2004 Thameslink Thameslink First Capital Connect (FCC) West Anglia Great Northern West Anglia Great Northern (WAGN) National Express East Anglia West Anglia (WA)
First Capital Connect (FCC) Great Northern (GN)South Western South West Trains (SWT) Unchanged Regional Railways North West North Western Trains Northern Rail
Transpennine ExpressNorth East Northern Spirit Scotland ScotRail First ScotRail (FSR) South Wales and West Wales and West First Great Western (FGW) Valley Lines Valley Lines Arriva Trains Wales Merseyrail Electrics Merseyrail Electrics Merseyrail Central Central Trains CrossCountry
London Midland
East Midlands TrainsCurrent passenger operators
The following operate the services that comprise the National Rail network in Great Britain.
Operator Type Franchise Parent(s) Passenger satisfaction[1] Start date Expiry date Replaced Arriva Trains Wales/
Trenau Arriva CymruFranchise Wales and Borders Arriva Group 87% 8 December 2003 2018 Wales and Borders c2c Franchise Essex Thameside National Express Group 91% 26 May 1996 26 May 2013[2] Network SouthEast
(London, Tilbury and Southend Division)Caledonian Sleeper Branded Service ScotRail FirstGroup 17 October 2004 2014 Chiltern Railways Franchise Chiltern DB Regio 90% 21 July 1996 2022 Network SouthEast (Chiltern Division) CrossCountry Franchise Cross Country Arriva Group 84% 11 November 2007 1 April 2016 Central Trains (Birmingham - Stansted & Cardiff - Nottingham route) &
Virgin Trains (Cross Country franchise)East Coast Franchise InterCity East Coast Directly Operated Railways 89% 14 November 2009 December 2013 National Express East Coast East Midlands Trains Franchise East Midlands Stagecoach Group 88% 11 November 2007 31 March 2015 Central Trains (Liverpool - Norwich & East Midlands routes) & Midland Mainline Eurostar Open-Access N/A Eurostar (U.K.) Ltd., SNCF & NMBS/SNCB 14 November 1994 First Capital Connect Franchise Great Northern/
ThameslinkFirstGroup 76% 1 April 2006 November 2015 Thameslink & West Anglia Great Northern (Great Northern and Fenline routes) First Great Western Franchise Greater Western FirstGroup 82% 1 April 2006 31 March 2013 First Great Western, First Great Western Link, Wessex Trains First Hull Trains Open-Access N/A First Group & Renaissance Trains 93% 25 September 2000 2016 First ScotRail Franchise ScotRail FirstGroup 86% 17 October 2004 November 2014 ScotRail First TransPennine Express [3] Franchise TransPennine First Group & Keolis 87% 1 February 2004 2012/2017 Arriva Trains Northern &
First North WesternGatwick Express Branded Service South Central Govia 22 June 2008 July 2015/July 2017 Grand Central[4] Open-Access N/A Equishare Partners 95% 18 December 2007 2016 Heathrow Connect Open-Access N/A BAA & First Group 92% 12 June 2005 Heathrow Express Open-Access N/A BAA 93% 23 June 1998 Island Line Trains Branded Service South Western Stagecoach Group 4 February 2007 February 2017 London Midland Franchise West Midlands Govia 86% 11 November 2007 19 September 2015 Central Trains (Birmingham routes) & Silverlink (Northampton Line) London Overground TfL contract London Overground MTR Corporation/DB Regio 85% 11 November 2007 2014/2016 Silverlink (North London Lines) Merseyrail Merseytravel contract Merseyrail Serco Group & Abellio 93% 20 July 2003 2028 Arriva Trains Merseyside National Express East Anglia Franchise Greater Anglia National Express Group 79% 1 April 2004 5 February 2012[5] 'one' brand (see below), formerly Anglia Railways, First Great Eastern & West Anglia Great Northern Railway (West Anglia Main Line and Lea Valley Lines) Night Riviera Branded Service Greater Western First Group 1 April 2006 2016 Northern Rail Franchise Northern Serco Group & Abellio 82% 12 December 2004 September 2013 Arriva Trains Northern & First North Western North Yorkshire Moors Railway Open-Access N/A Yorkshire Moors Railway Enterprises plc April 2007 (additional —Grosmont—Whitby services) Southeastern Franchise Integrated Kent Govia 80% 1 April 2006 31 March 2014 South Eastern Trains Southern Franchise South Central Govia 82% 26 August 2001 July 2015/July 2017 Connex South Central South West Trains Franchise South Western Stagecoach Group 87% 4 February 2007 February 2017 South West Trains & Island Line Stansted Express Branded service Greater Anglia National Express Group 1 April 2004 31 March 2011[5] Virgin Trains Franchise InterCity West Coast Virgin Group & Stagecoach Group 90% 9 March 1997 January 2013[6] InterCity (West Coast Division) West Coast Railway Company Open-Access N/A 1998 (additional Fort William—Mallaig services) There are also several heritage lines and light rail systems.
Defunct operating companies
A number of operating companies have ceased to exist for a number of reasons, including premature withdrawal of the franchise; the natural term of the franchise has expired; bankruptcy; or there has been a merger.
Operator Type Franchise Parent(s) Date started Date ceased Replaced by Anglia Railways Franchise Anglia GB Railways 5 January 1997 1 April 2004 'one' (Now National Express East Anglia) Arriva Trains
MerseysideFranchise Merseyside Arriva Group 1999 June 2003 Merseyrail Arriva Trains Northern Franchise Regional Railways North East Arriva Group 2001 12 December 2004 Split into Northern Rail & TransPennine Express Central Trains Franchise Central National Express Group 2 March 1997 11 November 2007 Split into CrossCountry, East Midlands Trains & London Midland Central Citylink Branded Service Part of Central National Express Group 2 March 1997 11 November 2007 Split into CrossCountry, East Midlands Trains & London Midland Connex South Central Franchise South Central Connex 1996 2001 Southern Connex South Eastern Franchise South Eastern Connex 1996 9 November 2003 South Eastern Trains First Great Eastern Franchise Great Eastern First Group January 1997 1 April 2004 'one' (Now National Express East Anglia) First Great
Western LinkFranchise Thames First Group April 2004 1 April 2006 Merged with First Great Western First North Western Franchise North West Regional Railways First Group 2 March 1997 12 December 2004 Split into Northern Rail & TransPennine Express Gatwick Express Franchise Gatwick Express National Express Group April 28, 1996 June 22, 2008 Southern (continued as sub brand) Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) Franchise InterCity East Coast Sea Containers April 1996 08 December 2007 National Express East Coast Great Western Trains Franchise Great Western Great Western Holdings 1996 1998 First Great Western Island Line Franchise Island Line Stagecoach Group 1996 3 February 2007 Merged with South West Trains Merseyrail Electrics Franchise Merseyrail MTL 1997 February 2000 Arriva Trains Merseyside Midland Mainline Franchise Midland Main Line National Express Group April 1996 11 November 2007 East Midlands Trains National Express East Coast Franchise InterCity East Coast National Express Group 09 December 2007 13 November 2009 East Coast Northern Spirit Franchise Regional Railways North East MTL 1997 February 2000 Arriva Trains Northern North Western Trains Franchise North West Regional Railways Great Western Holdings 2 March 1997 1998 First North Western ScotRail Franchise ScotRail National Express Group 1997 17 October 2004 First ScotRail South Eastern Trains Franchise South Eastern Strategic Rail Authority 9 November 2003 1 April 2006 Southeastern Silverlink (previously known as North
London Railways)Franchise North London Railways National Express Group 2 March 1997 11 November 2007 Split into London Midland & London Overground Thames Trains Franchise Thames Go-Ahead Group October 1996 1 April 2004 First Great Western Link Thameslink Franchise Thameslink Govia 2 March 1997 1 April 2006 First Capital Connect Valley Lines Franchise Valley Lines National Express Group 1995 14 October 2001 Merged with Wales and Borders Virgin Trains (Cross Country franchise) Franchise Cross Country Virgin Group & Stagecoach Group 5 January 1997 11 November 2007 CrossCountry, Virgin Trains (West Coast franchise),
First TransPennine ExpressWest Anglia Great Northern Railway
(West Anglia Main Line and Lea Valley Lines)Franchise West Anglia Great Northern National Express Group April 2004 1 April 2004 'one' (Now National Express East Anglia) West Anglia Great Northern Railway
(Great Northern and Fenline routes)Franchise West Anglia Great Northern National Express Group April 2004 1 April 2006 First Capital Connect Wales and Borders Franchise Wales and Borders National Express Group 14 October 2001 7 December 2003 Arriva Trains Wales Wales and West Franchise Wales and West Prism Rail 1997 14 October 2001 Split into Wales and Borders & Wessex Trains Wessex Trains Franchise Wessex National Express Group 14 October 2001 1 April 2006 Merged with First Great Western Wrexham & Shropshire Open-Access Wrexham to London DB Regio/Renaissance Trains 28 April 2008 28 January 2011 Closed by parent due to lack of profitability Future operators
- Crossrail, a franchise to be let by TfL managing the cross London Maidenhead/Heathrow to Shenfield/Abbey Wood rail link. It will take over control of its first services from 2014 with the full franchise operating from 2018.[7]
- Renaissance Trains, the owner of Wrexham & Shropshire, has proposed running services to several destinations under a number of brand names:
- Glasgow Trains has proposed to run services between Glasgow to Blackpool, Liverpool and Nottingham.
- Humber Coast & City Railway are planning to run services between Cleethorpes and Lincoln to Stratford, London via Peterborough and Cambridge.
- Alliance Rail
- Go! Cooperative will operate a service between Yeovil and Oxford, via Melksham.
- Deutsche Bahn, the German national railway company, plans to utilise the Channel Tunnel and High Speed One to link London with Frankfurt and Cologne.
Passenger operators in Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland passenger trains are still government-owned, under the auspices of Translink. The following brands are used:
- Northern Ireland Railways - (domestic services)
- Enterprise - (Belfast-Dublin service, jointly operated by Iarnród Éireann)
Railtour operators
- Statesman Rail
- Compass Tours
- DPS Railtours
- Stobart Pullman
- Pathfinder Tours
- Scottish Railway Preservation Society
- Venice-Simplon Orient Express
- Vintage Trains
- Retro Railtours
- Green Express Railtours
- Kingfisher Railtours
In Northern Ireland
- Railway Preservation Society of Ireland
- Irish Traction Group
- The Modern Railway Society of Ireland
Freight operators
- Colas Rail
- Direct Rail Services (formerly incorporating Stobart Rail service)
- DB Schenker Rail (replaced English, Welsh and Scottish Railway and now incorporating Stobart Rail service)
- Freightliner
- GBRf
- Mendip Rail
References
- ^ National Passenger Survey Autumn 2010 Main Report
- ^ "National Express gets rail franchise extension". c2c. December 2010. http://www.c2c-online.co.uk/about_us__1/press_centre/latest_news/national_express_receives_extension_of_c2c_franchise. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
- ^ FTPE's website
- ^ From May 2010, Grand Northern services also began, although branded Grand Central to allow a single fleet pool to be used.
- ^ a b "Pre-Qualification Process Document - Greater Anglia Franchise". BBC News. 2011-01-11. http://www2.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/passenger/franchises/greater-anglia/processdocument.pdf. Retrieved 2011-06-24.
- ^ "Transport Minister Philip Hammond delays Virgin Trains' west coast sale". Guardian Online. 2011-05-15. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/may/15/west-coast-sale-delayed. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ http://londonreconnections.blogspot.com/2008/10/tfl-board-meeting-summary-dlr.html
Categories:- British railway-related lists
- Post-privatisation British railway companies
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