Silverlink
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| Franchise(s): | 2nd March 1997 - 10th November 2007 |
| Main Region(s): | North London |
| Other Region(s): | Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire |
| Fleet size: | 67 |
| Stations called at: | 88 |
| National Rail abbreviation: | SL |
| Parent company: | National Express Group |
Silverlink Train Services Ltd was a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operated routes in North London and from London to Northampton (and until 2004, to Birmingham via Coventry). It was owned by National Express Group plc.
Contents |
[edit] History
The franchise was awarded to National Express on 7th February 1997, when it was agreed they would take over North London Railways Ltd, a shadow franchise created when the Network SouthEast sector of British Rail was privatised on 1st April 1994.[1] The franchise began on 3 March 1997 and was due to end on 15 October 2006, but on 11 August 2006 the DfT extended the franchise to finish on 11 November 2007[2].
The company's name was changed to Silverlink in September 1997[3]. The name is taken from the first of the LNER A4 steam locomotives[citation needed] (a member of which holds the world speed record for steam traction) which was called Silver Link. Ironically, Silverlink trains operated on the route to the north of the old LMS, the LNER's greatest rival. Some 150 class locos have been let to First Great Western.
[edit] Sub-brands
Silverlink trains had two sub-brands:
- Silverlink County-operating services between London Euston and Northampton, Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey, and Bletchley and Bedford; and
- Silverlink Metro -operating services between Stratford and Richmond, Willesden Junction and Clapham Junction, London Euston to Watford Junction via Queen's Park and Willesden Junction, and Gospel Oak and Barking.
[edit] Silverlink Metro
[edit] North London Line
| Richmond (change for District Line) | |
| Kew Gardens (change for District Line) | |
| Gunnersbury (change for District Line) | |
| South Acton | |
| Acton Central | |
| Willesden Junction (change for Bakerloo Line, West London Line and Watford DC Line) | |
| Kensal Rise | |
| Brondesbury Park | |
| Brondesbury | |
| West Hampstead (change for Jubilee Line and First Capital Connect) | |
| Finchley Road & Frognal | |
| Hampstead Heath | |
| Gospel Oak (change for Gospel Oak - Barking Line) | |
| Kentish Town West | |
| Camden Road | |
| Caledonian Road & Barnsbury | |
| Highbury & Islington (change for Victoria Line) | |
| Canonbury | |
| Dalston Kingsland | |
| Hackney Central | |
| Homerton | |
| Hackney Wick | |
| Stratford (change for Central Line, Jubilee Line, Docklands Light Railway and 'one') | |
| West Ham † | |
| Canning Town † | |
| Custom House † | |
| Silvertown † | |
| North Woolwich † |
† At the end of service on Saturday 9 December 2006 the line between Stratford and North Woolwich closed, as much of the route is duplicated by the Docklands Light Railway and the Jubilee Line, leaving Stratford as the eastern terminus of the North London Line.[4]
[edit] West London Line
| Willesden Junction (change for North London Line, Watford DC Line and Bakerloo Line) | |
| Kensington (Olympia) (change for District Line and Southern) | |
| West Brompton (change for District Line and Southern) | |
| Clapham Junction (change for South West Trains and Southern) |
[edit] Watford DC Line
| London Euston (change for Northern Line, Victoria Line and Virgin) | |
| South Hampstead | |
| Kilburn High Road | |
| Queen's Park † | |
| Kensal Green † | |
| Willesden Junction † (change for North London Line and West London Line) | |
| Harlesden † | |
| Stonebridge Park † | |
| Wembley Central † (change for Southern during the peaks) | |
| North Wembley † | |
| South Kenton † | |
| Kenton † | |
| Harrow & Wealdstone † (change for Northampton Line and Southern) | |
| Headstone Lane | |
| Hatch End | |
| Carpenders Park | |
| Bushey | |
| Watford High Street | |
| Watford Junction (change for Northampton Line, St Albans Abbey Line, Virgin and Southern) |
† = also served by the Bakerloo Line.
[edit] Gospel Oak to Barking Line
[edit] Silverlink County
[edit] Northampton Line
Northampton Line services ran on the slow lines of the West Coast Main Line.
| London Euston (change for Watford DC Line and Virgin) | |
| Harrow and Wealdstone (change for Watford DC Line and Southern) | |
| Bushey | |
| Watford Junction (change for Watford DC Line, St Albans Abbey Line, Virgin and Southern) | |
| Kings Langley | |
| Apsley | |
| Hemel Hempstead | |
| Berkhamsted | |
| Tring | |
| Cheddington | |
| Leighton Buzzard | |
| Bletchley (change for Marston Vale Line) | |
| Milton Keynes Central | |
| Wolverton | |
| Northampton (change for Central Trains) | |
| Long Buckby † | |
| Rugby † | |
| Coventry † | |
| Birmingham International † | |
| Birmingham New Street † |
† Services north of Northampton were taken over by Central Trains from 2005. The route shared rolling stock and parent company with Silverlink, and some through services remained.
[edit] St Albans Abbey Line
| Watford Junction (change for Northampton Line, Virgin, Watford DC Line and Southern) | |
| Watford North | |
| Garston | |
| Bricket Wood | |
| How Wood | |
| Park Street | |
| St Albans Abbey |
[edit] Marston Vale Line
| Bletchley (change for Northampton Line) | |
| Fenny Stratford | |
| Bow Brickhill | |
| Woburn Sands | |
| Aspley Guise | |
| Ridgmont | |
| Lidlington | |
| Millbrook | |
| Stewartby | |
| Kempston Hardwick | |
| Bedford St Johns | |
| Bedford (change for First Capital Connect and East Midlands Trains) |
[edit] Performance
Silverlink was categorised as a London and South East operator by the Office for Rail Regulation (ORR) and was one of the best performing TOCs in this sector with a PPM (Public Performance Measure) of 90.8% for the last quarter of the financial year 2006/7 [5]. This figure is for the whole of the day, as opposed to just peak services for which their performance is lower. The figures are slightly down from last year, but remain above the sector level of 89.0%.
[edit] Silverlink Metro service levels
Despite published performance figures[6] the Silverlink Metro franchise on the North London Line is regarded by frequent travellers as offering a poor service,[7] with extremely congested trains and an unreliable service[8] with some trains cancelled shortly before they are due to arrive. A recent London Assembly report described the current service as "shabby, unreliable, unsafe and overcrowded". The imminent transfer of the service to Transport for London (TfL) has the potential to improve the quality of the service [9] due to upgrade plans [10] which coincide with the extension of the East London line.
A report on the future of the line can be found on the London Assembly website[11].
[edit] Rolling Stock
Metro services were operated by class 313 25kV AC/750 V DC electric multiple units on the electrified routes, with three class 508/3 750 V DC electric multiple units used exclusively on the Euston-Watford Junction service. Class 150 Sprinter diesel multiple units are used on the non-electrified Gospel Oak-Barking route. They replaced elderly class 121 units in 2000.
County services to Northampton were operated by class 321/4 electrical multiple units introduced in 1989. They were joined by new class 350/1 Desiro units built by Siemens AG in summer 2005, which operate as a shared fleet with Central Trains.
The St Albans Abbey line was operated for many years by class 313 electric multiple units, but were usually operated by class 321 units with Silverlink Metro drivers and Silverlink County guards.
The non-electrified County Marston Vale Line used class 150 diesel units.
[edit] Fleet
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Routes operated | Built | Period used | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||||
| Class 121 Bubble Car | diesel multiple unit | 70 | 112 | 4 | Gospel Oak - Barking Line Marston Vale Line |
1960 | ?-2001 | Replaced by Class 150 | |
| Class 150/1 Sprinter |  |
diesel multiple unit | 75 | 120 | 8 | Silverlink Metro: Gospel Oak - Barking Line Silverlink County: |
1984 - 1987 | 2000 - 2007 | Remained in service after end of franchise. |
| Class 313 |  |
electric multiple unit | 75 | 120 | 21 | Silverlink Metro: North London Line West London Line Watford DC Line |
1976 - 1977 1998 - 1999 (Refurbished) |
? - 2007 | Remained in service after end of franchise. |
| Class 321/4 |  |
electric multiple unit | 100 | 160 | 48 | Silverlink County: Northampton Line St Albans Abbey Line |
1989 - 1990 | ? - 2007 | Remained in service after end of franchise. |
| Class 350/1 Desiro |  |
electric multiple unit | 100 | 160 | 301 | Silverlink County: Northampton Line |
2004 - 2005 | 2004 - 2007 | Remained in service after end of franchise. |
| Class 508/3 |  |
electric multiple unit | 75 | 120 | 3 | Silverlink Metro: Watford DC Line |
1979 - 1980 2003 (Refurbished) |
2003 - 2007 | Remained in service after end of franchise. |
- Built for Central Trains and Silverlink regional express services and Central Trains CityLink services on the southern section of the West Coast Main Line.
[edit] Silverlink in the News
- On Tuesday 24 January 2006, London Mayor Ken Livingstone called for all Silverlink stations to be staffed after the murder of City lawyer Thomas Rhys Pryce near Kensal Green station. [12]
- On Friday 16 July 2004, Virgin Trains announced that it was withdrawing most of its stops at Milton Keynes Central, which were used by up to 6000 passengers a day. Commuters became unhappy at the prospect of switching to older Silverlink trains, a longer journey. Silverlink countered this with the temporary usage of ex-Virgin stock, still in Virgin colours.[13]
- On Monday 7 June 2004, a Silverlink train carrying about 50 passengers derailed as it entered Northampton. No-one was injured.[14]
[edit] Reorganisation of former Silverlink Services
The Silverlink franchise ended in November 2007.[15] Henceforward, Silverlink's operations were split between Transport for London and the new West Midlands franchise. Therefore, Silverlink County and Silverlink Metro have become Defunct UK Train Operating companies (sub-brands).
[edit] London Overground
Silverlink Metro services (the North London Line, the West London Line, the Watford DC Line and the Gospel Oak to Barking line) have come under the control of Transport for London under the banner of the London Overground.
Four prospective operators were initially pre-selected for the London Overground concession:
- Govia
- MTR Laing (a joint venture between MTR Corporation and Laing Rail)
- National Express Group
- Nedrail
In December 2006, Govia and MTR Laing were selected to submit "best and final offers" for the concession. MTR Laing was selected on 19th June 2007[16] and began operations from 11 November 2007.
[edit] West Midlands Franchise
Silverlink County services were merged with part of Central Trains to form the new West Midlands franchise. The Department for Transport announced on 19 September 2006 that three parties had pre-qualified for the new franchise.[17].
- London & Birmingham Railway Limited (Govia)
- MTR Corporation (UK) Limited (MTR Corporation of Hong Kong)
- Serco NedRailways West Midlands Limited (a Joint Venture between Serco and NedRailways)
Subsequently, MTR withdrew. In June 2007, the Government announced that Govia had been awarded the franchise, to be operated under the name London Midland.[18]
[edit] Willesden depot
Alstom had proposed to withdraw from the Willesden train maintenance depot. Closure would have left the Class 313 trains homeless. On May 12, 2007, Silverlink took over direct running of the depot and its staff for the final six months of its franchise. [19]. Alstom will continue to operate four depots on the West Coast Main Line, at Wembley, Oxley, Longsight, and Polmadie.
[edit] References
- ^ NX Awarded North London Railways Franchise. National Express Group (February 7, 1997).
- ^ Silverlink franchise extended to November 2007.
- ^ UK Activity Report - National Express (September 30, 1997).
- ^ Stratford-North Woolwich service to be withdrawn. Silverlink (December 8, 2006).
- ^ National Rail Trends 2006-2007 Q4.
- ^ Silverlink rises to second position in the national performance league (2006-09-18). Retrieved on 2007-10-26. Association of Train Operating Companies [1] Press Releases
- ^ Sharp, Rachel. "TfL to take on rail network", Ealing Times, 2007-10-24. Retrieved on 2007-10-26.
- ^ "Braced for rail strikes", Hackney Gazette, 2007-10-26. Retrieved on 2007-10-26.
- ^ London Assembly - Light at end of the tunnel for London's forgotten railway
- ^ Always Touch Out - London Overground & Orbirail
- ^ London Assembly - London's forgotten railway (PDF)
- ^ "Night staff for unmanned stations", BBC, 2006-01-24. Retrieved on 2007-01-26. "We will not consider any bid for a franchise that does not include that complete commitment that staff will be at every station throughout its entire opening hours"
- ^ "Commuters angry over train switch", BBC, 2004-07-16. Retrieved on 2007-01-25.
- ^ "Train with 50 passengers derails", BBC, 2004-06-07. Retrieved on 2007-01-25.
- ^ Transport for London (2006-02-14). "Mayor welcomes Tfl control of first London passenger rail services". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-01-25. “From Autumn 2007, the London rail services to be managed by TfL”
- ^ Milestone reached in transformation of London's overland rail network as operator is announced (June 19, 2006).
- ^ Department for Transport (2006-09-12). "Department for Transport announces pre-qualified bidders for 3 new franchises". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-01-26.
- ^ Department for Transport announces winner of new West Midlands franchise. Department for Transport.
- ^ Silverlink takes over Willesden TMD Silverlink, 11/05/07; Retrieved 14/05/07
[edit] External links
- Silverlink Trains website (now redirects to London Midland)
- National Express Group website
- Transport for London website
- Department For Transport Railways page
| Preceded by Network SouthEast As part of British Rail |
Operator of North London Railways franchise 1997 — 2007 |
Succeeded by London Midland West Midlands franchise |
| Succeeded by London Overground |
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