| Franchise(s): | Central 2 March 1997 – 11 November 2007 |
|---|---|
| Main Region(s): | Midlands (East, West) |
| Other Region(s): | North West England, East Anglia, South East Wales |
| Stations called at: | 232 (193 operated) |
| National Rail abbreviation: | CT |
| Parent company: | National Express Group |
Central Trains was one of the original 25 train operating companies to emerge from the break-up of British Rail between 1994 and 1997. The company operated local, urban and secondary express services across central England and Mid Wales.
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Created out of the Central division of Regional Railways, Central Trains passed into the private sector on 2 March 1997.[1] The franchise was awarded to National Express Group, who maintained control of the company until its eventual demise in 2007. Central Trains employed over 2,400 staff.[2]
The company invested significantly in rolling stock, with significant orders for new trains placed and the fleet later further grown through the acquisition of trains made surplus by other companies. Despite a reduction in the area covered during the ten years of its existence, the company grew its core fleet from fewer than 300[1] passenger vehicles to a total of 379[2][3] - a capacity increase of over 28%. It also refurbished a number of its stations, introducing ticket gates, help points and live information boards.
Central Trains also clamped down on vandalism on its trains and fare evasion, including through a controversial poster campaign publicising the names and addresses of passengers who had been fined for not having valid tickets.[4]
The franchise gained a reputation for poor timekeeping: its best performing period between 2000 and 2007 still saw one in six trains five minutes late or more,[5] with punctuality dropping as low as 61% in 2003.[6] The company also suffered from ongoing staff relations problems which led to extensive and long-lasting cancellations of Sunday services.[7][8][9]
Following a government policy announced in 2004, Central Trains was eventually disbanded in November 2007 with its services dispersed amongst London Midland, East Midlands Trains and Cross Country.
At its greatest extent, Central Trains operated 253 stations and provided services covering 1,534 miles of the UK's railway network, covering most of central England and Mid Wales.[10] In its last years, the company saw 43 million passenger journeys and a total of 930 million miles travelled every year.
Services ranged from rural and local services to flagship express services originally branded as Alphaline and later developed into Central Citylink. In the West Midlands, the company also operated the extensive urban rail service known as Centro and later Network West Midlands under contract to the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive.
In the late 1990s, Central Trains offered many through services between routes which had previously been shown as self-contained in public timetables. For example, where a train had previously been timetabled to work a Shrewsbury to Birmingham service followed by a Birmingham to Leicester service, the workings were combined and shown as a single direct Shrewsbury - Birmingham - Leicester service in the public timetable. This resulted in some particularly lengthy services such as those from Aberystwyth in Mid Wales to Grimsby on the opposite coast of the UK.[11][12] This also gave rise to the nickname "The Barmouth to Yarmouth Railway" due to the fact Central Trains operated services in both Mid Wales and East Anglia (certain services were extended from Norwich to Great Yarmouth in the summer).
The period of the franchise saw both additions to and losses from the network: services in Mid Wales were transferred away to Wales and Borders in 2001, but the company also reintroduced direct services to Stansted Airport from the north. Central Trains also inherited some Birmingham to Northampton services from Silverlink.
Central Trains had a major shakeup between 2004-05 to prepare them for the eventual break up of the franchise. The first part of this was done in 2001 when the Birmingham New Street – Chester & Mid Wales and Cambrian Coast Line was transferred into what is now the Arriva Trains Wales franchise. In 2004 services from Leamington Spa to Birmingham Snow Hill & Stratford upon Avon were transferred into Chiltern Railways, although there was no real service improvement and Central, like its successor London Midland maintain a peak hours only service to Leamington Spa. Services on the Snow Hill lines had only one loss, and several gains. The service between Birmingham and Stourbridge was increased to every 10 minutes, and this in turn increased the Kidderminster service. There was little or no improvement on services towards Worcester and the Birmingham New Street to Worcester via Stourbridge was discontinued meaning passenger started changing at Smethwick Galton Bridge to allow them to get to New Street. Liverpool Lime Street to Birmingham New Street services originally ran through and became one service to Stanstead Airport, similar to their service from Liverpool to Norwich via Nottingham (now part of East Midlands Trains). Due to problems with delays the service was spit at Birmingham New Street, the Liverpool service is now part of London Midland and Stansted Airport trains are operated by Cross Country.
Previously Central Trains ran services from Birmingham New Street to Nottingham via Leicester as well as Derby, this service was split, the Leicester to Nottingham service was merged with the hourly Ivanhoe Line service to Loughbourgh and was extended past Nottingham all stations to Lincoln. During 2004 Central’s Trent Valley local services that ran generally from Stafford or Nuneaton (some from Coventry) were discontinued due to a Driver shortage and not restored until over year later, when they were replaced by an electric service from Northampton to Crewe. Another fatality of the ‘lack of Drivers’ was the service between Rugeley Trent Valley and Stafford, services were cut back now to this day only run Birmingham to Rugeley Trent Valley. Coventry to Nottingham via Leicester services were discontinued after engineering work at Nuneaton station made it impossible for trains from Coventry to join the line towards Leicester and no attempt was ever made to rectify this. This service was restored in 2005 as an hourly shuttle to Nuneaton, with passengers requiring changing at Nuneaton for Leicester (and change again at Leicester for Nottingham). Cross Country operated all trains between Birmingham and Nuneaton to Leicester with London Midland operating the shuttle service between Coventry and Nuneaton. Central discontinued their single Northampton service a day which ran to Nottingham and other East Midlands locations via Birmingham once they gained the Birmingham to Northampton route from sister company Silverlink Trains in 2004/05. Two trains per hour from Birmingham New Street – London Euston via Northampton was replaced by one train per hour to Northampton which connected badly with onward services to London Euston, although a few trains a day did run straight through to London from Birmingham. The service started off as an hourly express service until it was merged with the local service to Coventry adding more journey time.
The local service to and from Coventry to Wolverhampton calling all stations was also changed in 2004, it was split at Birmingham New Street as Central Trains starting operating Class 321 EMUs on the service and they were too long to fit into the bay platform 5 at Wolverhampton. A later development was implemented that had trains running express from New Street to Birmingham International (with some stops at Marston Green) then all station to Coventry and services to Walsall were extended to Birmingham International calling all stations, Adderely Park station was cut down to one train per hour shortly after this. This service is now entirely part of London Midland and operates hourly through to London Euston, with three trains per hour between Coventry and Birmingham during a weekday.
Citylink was the brand applied to principal express and long distance services including the key routes:
Considering the difficulties with which Central Trains contended, including sharing tracks with so many other operators, it did not perform too badly in its twilight months. The last figures released by the ORR (Office of Rail Regulation) rated Central Trains' performance at 84.8% for the PPM (Public Performance Measure) over the third quarter of the financial year 2007/8.[13] This was an improvement over the same period last year, during which they achieved 82.7%. Their final MAA was 86.6%.[13] They have always had a reputation for being poor performing with bad customer service though, and this may have been partly why they lost the franchise.
Central Trains' fleet was primarily made up of diesel multiple unit trains, with an additional fleet of electric trains in use around Birmingham.
The awarding of the franchise was soon followed by multiple orders for a total of 33 new air-conditioned, 100 mph Turbostar trains, intended to boost the fleet and replace older rolling stock. Though a large number of 1980s and 1990s diesel multiple unit trains inherited from British Rail remained, the last 1960s and 70s 'slam door' trains had been retired by 2000.[14]
Over the course of the franchise, a number of the older Class 156 and Class 158 trains were transferred away to other operators including Wales and Borders and One Railway. This was balanced by the acquisition of additional Turbostar trains no longer required by sister company Midland Mainline as well as additional Class 150 and Class 158 units made surplus by other operators. Over the years, both Class 150 and 158 trains were shuffled between two and three carriage formations to meet changing needs.
The Strategic Rail Authority decision to divert rolling stock originally intended for South West Trains[15] also saw the company benefit from a fleet of 30 new 100 mph Class 350 Desiro units, which were shared with Silverlink for use on the West Coast Main Line between Euston and Northampton/Liverpool via Tamworth.
Rolling stock in 1997 consisted entirely of trains inherited from British Rail. Some, such as Class 310 and Class 312 trains were in the process of withdrawal at privatisation.[1]
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||
| Class 150 Sprinter | diesel multiple unit | 75 | 120 | 29× 2 car
9× 3 car |
Some Centro services.
Dorridge/Shirley/Stratford Upon Avon/Leamington Spa – Worcester/Great Malvern/Hereford. Some non Centro routes Crewe to Skegness, Derby to Matlock and Nottingham to Worksop |
1984–1987 | |
| Class 153 Super Sprinter | diesel multiple unit | 75 | 120 | 21 | Lincolnshire and Mid Wales rural services, Coventry–Nuneaton and Stourbridge branch line | 1987–1988 | |
| Class 156 Super Sprinter | diesel multiple unit | 75 | 120 | 20 | Middle-distance and express services. | 1987–1989 | |
| Class 158 Express Sprinter | diesel multiple unit | 90 | 145 | 36 | Express and Alphaline services. | 1989–1992 | |
| Class 310 | electric multiple unit | 75 | 121 | 10 | Already being withdrawn at privatisation, remained as backup for the newly-introduced Class 323. | 1966 | |
| Class 312 | electric multiple units | 90 | 145 | 4 | 1976 | ||
| Class 323 | electric multiple units | 90 | 145 | 26 | Cross City Lines | 1992–1993 | |
By the final months of the franchise, Central Trains had a significantly more modern fleet.[3] It was also supplementing its fleet with Class 321 and new Class 350 electric trains shared with sister company Silverlink.
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Usual routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||
| Class 150 Sprinter | diesel multiple unit | 75 | 120 | 18× 2 car
18× 3 car |
Non-electric services for Network West Midlands, plus some services to Worcester, Malvern and Hereford. | 1984–1987 | |
| Class 153 Super Sprinter | diesel multiple unit | 75 | 120 | 16 | Lincolnshire rural services, Coventry–Nuneaton and Stourbridge branch line. | 1987–1988 | |
| Class 156 Super Sprinter | diesel multiple unit | 75 | 120 | 10 | Middle distance services, mainly in the East Midlands. | 1987–1989 | |
| Class 158 Express Sprinter | diesel multiple unit | 90 | 145 | 13× 2 car
8× 3 car |
Middle distance services and some Citylink duties. | 1989–1992 | |
| Class 170 Turbostar | diesel multiple unit | 100 | 160 | 31× 2 car
22× 3 car |
Citylink services and general use across the franchise area. | 1999–2002 | |
| Class 323 | electric multiple units | 90 | 145 | 26 | Birmingham Cross City Lines | 1992–1993 | |
In October 2004, the Department for Transport unveiled plans designed to streamline rail franchises which included the abolition of the Central Trains franchise and the transfer of its services to other operators.[16] It was announced that the franchise would end in April 2007, although there was a later extension until November 2007[17]).
On 11 November 2007, Central Trains ceased to exist and its services transferred to three new train operating companies:
| Preceded by Regional Railways As part of British Rail |
Operator of Central franchise 1997 - 2007 |
Succeeded by CrossCountry Cross-Country franchise |
| Succeeded by London Midland West Midlands franchise |
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| Succeeded by East Midlands Trains East Midlands franchise |
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