NORTHERN RAIL

'Northern Rail' is a train operating company that has operated local services in the north of England since 2004. The rail franchise was won by a consortium formed of NedRailways (the English unit of Nederlandse Spoorwegen, the privatised train operating company of the Netherlands) and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems in a 50:50 split. This consortium had already won the contract to operate the Merseyrail network earlier in 2003.

Contents

Introduction

Performance

Routes

Rolling Stock

Current fleet

References

External links

Introduction

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. Northern run a mix of commuter routes around Lancashire, Liverpool, Manchester, Cheshire, West and South Yorkshire, and the North East, rural branch lines, and some longer-distance stopping services (e.g. York-Blackpool/Manchester Victoria), Leeds-Carlisle or Morecambe etc. 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. The franchise does not require them to purchase new trains.

Performance

The latest performance figure for Northern Rail as of March 2007, according the PPM measure, is 91.0%according to Network Rail's punctuality statistics.^[1]
The franchise agreement commits to a 15% reduction in delays before 2009 and to a new 'incentive/penalty régime' and 'local focus on performance'.

Routes

Timetable		Route
1		Chathill and 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)
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
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
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 (Settle-Carlisle Railway) and Morecambe 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
WY		Leeds to Skipton (Airedale Line)
WY		Leeds to Sheffield via Wakefield Kirkgate and Barnsley (Hallam Line)
WY		Leeds to Huddersfield via Marsden (Huddersfield Line)
WY		Bradford Forster Square and Leeds to Ilkley (Wharfedale Line)
WY		Leeds to Bradford Forster Square
WY		Leeds and Wakefield to Knottingley (Pontefract Line)
WY		Leeds to Doncaster and Sheffield via Wakefield Westgate (Wakefield Line)
WY		Sheffield to Huddersfield via Penistone and Barnsley (Penistone Line)

Timetable booklets for routes marked WY are only produced by Metro, the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive.

Rolling Stock

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.

Current fleet

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number	Unit numbers	Routes operated	Built
			mph	km/h
Class 142 ''Pacer''		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	691	142003 – 005, 007, 011 – 028, 031 - 058, 060 – 062, 064 - 066, 078 – 079, 084, 086 – 094, 096.(Stored units: 001, 009, 029, 030, 063, 067, 068, 070, 071, 095)	Local Services Across Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire	1985 - 1987
Class 144 ''Pacer''		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	23	144001 – 023	Found on Metro services mostly in West Yorkshire, also in South Yorkshire	1986 - 1987
Class 150 ''Sprinter''		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	42	150133 – 150, 201, 203, 205, 207 – 208, 211, 215, 218, 222 – 225, 228, 268 – 277	Found on local and longer distance services around Cheshire, Derbyshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, West Yorkshire (specifically Huddersfield)	1985 - 1987
Class 153 ''Super Sprinter''		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	20	153301, 304, 307, 315 – 317, 319, 324, 328, 330 – 332, 351 – 352, 357 – 360, 363, 378	Preston - Ormskirk, Leeds - Knottingley, Wakefield Kirkgate - Knottingley	1987 - 1988
Class 155 ''Super Sprinter''		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	7	155341 – 347	Caldervale Line Leeds - Manchester Victoria	1987
Class 156 ''Super Sprinter''		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	46	156420 – 421, 423 – 429, 438, 440 – 441, 443 – 444, 448, 451 – 452, 454 – 455, 459 – 462, 464, 466, 468 – 473, 475, 479 – 484, 486 – 491, 497 – 498	various Longer Distance Services	1987 - 1989
Class 158 ''Express Sprinter''		Diesel multiple unit	90	145	381	158752 - 759, 784, 787, 790 - 797, 842 - 845, 848 - 851, 853, 859 - 861, 901 - 910+ 13 Due to Northern (782, 786, 789, 815 - 817, 855, 866 - 872)	Express services including York - Blackpool North, Sheffield - Leeds via Barnsley, Sheffield -Bridlington/Scarborough , Newcastle - Carlisle, Liverpool - Manchester Airport	1989 - 1992
Class 321		Electric multiple unit	100	160	3	321901 – 903	Wakefield Line Leeds - Doncaster	1988 - 1991
Class 323		Electric multiple unit	100	160	17	323223 – 239	Manchester electrified network Manchester Piccadilly - Hadfield/Glossop/Crewe/Macclesfield/Alderley Edge	1992 - 1993
Class 333		Electric multiple unit	100	160	16	333001 – 016	Wharfedale Line Leeds and Bradford - Shipley - Ilkley Airedale Line Leeds and Bradford - Shipley - Keighley - Skipton	2000

# 30 Class 158's are being added to the fleet, which have come off lease from several train operating companies, to replace elderly Class 142s, which will be cascaded into storage.^[2]

References

1. National Rail Trends 2006-2007 Quarter Three
2. Angel Trains leases 30 Class 158 diesel multiple units to Northern Rail

External links

★ Northern Rail official website

★ Serco-NedRailways official website



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