Northern Rail

Northern Rail

Franchise(s):	Northern 12 December 2004 – September 2013
Main Region(s):	North West, North East, Yorkshire and the Humber
Other Region(s):	Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Staffordshire and Nottinghamshire
Fleet size:	281
Stations called at:	529
Stations operated:	462
Passenger km 2007/8:	1831.9 million
Route km operated:	2695.7
National Rail abbreviation:	NT[1]
Parent company:	Serco Group / NedRailways
Web site:	www.northernrail.org

Northern Rail (often referred to simply as Northern) is a train operating company that has operated local passenger services in the north of England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-NedRailways, is a consortium formed of NedRailways (the British unit of Nederlandse Spoorwegen) and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems. When it won the Northern England franchise, the consortium had already secured the contract to operate north-west England's Merseyrail network in 2003.

Introduction

Serco-NedRailways was announced as the 'preferred bidder' for the Northern franchise by the Strategic Rail Authority on 1 July 2004,^[2] and signed the agreement to operate the franchise on 19 October. However, the new operators did not actually take over from the previous operators (First North Western and Arriva Trains Northern) until 12 December 2004. The reason for the delay was because Serco NedRailways assumed that some Class 142 Pacer trains would be freed up in the near future when Manchester Metrolink services started between Manchester and Oldham. Due to a substantial delay in extending the Metrolink, it was clear that this was not going to be the case.^[3]

Northern run a mix of commuter routes, rural routes and some longer distance services around Cheshire, Co. Durham, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and Yorkshire. Northern’s services also extend to the north Midland counties of Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire. Some services are supported by Passenger Transport Executives. In December 2008 the operator started an express service from Leeds to Nottingham calling at Wakefield Kirkgate, Barnsley, Sheffield, Dronfield, Chesterfield, Alfreton, Langley Mill and Nottingham.

The franchise is planned to run for a maximum of eight years and nine months, with the final two years subject to performance targets being achieved.^[2][4] The franchise does not require them to purchase or lease new trains.

Northern Rail won public transport operator of the year 2007 at the National Transport Awards and was praised by the judges for attracting 20% more passengers since 2004.^[5]

Performance

In the period 6 November 2008 to 5 December 2008 Northern’s punctuality varied between 81.0%, for services in the South Manchester group to 93.2%, for services in the Teesside and Tyne and Wear areas.

In the same period reliability varied from 97.5%, in the north Manchester area to 99.4% in West and North Yorkshire.

^[6]

The franchise agreement commits to a 15% reduction in delays in the first five years and to a new 'incentive/penalty regime' and a more 'local focus on performance'.^[7]

The latest official figures released by the ORR rate punctuality (PPM) at 93.6% and an MAA of 90.2% for the first quarter of the financial year 2009/10 and the 12 months up to 30 June 2009. ^[8]

Routes

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

Northern Rail also run some parliamentary trains. These include:

• Chester to Runcorn (weekly in one direction only. Does not run during the winter)
• Ellesmere Port to Helsby (five from Ellesmere Port per day, four to Ellesmere Port, with two journeys extending to Warrington)
• Sheffield to York via Pontefract Baghill (two journeys per day)
• Stockport to Stalybridge (weekly in one direction only)

Depots

The Traincare depots for Northern Rail are located in:

• Hull Botanic Gardens (BG)
• Blackpool North LMD (BP)
• Barrow-in-Furness (BW)
• Heaton (Newcastle upon Tyne) (HT)
• Neville Hill (Leeds) (NL)
• Newton Heath (Manchester) (NH)
• Sheffield Station (SM)
• Workington (WK) (overnight cleaning for Cumbrian Coast)

Additionally, Northern Rail also has a Depot Access Agreement (DAA) with West Coast Traincare to undertake Level 1 to 4 Maintenance at its Manchester Traincare Centre (Longsight LO) on the Northern Rail operated Class 323 EMU's and Servicing on its Class 142 and Class 15x DMU's.

An further DAA covers Servicing of its Class 142 and Class 15x DMU's at West Coast Traincare's Liverpool Traincare Centre (Edge Hill CS).

Rolling Stock

Current fleet

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Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number	Routes operated	Built
			mph	km/h
Class 142 Pacer		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	68	Stopping Services Across Cheshire, Cumbria, north Derbyshire,Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Tees Valley, Tyne and Wear, Yorkshire	1985 - 1987
Class 144 Pacer		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	23	Found on Metro services mostly in West Yorkshire,[10] also in South Yorkshire & North Yorkshire. Also found on the Leeds to Manchester Victoria stopper.	1986 - 1987
Class 150/1 Sprinter		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	18	Found on local and longer distance services around Cheshire, Derbyshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, West Yorkshire	1981 - 1984
Class 150/2 Sprinter		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	22	Found on local and longer distance services around Cheshire, Derbyshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire	1983 - 1985
Class 153 Super Sprinter		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	18	Preston - Ormskirk, Leeds - Knottingley, Wakefield Kirkgate - Knottingley, Cumbrian Coast Line. Also seen coupled to other trains for additional capacity.	1987 - 1988
Class 155 Super Sprinter		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	7[11]	Caldervale Line, Harrogate line	1987
Class 156 Super Sprinter		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	46	Various longer distance services and increasingly on shorter services across Northern’s network.	1987 - 1989
Class 158 Express Sprinter		Diesel multiple unit	90	145	46	Express services including York - Blackpool North, Sheffield - Leeds via Barnsley, Sheffield -Bridlington/Scarborough, Leeds - Carlisle, Leeds-Bradford-Manchester Victoria, Nottingham - Leeds[12]	1989 - 1992
Class 180 Adelante		diesel multiple unit	125	200	3	Cascaded from First Great Western. Blackpool North - Manchester Victoria[13] and Hazel Grove - Preston. Being sub-leased from East Coast.[14]	2000-01
Class 321/9		Electric multiple unit	100	160	3	Wakefield Line Leeds - Doncaster[10]	1989
Class 323		Electric multiple unit	100	160	17	Electrified routes in and out of Manchester Piccadilly: Manchester Piccadilly - Alderley Edge/Crewe/Glossop/Hadfield/Hazel Grove/Macclesfield/ Manchester Airport/Stoke-on-Trent	1989 - 1991
Class 333		Electric multiple unit	100	160	16 [15]	Wharfedale Line Leeds and Bradford - Shipley - Ilkley Airedale Line Leeds and Bradford - Shipley - Keighley - Skipton Leeds-Bradford line[10]	1999

Future fleet

In January 2008, as part of the Government's rolling stock plan, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that the fleet of Class 323 trains currently in operation on services in South and East Manchester would be transferred to London Midland where the rest of the Class 323 trains are based in order to form a uniform fleet. Northern were due to receive 24 new build or cascaded EMU vehicles to allow for this and provide additional capacity.^[16] The original plan also stated that further DMU stock is due to be transferred to Northern from London Midland and London Overground. A presentation by the DfT, also in January 2008, indicated that this could include Class 150 units from London Midland.^[17]

On December 22 2008, the Department for Transport announced it had issued an invitation to tender for 200 new carriages to form diesel multiple units, some of which were intended for Northern Rail.^[18] The Contract Notice specifies that those parties expressing in an interest must have the ability to design and manufacture DMUs which are 23 metres in length, capable of a maximum speed of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), formed of 2, 3, and/or 4 cars, capable of operation in multiple, and gangwayed throughout, both within units and units in multiple.^[19] The order was postponed in July 2009, following the announcement of the electrification of Liverpool to Manchester via Newton-le-Willows. Northern will now get ex-Thameslink EMUs^[20] (most likely British Rail Class 319s) to run Liverpool to Manchester services allowing the diesel units currently used on that service to be cascaded to other lines.

As part of a trial into the feasibility of the tram-train concept, Northern will operate newly built electric tram-train units between Rotherham and Sheffield after plans for a diesel tram-train trial between Huddersfield and Sheffield was deemed non-economically viable for a trial. ^[21]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Northern Rail

• Northern Rail official website
• Serco-NedRailways official website