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| Franchise(s): | Wales and Borders 14 October 2001 – 7 December 2003 |
| Main region(s): | South West, Wales |
| Other region(s): | North West, London |
| Parent company: | National Express |
Wales and Borders is the name of a franchise of train services covering Wales, the Welsh Marches and bordering counties of England.
The franchise was initially formed from part of the former Wales and West franchise (the remainder forming Wessex Trains) and the Cardiff Railway Company (which traded as Valley Lines), together with the lines from Shrewsbury to Pwllheli and Aberystwyth formerly operated by Central Trains. This franchise was operated by a company also named Wales and Borders, which was part of the National Express Group. It was based in Cardiff.
In September 2003 the lines west of Crewe, through Chester to Holyhead, Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog previously operated by First North Western were transferred to Wales and Borders. This was the first time that all mainline railways in Wales were operated as a cohesive unit.[1]
In July 2003 the Strategic Rail Authority announced that from 7 December 2003 the franchise would be awarded for a 15 year period (subject to satisfactory reviews after 5 and 10 years) to Arriva Trains Wales.
As a result of the formation of the Wales and Borders franchise, the number of services between North and South Wales increased as did the number of services from stations west of Cardiff (such as Milford Haven to Manchester Piccadilly via the Marches line. However this was at the expense of services from stations west of Cardiff to the South Coast of England (e.g Brighton and Portsmouth Harbour), since services to those destinations were transferred to Wessex Trains who use Cardiff as their westernmost terminus in Wales.
| Preceded by First North Western North Western franchise |
Operator of Wales and Borders franchise 2001 - 2003 |
Succeeded by Arriva Trains Wales Wales and Borders franchise |
| Preceded by Valley Lines Valley Lines franchise |
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| Preceded by Wales and West Wales and West franchise |
References
- ^ Under British Rail, the North Wales Coast Line and its branches were part of the London Midland region, with the rest of Wales part of the Western region. This was largely a continuation of the pre-nationalisation grouping under the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and Great Western Railway.
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