Passenger journeys on the West Midlands rail franchise from 2010–11 to 2018–19[3]
In April 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the shortlist of bidders for the West Midlands franchise, comprising the incumbent operator Govia, MTR Corporation, and West Midlands Trains: a consortium of Abellio (70%), JR East (15%) and Mitsui (15%).[4][5][6] In July 2016, MTR Corporation withdrew from the bidding process.[7][8]
The invitation to tender was issued in August 2016.[9] In August 2017, the West Midlands Trains consortium was awarded the franchise, and it took over from London Midland on 10 December 2017.[10][11] The franchise is scheduled to run until March 2026.[12][13]
In May 2021, the company was criticised after it sent an email to 2,500 employees thanking them for their work during the Covid-19 pandemic and offering a financial bonus;[14] employees who clicked on the link within the email were informed that there was, in fact, no bonus and that the email had been part of a "phishing simulation test”.[15] Manuel Cortes, the general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) union described the company's action as “[...] a cynical and shocking stunt by West Midlands Trains, designed to trick employees who have been on the frontline throughout this terrible pandemic – ensuring essential workers were able to travel. The company must now account for their totally crass and reprehensible behaviour. They could and should have used any other pretext to test their internet security. It’s almost beyond belief that they chose to falsely offer a bonus to workers who have done so much in the fight against this virus.”[15] According to The Guardian, "one worker at West Midlands Trains had died from Covid-19 and many others had fallen ill with the virus".[15]
Management
Unlike the previous London Midland franchise, which was solely accountable to the DfT, West Midlands is also accountable for services that operate wholly within the West Midlands region to West Midlands Rail Executive, a group of 16 local authorities.[16][17] However, DfT must still approve any changes West Midlands Rail wish to make until the franchise is re-let.[citation needed]
Branding
WMT services are split into two businesses which operate under two distinct sub-brands. Train services running on the West Coast Main Line, including those running to/from London Euston, Liverpool Lime Street and Crewe, operate under the London Northwestern Railway brand. This name was chosen in tribute to the former London & North Western Railway (LNWR), the company that operated services on the route between 1846 and 1922. Branding of trains and associated publicity use a green colour scheme with a logo composed of the letters L, N and W.[18][19]
Services running in Birmingham and the West Midlands region – previously operated by London Midland under the London Midland City brand – are operated by WMT under the West Midlands Railway brand. WMT have chosen to operate these services as a distinct business unit in order to facilitate a possible future devolution of these services from the national DfT to the West Midlands Combined Authority.[18] These services bear an orange and purple colour scheme and are branded with a hexagonal "WM" monogram adopted as part of a shared branding initiative under Transport for West Midlands, in which several transport modes in the West Midlands County use similar branding to emphasise integrated transport. Each mode bears a variant of the "WM" logo: West Midlands Buses use a red logo, West Midlands Metro trams use a blue logo, cycling initiatives are branded with a green logo, West Midlands Railway bears an orange logo, and the West Midlands Rail Executive uses a turquoise logo.[20]
London Northwestern Railway services
WMT's services along the West Coast Main Line rail corridor are operated under the London Northwestern Railway brand. These services include:[21]
branch line services off the south of the West Coast main line.
As of December 2021, the typical off-peak Monday - Saturday London Northwestern Railway service pattern, with frequencies in trains per hour (tph), includes: [22]
Some services, mainly early morning and late evening services extend to/from London Euston calling at the stations served by the Northampton - London Euston train (see above)
Train services run roughly every 2-hours during the day, supplemented with a rail-replacement bus service in the other hours. The bus service consists of two services: an all-stops service, and a service that skips Fenny Stratford, Aspley Guise, Millbrook and Kempston Hardwick
^Wembley Central is served by 2 trains per day - 2 early morning services towards London and 2 late night services towards Tring, except Saturdays, when it is served hourly
^There are no Monday-Saturday direct daytime trains northbound between Tring and Cheddington. Passengers wishing to make this journey must double-back via Bletchley or Berkhamsted
^Marston Green is served by most trains. Local West Midlands Railway services also call throughout the day.
^Polesworth served by one train per day, northbound-only
^Longport is served every 2-3 hours. There is no Sunday service
^Acton Bridge is served most hours, but there are some 2-hour gaps in service
Services on the short Stourbridge Town branch line are run by the open access operator Pre Metro Operations, who operate services on behalf of WMT under the West Midlands Railway brand name.
As of May 2021, the typical off-peak Monday - Saturday West Midlands Railway service pattern, with frequencies in trains per hour (tph), includes: [23]
Trains run every 2 hours, with service in the other hour provided by 2 rail-replacement bus services - one departs before the train would normally depart and one after the train would usually depart.
^Most services start/terminate at Foregate Street; however some do so at Worcester Shrub Hill instead with some trains serving both stations by running to/from Foregate Street via Shrub Hill, where trains reverse before continuing. Additional services are extended to Great Malvern, calling at Malvern Link.
Sunday services are generally hourly on most routes however:
extension of the Birmingham to Wolverhampton service to Crewe via Stoke-on-Trent. This will replace the London Euston to Crewe service via Stoke-on-Trent that will operate directly from Stafford to Crewe via the West Coast Main Line.[24] The change of this service has angered councillors in Staffordshire as to the loss of the direct service (although Avanti West Coast will continue to operate a London-bound service through Stoke-on-Trent). The change of service is necessitated by West Midlands Trains increasing the number of carriages up to twelve in peak hours, which makes stopping at Alsager, Stone and Kidsgrove impossible due to the platforms not being long enough to take 12-car trains.[25] West Midlands Rail have since stated these stations will retain a direct service to London taking a slower route via Birmingham and Northampton.[26]
reintroduction of calls at Barlaston and therefore closure of Wedgwood. This will mean the end of the long-standing rail replacement bus service.[citation needed] From 10 December 2017, the Stafford – Stoke-on-Trent rail replacement bus was cut back to run only between Stoke-on-Trent and Norton Bridge, via Wedgwood, Barlaston and Stone.
reintroduction of calls at Polesworth, refurbishing and reopening both platforms.
The concept of using the lightweight railcar dates from 2006 when a year-long pilot scheme began on the Stourbridge Town branch line on Sundays, using a Parry People Movers PPM50 unit constructed in 2002 and numbered as 999900 under TOPS.[29] The success of this trial led to the provision of regular services using the technology in the franchise plans for the new West Midlands Franchise. Following the award of the franchise to London Midland, it placed an order for two PPM60 units with Parry People Movers, through Porterbrook. The service itself was operated for London Midland by Pre Metro Operations.[30]
These two units are 139 001 and 139 002, composed of vehicle numbers 39001 and 39002 in the British carriage and wagon numbering and classification system. The vehicles are mechanically similar to 999 900, but are approximately one metre longer. They were intended to start operating on the Stourbridge Town branch in 2008. In January 2009 it was confirmed that 139001 was still undergoing testing at Chasewater Railway and 139002 was still not completed.
Despite the difficulties in the commissioning of the two Class 139 units, London Midland consistently outlined its faith that they would be ready to enter service. In March 2009, it was announced that the first unit had received its passenger certification from Network Rail, allowing it to carry passengers. London Midland stated that they would begin a phased entry into service, starting with weekend operation in April, leading up to a full service by the timetable change in May 2009. Until then, London Midland temporarily returned a Class 153 to operating the branch service. 139 002 officially entered service on 29 March 2009 as part of the type's phased entry. This unit had previously worked in full service, including all-day on Monday 11 May 2009 and previously had worked all morning services during February/March 2009. In May 2009 the first unit, 139 001 was finally delivered to Stourbridge, with 999 900 removed at the same time.[31] Test unit 999 900 had been on the branch line between 2005 and 2009. At the point of introduction, they displaced a single Class 153 DMU that was previously allocated to the branch line. By December 2009, the 200,000th passenger had been carried by the railcars.
Class 170 and 172 DMUs
West Midlands Trains operate a total of 35 two-car and three-car Class 172 units, 27 of which had been ordered by predecessor London Midland, who originally planned for them to enter service by the end of 2010 on services to and from Birmingham Snow Hill, replacing Class 150s. The original 27 sets have revised front ends with end gangways which make the trains look like the Electrostar family of units.
From 1 September 2011, the Class 172s started operating on the Snow Hill Lines with some weekend work from Birmingham – Hereford. When first used in service, the units suffered a fault with engine vibration in the passenger cabin, which has since been rectified.
The units were originally meant to replace all of the Class 150s, however three were retained until 2019 and moved on to Northern after the Class 172/0 and Class 230 units entered service. Between late 2018 and early 2019 West Midlands Railway inherited the London Overground 172/0s to replace the remaining Class 150s and Class 153s operating on the Coventry to Leamington line, the Coventry to Nuneaton line and Birmingham to Hereford. All had entered service by May 2019.
During November and December 2020, the centre vehicles of the Class 170/6 units have been removed from their consist. They will have a minor refurbishment: along with being reliveried externally, internally the vehicle will be changed to the house colours of their new operator CrossCountry. These vehicles will be used to extend some of their 2-carriage Class 170 units. The Class 170/6 units which remain at West Midlands Trains will be renumbered to reflect them becoming Class 170/5 units, before being moved to East Midlands Railway after the Class 196 units are introduced.[32]
In October 2017, details were announced of planned new rolling stock for West Midlands Trains.[28][36][37]
West Midlands Trains has ordered 26 new CAF Civity diesel multiple units (80 carriages) and 81 electric multiple units based on Bombardier Transportation's Aventra platform (333 carriages), giving a total of 107 new trains for the operator.[38]
The Class 153 units left West Midlands Trains at the end of 2020,[39] and the Class 170 units will move to East Midlands Railway, with the exception of the centre cars of the 170/6s moving to CrossCountry to lengthen its 170/5s.[40]
^Milner, Chris (June 2019). "West Midlands Class 196 DMU construction underway". The Railway Magazine. Vol. 165 no. 1, 419. Horncastle: Mortons Media. p. 104. ISSN0033-8923.
![Passenger journeys on the West Midlands rail franchise from 2010–11 to 2018–19[3]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Lm_passenger_nos_2019.png/660px-Lm_passenger_nos_2019.png)
