London Midland

For the former "Big Four" Railway company, see London, Midland and Scottish Railway. For the former British Railways region, see London Midland Region (British Railways).

London Midland

Overview
Franchise(s)	West Midlands 11 November 2007 – 19 September 2015
Main region(s)	West Midlands, London
Other region(s)	East Midlands
Fleet size	157
Stations called at	146
Parent company	Govia (Go-Ahead Group / Keolis)
Reporting mark	LM
Technical
Length	867.4
Other
Website	www.londonmidland.com
Route map

A map of the London Midland Network

London Midland Express route map

London Midland City route map

London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007.

Its services operate primarily on the West Coast Main Line from London Euston and in the West Midlands region, replacing previous operators Central Trains and Silverlink (both subsidiaries of the National Express Group).

Performance

The company has stated that it experienced many breakdowns due to the outdated rolling stock it inherited and which it has now replaced. The services to London have received more attention, although the neglect of the local Midland services outside of Birmingham has led to the company having some of the lowest performance rates of any British rail franchise. The company has seen marked improvements in customer satisfaction rates during 2010, with train frequency, reliability and value all rising by 11% in the customers' eyes. The state of onboard toilet facilities, however, showed no marked improvement.

According to the most recent performance figures for London Midland, punctuality fell in the third quarter of 2010/11. The ORR revealed that the Public Performance Measure for this quarter was 85.1% (down 3.1 percentage points on the same quarter last year). The MAA (moving annual average) up to 31 December 2010 was 90.1%.

Routes

London Midland's services are divided between two sub-brands, London Midland Express and London Midland City.

London Midland Express

This sub-brand is used primarily for semi-fast services on the West Coast Main Line (WCML). The main service pattern is as follows:

• Birmingham New Street – Liverpool Lime Street.

Every half-hour, calling at either Smethwick Galton Bridge or Coseley (alternating to give each an hourly express service), Wolverhampton, Penkridge (hourly service), Stafford, Crewe, Winsford (hourly/two hourly service), Hartford, (hourly service, although frequency improves in the morning and evening peak), Runcorn, and Liverpool South Parkway. Journey times vary between approx. 1½ hours and 1¾ hours.

• London Euston - Birmingham New Street.

Every half-hour to Northampton, calling at Watford Junction (hourly), Hemel Hempstead (hourly), Berkhamsted (hourly), Leighton Buzzard, Bletchley, Milton Keynes Central, and Wolverton, with hourly extensions to Birmingham New Street, calling at Long Buckby, Rugby, Coventry, Canley, Tile Hill, Berkswell, Birmingham International and Marston Green. Journey times are about an hour longer than Virgin Trains' InterCity service, which calls only at the intercity stations.

• London Euston - Milton Keynes Central.

Every 20 minutes to Tring, calling at Harrow & Wealdstone, Bushey, Watford Junction, Kings Langley, Apsley, Hemel Hempstead, and Berkhamsted, with hourly extensions to Milton Keynes calling at Watford Junction, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring, Cheddington, Leighton Buzzard, then Bletchley and Milton Keynes Central. Southern Trains operates a similar service on part of this route, with an hourly service between Harrow & Wealdstone and Milton Keynes, from East Croydon via Olympia. At peak times, London Midland has introduced a "Watford Shuttle" service, calling at Harrow & Wealdstone and Bushey.

• London Euston - Crewe.

Hourly, off-peak, calling at Watford Junction, Milton Keynes Central, Northampton, Rugby, Nuneaton, Polesworth (served only by one northbound "Parliamentary" train service per day), Atherstone, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Rugeley Trent Valley, Stafford, Stone, Stoke-on-Trent, Kidsgrove, and Alsager.

This semi-fast service replaced the old Virgin Trains service from December 2008. This coincided with the number of Virgin Trains off-peak services calling at stations in the Trent Valley (and other parts of the WCML) being reduced.

This move was controversial, as it meant some towns losing their fast services to the capital. However, it also enabled some smaller towns, such as Stone, to have their rail service reinstated or improved. A handful of Virgin trains continue to call at Trent Valley stations in peak hours only.

The London Midland Express brand is also used for two branches off the WCML:

• The Marston Vale Line (from Bletchley to Bedford). Hourly, all stations.
• The St Albans Branch Line (from Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey). Every 45 minutes, all stations.

It is a requirement of the franchise that Transport for London's Oyster Cards be valid for trains between London and Watford Junction. In the past, TfL have expressed interest in taking over the St Albans branch, and installing Oyster Card readers on the stations along it; however, this route was included within the London Midland franchise.

Proposed future services

London Midland has applied to the Office of Rail Regulation to run a new hourly Birmingham-Preston service from 2012 by diverting every other Birmingham-Liverpool train. The Euston-Crewe service would then be extended to Liverpool to maintain a half-hourly service between Crewe and Liverpool. LM also seeks to run additional evening and Sunday trains between London and Northampton and between Northampton and Crewe, to satisfy what the company says is unmet demand.

London Midland City

London Midland City train 153371 departs Bedford with a service bound for Bletchley.

Parry People Mover Class 139 at Stourbridge Junction

This sub-brand is used for local and commuter services around the Birmingham / Coventry area, sponsored by Centro/ Network West Midlands, that were previously run by Central Trains. These services are:

• Birmingham New Street – Northampton. Hourly. Semi-fast. Run together with the hourly Birmingham-to-London service.
• Birmingham New Street – Wolverhampton. Half-hourly, all stops.
• Lichfield – Birmingham New Street - Redditch (the Cross-City Line). Every ten minutes between Longbridge and Four Oaks, all stops, with half-hourly extensions to the termini.
• Birmingham New Street - Walsall - Rugeley (the Chase Line). Every 15 minutes, with hourly extensions to Rugeley [half-hourly in peak hours].
• Birmingham New Street – Shrewsbury. Hourly, all stops beyond Wolverhampton, complemented by Arriva Trains Wales' fast services to give a twice-hourly service at main stations.
• Birmingham New Street – Hereford via Bromsgrove. Hourly off-peak, half-hourly peak. Semi-fast.
• Worcester - Birmingham Snow Hill – Leamington Spa / Stratford-upon-Avon (the Snow Hill Lines). Every ten minutes between Stourbridge Junction and Birmingham Moor Street, various extensions and patterns.
• Stourbridge Junction – Stourbridge Town (the Stourbridge Branch Line). Every ten minutes.
• Coventry – Nuneaton. Hourly.

Smaller stations

London Midland operate several "limited stop" stations, where only a handful of trains a day call.

These include:

• Hartlebury; six trains a day Monday-Saturday, peak only, no Sunday service.
• Bordesley, one train per week on a Saturday (a parliamentary train), plus football specials.
• Polesworth; one train per day (a parliamentary train).

Former routes

In December 2008, London Midland discontinued the direct service between Walsall and Wolverhampton. Traffic on the route was low, but growing, and there was a campaign to keep the service. The service was a priced option with the new West Midlands franchise, but the Department for Transport decided not to provide funding from December 2008, and as a result the service ceased. London Midland advised that passengers should use Travel West Midlands buses instead. The rolling stock was re-allocated to the new Worcester - Gloucester service.

This Worcester to Gloucester service (every two hours, complementing the First Great Western service to give an hourly service overall, off-peak, all stops) was introduced as part of the December 2008 timetable change to improve transport links between the two areas as well as to provide an increased service at Ashchurch for Tewkesbury. However, this service was withdrawn in December 2009 because of low passenger use.

Rolling stock

London Midland are to initially retain seven Class 321 EMU trains for both the 'Abbey Flyer' Watford Junction - St. Albans Abbey branch and peak-hour services.

Current fleet

London Midland's fleet is currently composed of rolling stock inherited from Silverlink and Central Trains. It has finished refurbishing the existing Class 153 Super Sprinter, Class 170 Turbostar and Class 323 multiple-unit trains. It also intends to use automatic load-monitoring systems to measure how heavily its services are used, to alleviate overcrowding.

The first of the 37 new Desiro units arrived in the UK in early October 2008 for testing at the Siemens Northampton depot. By July 2009 they were all in service.

London Midland is to retain seven Class 321 EMU trains, for use both on the Watford Junction–St. Albans Abbey branch line and on peak-hour express services between Northampton and London Euston.

The two Class 139 railcars were due to enter service on the Stourbridge line with the start of the new timetable on 15 December 2008. However, problems in testing caused a delay in their introduction, with a replacement bus covering the route following the reallocation of the Class 153 originally used. The two railcars finally entered full passenger service in June 2009.

Class	Image	Type	Cars per set	Top speed		Number	Routes operated	Built
				mph	km/h
Class 139 Parry People Mover		diesel multiple unit	1	40	64	2	Stourbridge Town Branch Line	2008
Class 150/0 Sprinter		diesel multiple unit	3	75	121	2	Snow Hill Lines Birmingham to Rugeley Trent Valley via Chase Line Marston Vale Line Blechtley - Bedford	1984–1987
Class 150/1 Sprinter		diesel multiple unit	3	75	121	14	Snow Hill Lines Birmingham to Rugeley Trent Valley via Chase Line Marston Vale Line Bletchley - Bedford	1984–1987
			2	75	121	10
Class 150/2 Sprinter		diesel multiple unit	2	75	121	2	Snow Hill Lines Birmingham to Rugeley Trent Valley via Chase Line Marston Vale Line Blecthley - Bedford	1984–1987
Class 153 Super Sprinter		diesel multiple unit	1	75	121	10	Marston Vale Line Bedford - Bletchley Coventry - Nuneaton Strengthening of any class 150 or 170 services Stourbridge Town when Parry People Movers unavailable Birmingham to Rugeley Trent Valley via Chase Line (Occasionally)	1987–1988 Converted 1991–1992
Class 170/5 Turbostar		diesel multiple unit	2	100	161	17	Hereford - Birmingham Birmingham - Shrewsbury Birmingham to Rugeley Trent Valley via Chase Line	1999–2000
Class 170/6 Turbostar		diesel multiple unit	3	100	161	6	Hereford - Birmingham Birmingham - Shrewsbury Birmingham to Rugeley Trent Valley via Chase Line	1999–2000
Class 321/4		electric multiple unit	4	100	161	7	Birmingham - Northampton Birmingham International - Walsall London - Milton Keynes/Northampton Watford Junction - St. Albans Abbey	1989–1990
Class 323		electric multiple unit	3	90	145	26	Lichfield - Redditch (The Cross City Line) Walsall - Birmingham New Street - Wolverhampton Birmingham New Street - Birmingham International - Coventry	1992–1993
Class 350/1 Desiro		electric multiple unit	4	100	161	30	Birmingham - Liverpool Northampton - Birmingham London - Tring/Milton Keynes London - Birmingham/Crewe	2004–2005
Class 350/2 Desiro		electric multiple unit	4	100	161	37	Birmingham - Liverpool Northampton - Birmingham London - Tring/Milton Keynes London - Birmingham/Crewe	2008–2009

London Midland plans to replace the area's older trains, including the Class 150 DMUs that operate the Snow Hill and Bedford-Bletchley lines

Future fleet

As part of its franchise agreement, London Midland is committed to a major programme of new rolling stock. The company has ordered fifteen 3-car and twelve 2-car Class 172 Turbostar units from Bombardier Transportation, to replace its Class 150s. Under the government's rolling-stock plan, the Class 150s will be cascaded to Northern Rail and First Great Western. As a direct result of the cascade to Northern, some of Northern's Class 156s will be released to East Midlands Trains.

As of 11 January 2011, a new class 172, no 172331 has been observed undergoing tests in the UK.

Class	Type	Cars per set	Number	Introduced	Notes
Class 172/2 Turbostar	diesel multiple unit	2	12	By December 2011	Will replace the existing Class 150
Class 172/3 Turbostar		3	15

See also

• Central Trains
  • Central Citylink
• Silverlink

External links

• London Midland official website