London Midland

For the former British Railways region, see London Midland Region (British Railways).

Overview
Franchise(s)	West Midlands 11 November 2007 – 19 September 2015
Main region(s)	West Midlands, London
Other region(s)	West of England, East Midlands
Fleet size	157 (soon to be 201)
Stations called at	146
Parent company	Govia (Go-Ahead Group / Keolis)
Reporting mark	LM
Technical
Length	867.4
Other
Website	www.londonmidland.co.uk

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.

Their 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).

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 or Coseley (alternating to give each an hourly express service), Wolverhampton, Penkridge (hourly service), Stafford, Crewe, Winsford (hourly/two hourly service), Hartford, (limited service), Runcorn and Liverpool South Parkway. Journey times vary between apporx 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, additionally 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.

• London Euston - Milton Keynes. 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 which call at Watford Junction, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring, Cheddington, Leighton Buzzard and Bletchley. This service is complemented by an hourly Southern train service between Harrow & Wealdstone and Milton Keynes.

• London Euston - Crewe. Hourly, off peak, calling at Watford Junction, Milton Keynes Central, Northampton, Rugby, Nuneaton, 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 on the Trent Valley Line (and other parts of the WCML) being reduced. This again was controversial, as smaller towns have in effect been cut off from the Intercity rail network. This service takes longer than Virgin services did/do. During peak times, Virgin stops certain trains at one or two of the more major stations, so there is no peak service between the stations.

The 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 can be used on 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.

London Midland City

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.
• 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 half hourly extensions to Rugeley.
• Birmingham New Street – Shrewsbury. Hourly, all stops beyond Wolverhampton, complemented by Arriva Trains Wales' fast services to give a half hourly service at major 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.
• Worcester - Gloucester. Every two hours, complementing the First Great Western Service to give an hourly service overall, off peak. All stops.

Smaller stations

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

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 service between Walsall and Wolverhampton. Usage on the route was low, but growing, and a campaign existed to keep the service. The service was a priced option with the new West Midlands Franchise, but the West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority (Centro) decided not to take up this option, and as a result the service ceased. The rolling stock was re-allocated to run the new Worcester to Gloucester service. London Midland advised that passengers should use a Travel West Midlands bus to make the journey.

Performance

The most recent performance figures for London Midland to be released by the ORR for the second quarter of the financial year 2008/9 are 88.4% Public Performance Measure.

The figures are expected to decrease, as a result of problems encountered since the recent timetable change in December 2008.

Rolling stock

File:Jewellry Quarter railway station platform - Birmingham - 2005-10-14.jpg

London Midland plan to replace the region’s older trains, including the Class 150 units that operate the Snow Hill and Bedford-Bletchley lines

Class 139 to be used on the Stourbridge Branch Line

Class 350/2 at Crewe, these units will be replacing Class 321 on Liverpool and London Euston services

Current fleet

London Midland’s fleet is currently composed of rolling stock inherited from Silverlink and Central Trains. They plan to improve the reliability and interior design of the existing Class 153 and Class 170 trains, and install passenger information systems and CCTV on the majority of the fleet. They also intend to use automatic load-monitoring systems to measure how heavily their services are used, for the purpose of alleviating over-crowding.

The first of London Midland's Class 153 Sprinters (153 365) has gone to the Eastleigh Wabtec works for an overhaul and a repaint.

As of 12 November 2007 there are already several units operating in the new livery and re-furbished green interior, but all of the Class 150 "Sprinter" units still carry their original liveries, albeit without Central Trains branding.

The first of the 37 new Desiro units arrived in the UK in early October for testing at the Siemens Northampton depot. London Midland currently have 14 units in operation as from December 2008.

The two PPM railcars were due to enter service on the Stourbridge line with the start of the new timetable on 14 December 2008. However, delays in testing the units caused a delay in their introduction, with a replacement bus covering the route following the reallocation of the Class 153 originally used.

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	60	2	Stourbridge Town Branch Line	2008
Class 150/0 Sprinter		diesel multiple unit	3	75	120	2	Snow Hill Lines	1981-83
Class 150/1 Sprinter		diesel multiple unit	2/3	75	120	14 3 car 10 2 car	Snow Hill Lines	1982-84
Class 150/2 Sprinter		diesel multiple unit	2	75	120	2	Snow Hill Lines	1984-86
Class 153 Super Sprinter		diesel multiple unit	1	75	120	10	Bedford - Bletchley Coventry - Nuneaton Strengthening of any 150 or 170 services	1987 - 1988
Class 170/5 Turbostar		diesel multiple unit	2	100	160	17	Hereford - Birmingham Birmingham - Shrewsbury Birmingham to Rugeley Trent Valley via Chase Line	1999 – 2002
Class 170/6 Turbostar		diesel multiple unit	3	100	160	6	Hereford - Birmingham Birmingham - Shrewsbury Birmingham to Rugeley Trent Valley via Chase Line	1999 – 2002
Class 321/4		electric multiple unit	4	100	160	37	Birmingham - Northampton Birmingham International - Walsall London - Milton Keynes /Northampton	1988-89 (Being withdrawn from December 2008)
Class 323		electric multiple unit	3	90	145	26	Lichfield - Redditch (The Cross City Line) Walsall - Birmingham International Wolverhampton - Birmingham	1989-91
Class 350/1 Desiro		electric multiple unit	4	100	160	30	Liverpool - Birmingham Northampton - Birmingham London - Birmingham/Crewe	2004 - 2005
Class 350/2 Desiro		electric multiple unit	4	100	160	37 (Introduced from December 2008)	London - Birmingham/Crewe (Replacing Class 321)	2008-2009

Future fleet

As part of its franchise agreement, London Midland is committed to a major programme of new rolling stock. In its initial plan, it announced that it would bring into service an additional 37 Class 350 units from Siemens which it plans to use in replacing its Class 321s. After beginning its operations, London Midland announced two further orders, with fifteen 3-car and twelve 2-car Class 172 Turbostar units ordered from Bombardier Transportation, together with a pair of Class 139 railcars from Parry People Movers for use on the Stourbridge line. The Class 153 units off the Stourbridge Town branch were moved to the Bedford - Bletchley line in December 2008, even though their replacement Parry People Mover was not ready. The Stourbridge branch has been operated by bus since the new timetable came into force. The Class 153s replaced Class 150s on the Bedford to Bletchley route; the remainder of London Midland's Class 150s will be replaced like for like by the Class 172s. Under the government's rolling stock plan, the Class 150s will be cascaded to other TOC's.

As part of the Department for Transport's rolling stock plan, published in January 2008, the current fleet of 17 Class 323s currently operated by Northern are expected to be transferred to London Midland in order to form a uniform fleet with 24 new units being ordered for Northern.

Class	Type	Cars per set	Number	Introduced	Notes
Class 172/2 Turbostar	diesel multiple unit	2	12	2010	Will replace the existing Class 150
Class 172/3 Turbostar	diesel multiple unit	3	15	2010	Will replace the existing Class 150
Class 323	electric multiple unit	3	17	by 2014	Remaining units cascaded from Northern

See also

• Central Trains
  • Central Citylink
• Silverlink

External links

• London Midland official website