CrossCountry
| File:Crosscountrylogosmall.gif | |
| File:CrossCountry-train.jpg | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Franchise(s) | Cross Country 11 November 2007 – 1 April 2016 |
| Main route(s) | South West England - North East England - Scotland (via Birmingham) Cardiff and Newport - Birmingham - Nottingham |
| Other route(s) | Cardiff and Newport - Bristol - Birmingham - North East |
| Fleet size | 34 Voyagers 23 Super Voyagers 29 Class 170s |
| Stations called at | 100 (none operated) |
| Parent company | Arriva plc |
| Reporting mark | XC |
| Other | |
| Website | www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/ |
CrossCountry is a new train operating company that has operated Great Britain’s Cross Country rail franchise since 11 November 2007. The franchise was formed through the amalgamation of the old CrossCountry franchise previously held by Virgin Trains (which consisted of inter-city services that do not terminate in London) with some of the longer-distance routes operated by the former Central Trains.
On 10 July 2007, the Department for Transport announced that Arriva plc had won the rights to the franchise.[1]
Routes
Core
An hourly service will run on each basic route:
| No | Route | Rollingstock | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plymouth through Leeds to Edinburgh Waverley | Voyagers and HSTs | |
| 2 | Reading through Doncaster to Newcastle | Voyagers | |
| 3 | Bristol Temple Meads to Manchester Piccadilly | Voyagers | |
| 4 | Bournemouth through Coventry to Manchester Piccadilly | Voyagers | |
| 5 | Cardiff Central to Nottingham Line | Turbostars and a Voyager | |
| 6 | Birmingham New Street to Leicester and Stansted Airport | Turbostars | |
Extensions
There are also extensions to the normal service pattern:
- to Penzance from Plymouth
- to Glasgow Central from Edinburgh Waverley
- to Aberdeen from Edinburgh Waverley
- to Cardiff Central from Bristol Temple Meads
- to Paignton from Bristol Temple Meads
- to Guildford from Reading
- to Bournemouth from Reading
Summer Saturdays will see trains go to Newquay from various parts of the network.
There are also some other train services which will go from one route to another (eg. from Nottingham to Bournemouth), in order to provide more direct journeys.
Frequency
The majority of the network will have one CrossCountry train per hour. Notable exceptions include:
- Cheltenham to Birmingham - 3 trains per hour
- Birmingham to Derby - 4 trains per hour
- Derby to Sheffield - 2 trains per hour
- Bristol to Birmingham - 2 trains per hour
- Birmingham to Leicester - 2 trains per hour
Rolling stock
Virgin CrossCountry previously operated Class 220 and Class 221 DEMUs. From December 2007, 21 Class 221 will be transferred to the West Coast Main Line franchise where they will operate the North Wales route and the West Midlands to Scotland services. CrossCountry will also use some of the British Rail Class 170 Turbostars from Central Trains. CrossCountry have announced that they will re-introduce 5 upgraded High Speed Trains[2], however it is currently unclear as to where these HSTs will come from as there are very few spare HST vehicles.
Current fleet
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Unit numbers | Routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | |||||||
| Class 170 Turbostar | File:CrossCountryTurbostar.jpg | Diesel multiple unit | 100 | 160 | 29 | 170101-170117 170397-170398 170518-170523 170636-170639 | Cross Country Route | 1999 - 2002 |
| Class 220 Voyager | File:CrossCountry-train.jpg | Diesel-electric multiple unit | 125 | 200 | 34 | 220001-220034 | Cross Country Route | 2001 |
| Class 221 Super Voyager | File:CrossCountry-train.jpg | Diesel-electric multiple unit | 125 | 200 | 23 | 221118-221141 | Cross Country Route | 2001 |
Future fleet
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Routes operated | Built | Introduction | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | |||||||
| Class 43 High Speed Train | File:CrossCountryHST.jpg | Diesel locomotive | 125 | 200 | 10 | Cross Country Route | 1976 - 1982 | Late 2008 |
| Mark 3 coach | File:Crosscountrymk3.png | Passenger coach | 125 | 200 | 40 | Cross Country Route | 1975 - 1988 | Late 2008 |
References
- ^ "Department for Transport announces winner of New Cross Country franchise". Department for Transport. 2007-07-10.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "CrossCountry Highlights". CrossCountry.
External links
