Central Trains
Encyclopedia
Central Trains was one of the original 25 train operating companies
to emerge from the break-up of British Rail
between 1994 and 1997. The company operated local, urban and secondary express services across central England and Mid Wales
.
, Central Trains passed into the private sector on 2 March 1997. The franchise was awarded to National Express Group
, who maintained control of the company until its eventual demise in 2007. Central Trains employed over 2,400 staff.
The company invested significantly in rolling stock, with significant orders for new trains placed and the fleet later further grown through the acquisition of trains made surplus by other companies. Despite a reduction in the area covered during the ten years of its existence, the company grew its core fleet from fewer than 300 passenger vehicles to a total of 379 - a capacity increase of over 28%. It also refurbished a number of its stations, introducing ticket gates, help points and live information boards.
Central Trains also clamped down on vandalism on its trains and fare evasion, including through a controversial poster campaign publicising the names and addresses of passengers who had been fined for not having valid tickets.
The franchise gained a reputation for poor timekeeping: its best performing period between 2000 and 2007 still saw one in six trains five minutes late or more, with punctuality dropping as low as 61% in 2003. The company also suffered from ongoing staff relations problems which led to extensive and long-lasting cancellations of Sunday services.
Following a government policy announced in 2004, Central Trains was eventually disbanded in November 2007 with its services dispersed amongst London Midland
, East Midlands Trains
and Cross Country.
Services ranged from rural and local services to flagship express services originally branded as Alphaline
and later developed into Central Citylink
. In the West Midlands, the company also operated the extensive urban rail service known as Centro
and later Network West Midlands under contract to the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive
.
In the late 1990s, Central Trains offered many through services between routes which had previously been shown as self-contained in public timetables. For example, where a train had previously been timetabled to work a Shrewsbury to Birmingham service followed by a Birmingham to Leicester service, the workings were combined and shown as a single direct Shrewsbury - Birmingham - Leicester service in the public timetable. This resulted in some particularly lengthy services such as those from Aberystwyth in Mid Wales to Grimsby on the opposite coast of the UK. This also gave rise to the nickname "The Barmouth to Yarmouth Railway" due to the fact Central Trains operated services in both Mid Wales and East Anglia (certain services were extended from Norwich to Great Yarmouth in the summer).
The period of the franchise saw both additions to and losses from the network: services in Mid Wales were transferred away to Wales and Borders
in 2001, but the company also reintroduced direct services to Stansted Airport from the north. Central Trains also inherited some Birmingham to Northampton services from Silverlink.
Central Trains had a major shakeup between 2004-05 to prepare them for the eventual break up of the franchise. The first part of this was done in 2001 when the Birmingham New Street – Chester & Mid Wales and Cambrian Coast Line was transferred into what is now the Arriva Trains Wales
franchise. In 2004 services from Leamington Spa to Birmingham Snow Hill & Stratford upon Avon were transferred into Chiltern Railways
, although there was no real service improvement and Central, like its successor London Midland
maintain a peak hours only service to Leamington Spa. Services on the Snow Hill lines had only one loss, and several gains. The service between Birmingham and Stourbridge was increased to every 10 minutes, and this intern increased the Kidderminster service. There was little or no improvement on services towards Worcester and the Birmingham New Street to Worcester via Stourbridge was discontinued meaning passenger started changing at Smethwick Galton Bridge to allow them to get to New Street. Liverpool Lime Street to Birmingham New Street services originally ran through and became one service to Stanstead Airport, similar to their service from Liverpool to Norwich via Nottingham (now part of East Midlands Trains). Due to problems with delays the service was spit at Birmingham New Street, the Liverpool service is now part of London Midland and Stansted Airport trains are operated by Cross Country.
Previously Central Trains ran services from Birmingham New Street to Nottingham via Leicester as well as Derby, this service was split, the Leicester to Nottingham service was merged with the hourly Ivanhoe Line service to Loughbourgh and was extended past Nottingham all stations to Lincoln. During 2004 Central’s Trent Valley local services that ran generally from Stafford or Nuneaton (some from Coventry) were discontinued due to a Driver shortage and not restored until over year later, when they were replaced by an electric service from Northampton to Crewe. Another fatality of the ‘lack of Drivers’ was the service between Rugeley Trent Valley and Stafford, services were cut back now to this day only run Birmingham to Rugeley Trent Valley. Coventry to Nottingham via Leicester services were discontinued after engineering work at Nuneaton station made it impossible for trains from Coventry to join the line towards Leicester and no attempt was ever made to rectify this. This service was restored in 2005 as an hourly shuttle to Nuneaton, with passengers requiring changing at Nuneaton for Leicester (and change again at Leicester for Nottingham). Cross Country operated all trains between Birmingham and Nuneaton to Leicester with London Midland operating the shuttle service between Coventry and Nuneaton. Central discontinued their single Northampton service a day which ran too Nottingham and other East Midlands locations via Birmingham once they gain the Birmingham to Northampton route from sister company Silverlink Trains in 2004/05. Two trains per hour from Birmingham New Street – London Euston via Northampton was replaced by one train per hour to Northampton which connected badly with onward services to London Euston, although a few trains a day did run straight through to London from Birmingham. The service started off as an hourly express service until it was merged with the local service to Coventry adding more journey time.
The local service to and from Coventry to Wolverhampton calling all stations was also changed in 2004, it was split at Birmingham New Street as Central Trains starting operating class 321 EMU’s on the service and they were too long to fit into the bay platform 5 at Wolverhampton. A later development was implemented that had trains running express from New Street to Birmingham International (with some stops at Marston Green) then all station to Coventry and services to Walsall were extended to Birmingham International calling all stations, Adderely Park station was cut down to one train per hour shortly after this. This service is now entirely part of London Midland and operates hourly through to London Euston, with three trains per hour between Coventry and Birmingham during a weekday.
Citylink was the brand applied to principal express and long distance services including the key routes:
trains, with an additional fleet of electric trains in use around Birmingham.
The awarding of the franchise was soon followed by multiple orders for a total of 33 new air-conditioned, 100 mph Turbostar trains, intended to boost the fleet and replace older rolling stock. Though a large number of 1980s and 1990s diesel multiple unit
trains inherited from British Rail
remained, the last 1960s and 70s 'slam door' trains had been retired by 2000.
Over the course of the franchise, a number of the older Class 156
and Class 158
trains were transferred away to other operators including Wales and Borders
and One Railway. This was balanced by the acquisition of additional Turbostar trains no longer required by sister company Midland Mainline
as well as additional Class 150 and Class 158 units made surplus by other operators. Over the years, both Class 150 and 158 trains were shuffled between two and three carriage formations to meet changing needs.
The Strategic Rail Authority
decision to divert rolling stock originally intended for South West Trains
also saw the company benefit from a fleet of 30 new 100 mph Class 350 Desiro
units, which were shared with Silverlink
for use on the West Coast Main Line
between Euston and Northampton/Liverpool via Tamworth.
and new Class 350
electric trains shared with sister company Silverlink
.
On 11 November 2007, Central Trains ceased to exist and its services transferred to three new train operating companies:
|-
|-
Train operating company
The term train operating company is used in the United Kingdom to describe the various businesses operating passenger trains on the railway system of Great Britain under the collective National Rail brand...
to emerge from the break-up of British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
between 1994 and 1997. The company operated local, urban and secondary express services across central England and Mid Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Overview
Created out of the Central division of Regional RailwaysRegional Railways
Regional Railways was one of the three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982 that existed until 1996, 3 years after privatisation. The sector was originally called Provincial....
, Central Trains passed into the private sector on 2 March 1997. The franchise was awarded to National Express Group
National Express Group
National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...
, who maintained control of the company until its eventual demise in 2007. Central Trains employed over 2,400 staff.
The company invested significantly in rolling stock, with significant orders for new trains placed and the fleet later further grown through the acquisition of trains made surplus by other companies. Despite a reduction in the area covered during the ten years of its existence, the company grew its core fleet from fewer than 300 passenger vehicles to a total of 379 - a capacity increase of over 28%. It also refurbished a number of its stations, introducing ticket gates, help points and live information boards.
Central Trains also clamped down on vandalism on its trains and fare evasion, including through a controversial poster campaign publicising the names and addresses of passengers who had been fined for not having valid tickets.
The franchise gained a reputation for poor timekeeping: its best performing period between 2000 and 2007 still saw one in six trains five minutes late or more, with punctuality dropping as low as 61% in 2003. The company also suffered from ongoing staff relations problems which led to extensive and long-lasting cancellations of Sunday services.
Following a government policy announced in 2004, Central Trains was eventually disbanded in November 2007 with its services dispersed amongst London Midland
London Midland
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....
, East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London...
and Cross Country.
Network
At its greatest extent, Central Trains operated 253 stations and provided services covering 1,534 miles of the UK's railway network, covering most of central England and Mid Wales. In its last years, the company saw 43 million passenger journeys and a total of 930 million miles travelled every year.Services ranged from rural and local services to flagship express services originally branded as Alphaline
Alphaline
Alphaline was a 1990s brand used by British Rail to differentiate certain provincial express trains with enhanced passenger accommodation from general regional and middle-distance services operated by older rolling stock.-Origins:...
and later developed into Central Citylink
Central Citylink
Central Citylink was the brand name used from 2003 by Central Trains for their long distance services across the Midlands rail network. Citylink services were clearly distinguished in station announcements and timetables...
. In the West Midlands, the company also operated the extensive urban rail service known as Centro
CentrO
CentrO is part of a large commercial development in Oberhausen, Germany, called the "Neue Mitte" or "new center". A large steel production plant used to occupy the site until the late 1980s. Besides the CentrO shopping mall the area today houses attractions such as a children's theme park and a...
and later Network West Midlands under contract to the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive
West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive
The West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive , sometimes known as Centro, is a local government organisation responsible for certain transport services in the West Midlands county in England....
.
In the late 1990s, Central Trains offered many through services between routes which had previously been shown as self-contained in public timetables. For example, where a train had previously been timetabled to work a Shrewsbury to Birmingham service followed by a Birmingham to Leicester service, the workings were combined and shown as a single direct Shrewsbury - Birmingham - Leicester service in the public timetable. This resulted in some particularly lengthy services such as those from Aberystwyth in Mid Wales to Grimsby on the opposite coast of the UK. This also gave rise to the nickname "The Barmouth to Yarmouth Railway" due to the fact Central Trains operated services in both Mid Wales and East Anglia (certain services were extended from Norwich to Great Yarmouth in the summer).
The period of the franchise saw both additions to and losses from the network: services in Mid Wales were transferred away to Wales and Borders
Wales and Borders
Wales and Borders is the name of a franchise of train services covering Wales, the Welsh Marches and bordering counties of England.-History:The franchise was initially formed from part of the former Wales and West franchise and the Cardiff Railway Company , together with the lines from Shrewsbury...
in 2001, but the company also reintroduced direct services to Stansted Airport from the north. Central Trains also inherited some Birmingham to Northampton services from Silverlink.
Central Trains had a major shakeup between 2004-05 to prepare them for the eventual break up of the franchise. The first part of this was done in 2001 when the Birmingham New Street – Chester & Mid Wales and Cambrian Coast Line was transferred into what is now the Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
franchise. In 2004 services from Leamington Spa to Birmingham Snow Hill & Stratford upon Avon were transferred into Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company. It was set up at the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, and operates local passenger trains from Marylebone station in London to Aylesbury and main-line trains on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill with its associated branches...
, although there was no real service improvement and Central, like its successor London Midland
London Midland
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....
maintain a peak hours only service to Leamington Spa. Services on the Snow Hill lines had only one loss, and several gains. The service between Birmingham and Stourbridge was increased to every 10 minutes, and this intern increased the Kidderminster service. There was little or no improvement on services towards Worcester and the Birmingham New Street to Worcester via Stourbridge was discontinued meaning passenger started changing at Smethwick Galton Bridge to allow them to get to New Street. Liverpool Lime Street to Birmingham New Street services originally ran through and became one service to Stanstead Airport, similar to their service from Liverpool to Norwich via Nottingham (now part of East Midlands Trains). Due to problems with delays the service was spit at Birmingham New Street, the Liverpool service is now part of London Midland and Stansted Airport trains are operated by Cross Country.
Previously Central Trains ran services from Birmingham New Street to Nottingham via Leicester as well as Derby, this service was split, the Leicester to Nottingham service was merged with the hourly Ivanhoe Line service to Loughbourgh and was extended past Nottingham all stations to Lincoln. During 2004 Central’s Trent Valley local services that ran generally from Stafford or Nuneaton (some from Coventry) were discontinued due to a Driver shortage and not restored until over year later, when they were replaced by an electric service from Northampton to Crewe. Another fatality of the ‘lack of Drivers’ was the service between Rugeley Trent Valley and Stafford, services were cut back now to this day only run Birmingham to Rugeley Trent Valley. Coventry to Nottingham via Leicester services were discontinued after engineering work at Nuneaton station made it impossible for trains from Coventry to join the line towards Leicester and no attempt was ever made to rectify this. This service was restored in 2005 as an hourly shuttle to Nuneaton, with passengers requiring changing at Nuneaton for Leicester (and change again at Leicester for Nottingham). Cross Country operated all trains between Birmingham and Nuneaton to Leicester with London Midland operating the shuttle service between Coventry and Nuneaton. Central discontinued their single Northampton service a day which ran too Nottingham and other East Midlands locations via Birmingham once they gain the Birmingham to Northampton route from sister company Silverlink Trains in 2004/05. Two trains per hour from Birmingham New Street – London Euston via Northampton was replaced by one train per hour to Northampton which connected badly with onward services to London Euston, although a few trains a day did run straight through to London from Birmingham. The service started off as an hourly express service until it was merged with the local service to Coventry adding more journey time.
The local service to and from Coventry to Wolverhampton calling all stations was also changed in 2004, it was split at Birmingham New Street as Central Trains starting operating class 321 EMU’s on the service and they were too long to fit into the bay platform 5 at Wolverhampton. A later development was implemented that had trains running express from New Street to Birmingham International (with some stops at Marston Green) then all station to Coventry and services to Walsall were extended to Birmingham International calling all stations, Adderely Park station was cut down to one train per hour shortly after this. This service is now entirely part of London Midland and operates hourly through to London Euston, with three trains per hour between Coventry and Birmingham during a weekday.
"Citylink" Services
- Birmingham New Street - Liverpool Lime Street
- Birmingham New Street - Stansted Airport
- Cardiff Central - Birmingham New Street - Nottingham
- Liverpool Lime Street - Nottingham - Norwich
Regional Services
- Birmingham New Street - Leicester (from 2004)
- Birmingham New Street - Derby - Nottingham
- Birmingham New Street - Shrewsbury
- Northampton - Birmingham/Crewe/Preston (from 2004)
- Nuneaton - Coventry (from 2005)
- Nottingham - Skegness
- Doncaster / Lincoln Central - Peterborough via Spalding
- Newark North Gate - Lincoln - Cleethorpes
- Leicester - Lincoln Central (from 2004)
- Derby - Crewe / Nottingham / Matlock
- Nottingham - Mansfield Woodhouse / Worksop
Network West Midlands Services
- Coventry - Birmingham New Street - Wolverhampton
- Cross City Line: Redditch/Longbridge - Four Oaks/Lichfield Trent Valley
- Snow Hill Lines: Great Malvern/Worcester/Kidderminster - Dorridge/Shirley/Stratford-upon-Avon
- Chase Line: Birmingham - Walsall / Stafford
- Walsall - Wolverhampton
Performance
Considering the difficulties with which Central Trains contended, including sharing tracks with so many other operators, it did not perform too badly in its twilight months. The last figures released by the ORR (Office of Rail Regulation) rated Central Trains' performance at 84.8% for the PPM (Public Performance Measure) over the third quarter of the financial year 2007/8. This was an improvement over the same period last year, during which they achieved 82.7%. Their final MAA was 86.6%. They have always had a reputation for being poor performing with bad customer service though, and this may have been partly why they lost the franchise.Rolling stock
Central Trains' fleet was primarily made up of diesel multiple unitDiesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
trains, with an additional fleet of electric trains in use around Birmingham.
The awarding of the franchise was soon followed by multiple orders for a total of 33 new air-conditioned, 100 mph Turbostar trains, intended to boost the fleet and replace older rolling stock. Though a large number of 1980s and 1990s diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
trains inherited from British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
remained, the last 1960s and 70s 'slam door' trains had been retired by 2000.
Over the course of the franchise, a number of the older Class 156
British Rail Class 156
The British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train . 114 of these units were built from 1987 to 1989 by Metro-Cammell at its Washwood Heath Works in Birmingham...
and Class 158
British Rail Class 158
British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train, built for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by BREL at its Derby Works. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, and allowed cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs...
trains were transferred away to other operators including Wales and Borders
Wales and Borders
Wales and Borders is the name of a franchise of train services covering Wales, the Welsh Marches and bordering counties of England.-History:The franchise was initially formed from part of the former Wales and West franchise and the Cardiff Railway Company , together with the lines from Shrewsbury...
and One Railway. This was balanced by the acquisition of additional Turbostar trains no longer required by sister company Midland Mainline
Midland Mainline
Midland Mainline was a British train operating company owned by the National Express Group and based in Derby. It was created after the privatisation of British Rail. Midland Mainline services operated from April 1996 to November 2007....
as well as additional Class 150 and Class 158 units made surplus by other operators. Over the years, both Class 150 and 158 trains were shuffled between two and three carriage formations to meet changing needs.
The Strategic Rail Authority
Strategic Rail Authority
In existence from 2001 to 2006, the Strategic Rail Authority was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom set up under the Transport Act 2000 to provide strategic direction for the railway industry....
decision to divert rolling stock originally intended for South West Trains
South West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
also saw the company benefit from a fleet of 30 new 100 mph Class 350 Desiro
British Rail Class 350
The British Rail Class 350 "Desiro" is class of electrical multiple unit built by Siemens AG from 2004–05 and 2008–09. Thirty of these units, designated Class 350/1, were built for use by Central Trains and Silverlink on regional express services and services on the southern section of the West...
units, which were shared with Silverlink
Silverlink
Silverlink Train Services Ltd was a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operated routes in North London and from London to Northampton...
for use on the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
between Euston and Northampton/Liverpool via Tamworth.
Fleet: March 1997
Rolling stock in 1997 consisted entirely of trains inherited from British Rail. Some, such as Class 310 and Class 312 trains were in the process of withdrawal at privatisation.| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||
| Class 150 Sprinter British Rail Class 150 The British Rail Class 150 "Sprinter" diesel multiple units were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier first-generation "Heritage" DMUs.- Background :... |
 |
diesel multiple unit Diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:... |
75 | 120 | 29× 2 car 9× 3 car |
Some Centro CentrO CentrO is part of a large commercial development in Oberhausen, Germany, called the "Neue Mitte" or "new center". A large steel production plant used to occupy the site until the late 1980s. Besides the CentrO shopping mall the area today houses attractions such as a children's theme park and a... services. Dorridge/Shirley/Stratford Upon Avon/Leamington Spa – Worcester/Great Malvern/Hereford. Some non Centro CentrO CentrO is part of a large commercial development in Oberhausen, Germany, called the "Neue Mitte" or "new center". A large steel production plant used to occupy the site until the late 1980s. Besides the CentrO shopping mall the area today houses attractions such as a children's theme park and a... routes Crewe to Skegness, Derby to Matlock and Nottingham to Worksop |
1984–1987 |
| Class 153 Super Sprinter British Rail Class 153 The British Rail Class 153 Super Sprinter is a single car diesel multiple unit converted from British Rail Class 155s.-Description:These units were originally built as two-car Class 155 units by British Leyland from 1987–88, but were converted by Hunslet-Barclay at Kilmarnock from 1991-92... |
diesel multiple unit Diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:... |
75 | 120 | 21 | Lincolnshire and Mid Wales rural services, Coventry–Nuneaton and Stourbridge branch line | 1987–1988 | |
| Class 156 Super Sprinter British Rail Class 156 The British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train . 114 of these units were built from 1987 to 1989 by Metro-Cammell at its Washwood Heath Works in Birmingham... |
diesel multiple unit Diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:... |
75 | 120 | 20 | Middle-distance and express services. | 1987–1989 | |
| Class 158 Express Sprinter British Rail Class 158 British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train, built for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by BREL at its Derby Works. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, and allowed cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs... |
 |
diesel multiple unit Diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:... |
90 | 145 | 36 | Express and Alphaline Alphaline Alphaline was a 1990s brand used by British Rail to differentiate certain provincial express trains with enhanced passenger accommodation from general regional and middle-distance services operated by older rolling stock.-Origins:... services. |
1989–1992 |
| Class 310 British Rail Class 310 The British Rail Class 310 is a slam-door, alternating current electric multiple unit introduced in 1963 as part of the West Coast Main Line electrification project. They were initially classified as Class AM10 units before the introduction of the TOPS classification system. Constructed at BR's... |
 |
electric multiple unit Electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages... |
75 | 121 | 10 | Already being withdrawn at privatisation, remained as backup for the newly-introduced Class 323. | 1966 |
| Class 312 British Rail Class 312 The British Rail Class 312 is a type of alternating current electric multiple unit built in 1975-1978 for use on outer-suburban passenger services. It was the last class of multiple unit to be constructed with the British Rail Mark 2 bodyshell, and also the last with slam doors... |
 |
electric multiple units | 90 | 145 | 4 | 1976 | |
| Class 323 British Rail Class 323 The British Rail Class 323 electric multiple units were built by Hunslet TPL from 1992-93. Forty-three 3-car units were built for inner-suburban services around Birmingham and Manchester... |
 |
electric multiple units | 90 | 145 | 26 | Cross City Lines | 1992–1993 |
Fleet: September 2007
By the final months of the franchise, Central Trains had a significantly more modern fleet. It was also supplementing its fleet with Class 321British Rail Class 321
The British Rail Class 321 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL York in three batches from 1988-91. The design was successful and led to the development of the similar Class 320 and Class 322 units for use by Strathclyde PTE and Stansted Express respectively...
and new Class 350
British Rail Class 350
The British Rail Class 350 "Desiro" is class of electrical multiple unit built by Siemens AG from 2004–05 and 2008–09. Thirty of these units, designated Class 350/1, were built for use by Central Trains and Silverlink on regional express services and services on the southern section of the West...
electric trains shared with sister company Silverlink
Silverlink
Silverlink Train Services Ltd was a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operated routes in North London and from London to Northampton...
.
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Usual routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||
| Class 150 Sprinter British Rail Class 150 The British Rail Class 150 "Sprinter" diesel multiple units were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier first-generation "Heritage" DMUs.- Background :... |
 |
diesel multiple unit Diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:... |
75 | 120 | 18× 2 car 18× 3 car |
Non-electric services for Network West Midlands, plus some services to Worcester, Malvern and Hereford. | 1984–1987 |
| Class 153 Super Sprinter British Rail Class 153 The British Rail Class 153 Super Sprinter is a single car diesel multiple unit converted from British Rail Class 155s.-Description:These units were originally built as two-car Class 155 units by British Leyland from 1987–88, but were converted by Hunslet-Barclay at Kilmarnock from 1991-92... |
 |
diesel multiple unit Diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:... |
75 | 120 | 16 | Lincolnshire rural services, Coventry–Nuneaton and Stourbridge branch line. | 1987–1988 |
| Class 156 Super Sprinter British Rail Class 156 The British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train . 114 of these units were built from 1987 to 1989 by Metro-Cammell at its Washwood Heath Works in Birmingham... |
 |
diesel multiple unit Diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:... |
75 | 120 | 10 | Middle distance services, mainly in the East Midlands. | 1987–1989 |
| Class 158 Express Sprinter British Rail Class 158 British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train, built for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by BREL at its Derby Works. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, and allowed cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs... |
 |
diesel multiple unit Diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:... |
90 | 145 | 13× 2 car 8× 3 car |
Middle distance services and some Citylink duties. | 1989–1992 |
| Class 170 Turbostar |  |
diesel multiple unit Diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:... |
100 | 160 | 31× 2 car 22× 3 car |
Citylink services and general use across the franchise area. | 1999–2002 |
| Class 323 British Rail Class 323 The British Rail Class 323 electric multiple units were built by Hunslet TPL from 1992-93. Forty-three 3-car units were built for inner-suburban services around Birmingham and Manchester... |
|
electric multiple units | 90 | 145 | 26 | Birmingham Cross City Lines | 1992–1993 |
Expiry of the Central franchise
In October 2004, the Department for Transport unveiled plans designed to streamline rail franchises which included the abolition of the Central Trains franchise and the transfer of its services to other operators. It was announced that the franchise would end in April 2007, although there was a later extension until November 2007).On 11 November 2007, Central Trains ceased to exist and its services transferred to three new train operating companies:
- Local and urban services around the West Midlands were merged with former SilverlinkSilverlinkSilverlink Train Services Ltd was a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operated routes in North London and from London to Northampton...
services to form London MidlandLondon MidlandLondon 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.... - The Liverpool - Nottingham - Norwich service (which had been threatened with a split) and local trains in the East Midlands were combined with Midland MainlineMidland MainlineMidland Mainline was a British train operating company owned by the National Express Group and based in Derby. It was created after the privatisation of British Rail. Midland Mainline services operated from April 1996 to November 2007....
services to form East Midlands TrainsEast Midlands TrainsEast Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London... - Other primary express and Citylink services became the responsibility of Cross Country Trains
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