Rail North West Artist’s impression of the CAF Civity trains that Arriva have ordered. Courtesy Rail Journal/CAF New Franchises Special The winners for the new franchises for that this will enable them to withdraw all both Trans-Pennine and Northern were class 142 Pacers. announced on December 9th 2015, with Arriva gaining control of Northern whilst Meanwhile new trains are also promised First group retained Trans-Pennine, with the Trans – Pennine franchise, (see albeit without its previous partner Keolis page 7 for details of the order for some this time. of the new trains) and the bi-mode trains that were in the mix of the order may The major part of the announcement need to be delivered sooner, as the in was the plans to more than double the service date for the Trans-Pennine number of new carriages than that electrification has slipped back. specified in the invitation to tender, with Arriva offering to procure 281 new On the following pages we’ve detailed carriages and Trans – Pennine 220, the service improvements on both TPE in particular are looking to have franchises as they affect passengers in 125 mph capable stock to connect the North West, though user group Liverpool with Scotland via both the concerns are noted already in a number West and the East Coast Main Lines. of areas, the transfer of Southport – Manchester services to a Victoria only The Arriva order is made up of 31 x 3- service for instance. car and 12 x 4-car Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) and 25 x 2-car and 30 x 3-car Your views on the new services are Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs), with all welcome, as we expect to be sitting vehicles scheduled to enter service by down with both operators over the December 2019. Arriva have confirmed coming months to discuss with them Newsletter of the North West Branch1 of Railfuture — Spring 2016 Rail North West 2 Spring 2016 One version of CAF’s Civity train, picture courtesy CAF Arriva’s Northern Promises Arriva’s new franchise is offering Bradford after 7pm, compared with significant expansion of services on five today. almost all routes in the North West, details are as below. The station of Moston in Greater Manchester will see its half-hourly Liverpool to Manchester/Bradford service restored via Newton-le-Willows and Liverpool to Manchester Airport On Sundays there will be two trains per hour, up from one today. Northern will continue to run 2 trains per hour on this route, the existing Liverpool – Blackpool. direct between Liverpool and Manchester Airport and are planning Once the route is electrified between to extend the current Victoria train to Preston and Blackpool North, an make a new direct link on to Bradford hourly direct service will be restored via the Calder Valley. Both of these between Liverpool and Blackpool will run as Northern Connect services. using electric trains. Between Manchester and Bradford Barrow – Carlisle there will be 3 trains per hour instead Up to 6 extra services will be provided of the present 2. per day to stations on the Cumbria Key intermediate stations - Halifax, Coast route between Barrow-in- Hebden Bridge and Todmorden - will Furness and Carlisle, with more benefit from additional services and capacity on the busiest services and there will be a significantly enhanced the timetable better suited to evening service – for example twelve employees at Sellafield and departures from Manchester to Whitehaven. Rail North West 3 Spring 2016 Sunday services from Carlisle to Sundays, compared with every other Whitehaven will be extended to hour today. Barrow-in-Furness and frequency enhanced, providing a Sunday service Blackpool – York and Manchester on the full length of the Cumbria Coast route Trans-Pennine Express services to/from Blackpool North will be The locomotive-hauled carriages used operated instead by Northern from the on the Coast will be refurbished. start of the new franchise. Blackpool North will receive four trains per hour Barrow – Manchester Airport for most of the day (as now), including: Trans-Pennine Express services to . and from Barrow-in-Furness will be One Northern Connect service per operated instead by Northern from the hour to/from Preston, Leeds and York, start of the new franchise. to be operated by new diesel trains. This will have a minimum of eight One Northern Connect service trains per day in each direction between Blackpool North and between Barrow-in-Furness and Manchester Airport, operated by new Manchester Airport (double the electric trains following electrification frequency today). These will be of the line Northern Connect services, operated A further one train per hour to central by new diesel trains. Manchester, also to be operated by Further services will operate between electric trains Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster, Preston – Ormskirk providing a total of twenty-one trains per day each way between those Ormskirk will receive a full hourly stations (compared to between service to/from Preston, with a eighteen and twenty today, depending minimum of 17 trains per day in each on direction). As now, most of those direction, 4 more than now. Barrow-Lancaster services will continue to Preston Chester – Leeds On Sundays, there will be more The new Northern franchisee will between Barrow and Lancaster (an introduce an hourly Northern Connect extra five per day in each direction) service between Chester and and Manchester Airport (between five Manchester (via Warrington Bank and eight extra, depending on Quay, Earlestown and Newton-le- direction). Willows). This will operate alongside an existing Arriva Trains Wales, which Colne – Preston currently operates one train per hour off-peak and two trains per hour in the This will be a full hourly service on peak. /cont... Rail North West 4 Spring 2016 This will be operated by brand new three trains per day to, and four trains diesel trains, and will run through to from, Manchester Airport. Leeds via Manchester Victoria and the Calder Valley. Lancaster – Leeds. This service will also operate on There will be seven trains per day in Sundays as Chester – Manchester each direction between Leeds and Victoria service, with at least ten Lancaster, up from four trains running through to Leeds. westbound and five trains eastbound today. This will benefit all intermediate Southport- Leeds/Bradford. stations between Lancaster and Skipton. One of the current Southport services each hour to Manchester will be One arrival at Leeds will be no later extended to provide a direct link either than 08:45, and one departure from to Leeds or Bradford (or both). All Leeds will be between 17:00 and Pacers will be withdrawn, to be 17:59, to suit commuters. One train replaced with fully refurbished trains. will depart from Leeds in the evening (no earlier than 19:15, compared with Windermere – Manchester Airport a last train at 16:45 today) TransPennine Express services Lancaster will similarly have an arrival to/from Windermere will be operated between 08:00 and 09:00, and a instead by Northern from the start of departure between 17:00 and 17:59. the new franchise On Sundays, Leeds to Lancaster will A minimum of four trains per day in be five trains per day, up from four each direction between Windermere today. and Manchester Airport (compared to no more than two today). These will Manchester – Macclesfield/Stoke be “Northern Connect” services, on Trent. operated by new electric trains (once There will be two trains per hour the Windermere branch has been Northern service for most of the day electrified and sufficient new trains between Macclesfield and delivered) Manchester, with nine extra off peak Today’s level of service between services. This will also benefit Windermere and Oxenholme will also Poynton, Bramhall and Cheadle Hulme. be maintained, again to be operated by electric trains once electrified. On Sundays, Manchester- Macclesfield-Stoke will be a full hourly On Sundays, there will continue to be stopping service with ten extra trains an approximate hourly service per day. This will benefit intermediate between Windermere and Oxenholme stations: Kidsgrove, Congleton, (as now), to be complemented by Prestbury, Adlington, Poynton and Rail North West 5 Spring 2016 Bramhall. This also means Cheadle Manchester and Hazel Grove will be Hulme will get a full two trains per improved to two trains per hour, every hour. hour Manchester to Hadfield and Manchester – Chester via Glossop Altrincham The current three-car electric trains There will be two trains per hour are likely to be replaced by fully between Greenbank and Manchester, refurbished four-car electric trains by including off-peak. This will also the end of 2017. These too will be benefit principal intermediate stations: replaced in 2020 by brand new Altrincham, Hale, Knutsford and electric trains, also with four carriages. Northwich. They will be able to carry even more On Sundays, there will be double the passengers than the refurbished number of trains today, providing a full trains. hourly service Manchester-Northwich- Manchester – Sheffield stopping Chester. services Manchester – Wigan A full hourly service will be provided, giving seventeen trains per day in Passengers to/from Wigan will benefit each direction (six more than today). from seven trains per hour to/from central Manchester for much of the All intermediate stations will continue day, consisting of: to receive a minimum of eleven trains per day each way. Four trains per hour via Atherton (up from two off-peak and three-four in the Manchester – Buxton peak), two trains per hour via Bolton (to be served by electric trains once Trains between Manchester and New the route is electrified) Mills New Town doubled to two trains per hour for most of the day, with One fast Northern Connect service Manchester and Hazel Grove services train per hour to/from Manchester increased to four trains per hour each Oxford Road, Piccadilly and the way for much of the day.