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| Franchise(s): | Cross Country 11 November 2007 – 1 April 2016 |
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| Main route(s): |
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| Fleet size: | *10 Class 43s for 5 High Speed Train sets
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| Stations called at: | 100 |
| Stations operated: | 0 |
| Passenger km 2007/8: | 1136.6 million |
| Route km operated: | 2661.9 |
| National Rail abbreviation: | XC |
| Parent company: | Arriva, part of Deutsche Bahn |
| Web site: | www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/ |
CrossCountry (sometimes known as Arriva CrossCountry) is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva. The company operates a network of express and long-distance train services between a variety of towns and cities outside London .
Formation[]
The CrossCountry franchise was formed through the amalgamation of most of the former Cross Country franchise held by Virgin Trains with some of the longer-distance routes operated by Midlands-based Central Trains. On 10 July 2007, the Department for Transport announced that Arriva plc had won the rights to the franchise,[1] with the company taking control on 11 November 2007.
Routes[]
The company operates a number of key inter-city routes outside London including the Cross Country Route from the North East to the South West, as well as a range of shorter-distance regional express services.
Unlike most other franchise operators in Great Britain, CrossCountry does not manage any stations, even though there are certain stations served by no operator other than CrossCountry.
- See also: CrossCountry network map
Core[]
The hourly service operates on each basic route:
| No | Route | Rolling stock | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plymouth to Edinburgh Waverley (via Leeds & Newcastle Central) | (Super) Voyagers & HSTs | |
| 2 | Reading to Newcastle Central (via Doncaster) | (Super) Voyagers | |
| 3 | Bristol Temple Meads to Manchester Piccadilly | (Super) Voyagers | |
| 4 | Bournemouth to Manchester Piccadilly (via Coventry) | (Super) Voyagers | |
| 5 | Cardiff Central to Nottingham (via Birmingham New Street) | Turbostars | |
| 6 | Birmingham New Street to Leicester and Stansted Airport | Turbostars | |
Route map
Extensions[]
There are extensions to the basic 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 Central
On Summer Saturdays, there are trains to Newquay from various parts of the network.
Frequency[]
Class 220 No. 220011 at Newton Abbot
Typically, during weekday daytimes, each of these six routes sees one CrossCountry train per hour, with the exception of Birmingham–Leicester and Birmingham–Nottingham (which each see two). These services combine to provide higher frequencies on the following sections:
- Bristol to Cheltenham: 2 trains per hour
- Cheltenham to Birmingham: 3 trains per hour
- Reading to Leamington: 2 trains per hour
- Birmingham to Derby: 4 trains per hour
- Derby to Sheffield: 2 trains per hour
- York to Newcastle: 2 trains per hour
- Birmingham to Leicester: 2 trains per hour
- Birmingham to Manchester: 2 trains per hour
- Birmingham to Nottingham: 2 trains per hour
Services withdrawn or transferred[]
All of the services operated via the West Coast Main Line by the previous Cross Country franchisee, Virgin Trains, passed to other operators: trains between Manchester and Scotland transferred to First Transpennine Express, while trains between Birmingham and Glasgow became part of an enlarged West Coast franchise operated by Virgin Trains.
The tender for the franchise did not include retaining services south east of Guildford to Brighton and Gatwick Airport and all such services ceased on 13 December 2008. Passengers for Gatwick Airport now have to use connecting services from Reading Central.[2]
Future services[]
Plans were included by CrossCountry to reopen the railway station at Kenilworth. In April 2008, it agreed with Warwickshire county council to draw up a business case.[3]
There are proposals for a station at Worcester (Norton) Parkway, near the city of Worcester, currently bypassed by CrossCountry's trains. If this station is built, then it may be served by CrossCountry services.
There are talks taking place that may see Cross Country services go through from Edinburgh to Glasgow via Carstairs, replacing the services currently provided by East Coast Trains.[4]
Furthermore CrossCountry wishes to extend its Birmingham New Street to Leicester services to Cambridge.[5] It also has ambitions to increase frequency on its Bournemouth to Reading Central route to every 30 minutes by extending its Newcastle to Reading service to Bournemouth.[6]
Stations served only by CrossCountry[]
CrossCountry does not manage any stations. Following stations are served only by CrossCountry but are managed by London Midland, East Midlands Trains or National Express East Anglia:
- Water Orton railway station
- Coleshill Parkway railway station
- Wilnecote railway station
- Burton-On-Trent railway station
- Willington railway station
- Hinckley railway station
- Narborough railway station
- South Wigston railway station
- Manea railway station
Performance[]
Class 220 at Birmingham New Street
Latest performance figures released by the ORR show a fall in punctuality this quarter with a PPM of 88.8%[7] and a Monthly Annual Average (MAA) up to 31 March 2010 of 90.1%.
Criticism[]
Under the control of the previous franchisee, Virgin Trains, Cross Country services were increased in frequency, but using shorter trains. Intended to provide a more attractive service without reducing overall capacity, this strategy has left the company struggling to accommodate peak loads on popular services or the ongoing growth in passenger numbers.[8] It also led to the withdrawal of services from previously-served destinations such as Poole[9] as the company concentrated its rolling stock on its core network.
The now defunct Strategic Rail Authority refused to underwrite the cost for Virgin Trains to order additional rolling stock. CrossCountry has since added five refurbished HST sets to its fleet. The removal of on-board shops to create additional luggage space has attracted criticism from passengers and MPs in the Westcountry. The removal of bays of seating around tables and the addition of more seats with reduced legroom has been criticised, after Arriva promised to increase the seating capacity of their trains, which was believedTemplate:By whom to refer to lengthening of the trains themselves.[10][11]
CrossCountry was also criticised for introducing the first £1,000 fare in Britain in November 2009, for a first class return between Newquay and Kyle of Lochalsh.[12] A little over a year earlier, the same fare had cost under £500.[12] Commentators noted that CrossCountry were charging over £100 for the trip between Par and Newquay, even though the trains operating it have no first class compartments, and First Great Western, which operates the service, charges as little as £3.90 for a day's unlimited travel on the line.
Rolling stock[]
Multiple unit fleet[]
Virgin CrossCountry previously operated the Class 220 and Class 221 DEMUs. Twenty one Class 221 units have been transferred to the Virgin West Coast franchise to operate the North Wales route and the West Midlands to Scotland services. CrossCountry also use Class 170 Turbostars inherited from Central Trains. Class 220s and 221s are undergoing refurbishment at Bombardier, Derby. This includes removing the shop and adding extra luggage space. The refurbishment was completed in August 2009.
HST fleet[]
The first CrossCountry-liveried HST powercar was released from its overhaul at Brush Traction, Loughborough on 16 July 2008. To identify its fleet, CrossCountry is renumbering all of its HST units by adding an extra 200 to the old number, the newly repainted HST being 43301 (originally 43101). 43301 had to be completely rebuilt by Brush Traction, as it has been out of service for more than 5 years. As a standard, CrossCountry is installing MTU Friedrichshafen engines to replace the old Paxman Valenta ones, and is repainting the units into the two-tone CrossCountry livery of grey/silver and chocolate brown. At present 5 x Mark 3 TSO's (1 out of each HST set) are currently stored and 1 set (XC01) went on loan to East Coast for 2 Months between January and March 2010. From the December 2009 timetable change the number of weekday HST diagrams was reduced, from 4 to 2 (3 on Mondays/Fridays). All HST's are currently 2+7.
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | |||||
| Class 43 High Speed Train | File:CrossCountry-HST-at-BHM.jpg | Diesel locomotive | 125 | 200 | 10 | 1976–1982 |
| Mark 3 Coach | File:Set No 3 B TCC 45003.JPG | Passenger coach | 125 | 200 | 40 | 1975–1988 |
| Class 170 Turbostar | File:CrossCountry 170397 Peterborough AB.JPG | Diesel multiple unit | 100 | 160 | 29 | 1999–2002 |
| File:Class 170 Cross Country Diagram.PNG | ||||||
| Class 220 Voyager | File:CrossCountry Class 220.jpg | Diesel-electric multiple unit | 125 | 200 | 34 | 2001 |
| Class 221 Super Voyager | File:CrossCountry SuperVoyager.JPG | Diesel-electric multiple unit | 125 | 200 | 23 | 2001 |
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Department for Transport announces winner of New Cross Country franchise. Department for Transport (2007-07-10).
- ↑ CrossCountry. Frequently Asked Questions: How will the timetable change and when?. Archived from the original on 2008-08-22. Retrieved on 2008-09-01.
- ↑ Kenilworth Station stays on track. Warwickshire County Council (7 April 2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-12.
- ↑ Tree, Oliver (17 November 2009). Rail chief: Glasgow-London trains may be cut. The Scotsman. Retrieved on 2010-04-03.
- ↑ Route Plans 2009 Route Plan 19 Midland Main Line and East Midlands (30 March 2009). Retrieved on 2010-04-03.
- ↑ Route Plans 2009 Route Plan 3 South West Main Line. Network Rail (30 March 2009). Retrieved on 2010-04-03.
- ↑ National Rail Trends Chapter 2. ORR.
- ↑ Overcrowded Trains - Your comments. BBC Inside Out West Midlands.
- ↑ CrossCountry December 2008 draft timetable. TravelWatch SouthWest (2008). Retrieved on 2010-04-03.
- ↑ The railway dining car now leaving.... This is Western Morning News.
- ↑ Template:Cite news
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 First £1,000 rail fare criticised. BBC News (2009-11-03). Retrieved on 2010-04-03.
External links[]
Template:Commons category
| Preceded by Central Trains Central franchise |
Operator of Cross Country franchise 2007 - present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Virgin Trains Cross Country franchise |
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