Arriva Rail North

This article is about the franchise operated by Arriva from 2016 until 2020. For the first franchise operated fully by Arriva from 2000 until 2004, see Arriva Trains Northern. For the current Northern franchise operator which started operating on 1 March 2020, see Northern Trains.

Arriva Rail North
An Arriva Rail North Class 195 arriving at Lancaster
Overview
Franchise(s)Northern
1 April 2016 – 29 February 2020
Main region(s)North West
North East
Yorkshire and the Humber
Other region(s)East Midlands
Staffordshire
Fleet size386 units[nb 1]
Stations called at528
Stations operated476
Parent companyArriva
PredecessorNorthern Rail
SuccessorNorthern Trains
Other
Websitewww.northernrailway.co.uk

Arriva Rail North, branded as Northern by Arriva (legal name Arriva Rail North Limited[1]), was a train operating company in Northern England which began operating the Northern franchise on 1 April 2016 and inherited units from the previous operator Northern Rail. A subsidiary of Arriva UK Trains, Northern was the largest train franchise in the United Kingdom in terms of the size of the network and the number of weekly services run. Its trains called at 528 stations, about a quarter of all stations in the country; of these stations 476 were operated by Northern.[2] On 1 March 2020, Arriva Rail North Limited ceased to operate and all operations were handed to HM Government's Operator of Last Resort.

During the preceding Northern Rail franchise passenger numbers increased from 73 million to 97 million between 2004 and 2016 and as a result the new franchise was tendered on a growth basis, allowing for a £500 million investment in 101 new-built trains: the diesel Class 195 and electric Class 331.[3] Introduced into service in July 2019,[4] these were the first new-build trains for the Northern franchise since the introduction of the Class 333 in 2001, with further orders possible if the new units encouraged passenger growth and improved passenger satisfaction.[5] The new rolling stock allowed for the first Pacer trains to be retired in August 2019.[6]

Since the franchise began in April 2016, it had been beset by worsening punctuality,[7][8] perceived poor customer service,[9] frequent industrial action by staff,[10] and delays in introducing new rolling stock.[11] The franchise was badly affected by the May 2018 timetable fallout and punctuality struggled to recover. The franchise was scheduled to run until 2025 and had an option for an additional year, which was dependent on performance.

The future of the franchise was first reviewed by the Department for Transport (DfT) in July 2019 deeming frequent weekend cancellations due to insufficient staff to be "unacceptable".[12][13][14] It also voiced concerns about declining passenger numbers despite a 10% increase in timetabled services since the beginning of the franchise in 2016,[15] and an unplanned subsidy increase from £286 million to £404 million following the May 2018 timetable fallout.[16][17]

Conversely, Arriva contended that there had been "collective system inability",[18] citing Network Rail's inadequate timetabling to absorb delays and the DfT's unwillingness to proceed with improving infrastructure which were part of the Northern franchise bid prospectus in 2014,[19] such as two new "through" platforms at Manchester Piccadilly; these would have eased congestion through the Castlefield corridor[nb 2] and enabled the planned increase in services over the course of the franchise.[20]

On 29 January 2020, it was announced that the Northern franchise would end early on 1 March 2020 - marking the first time a franchise has been removed from a train operating company due to poor performance since Connex South Eastern in 2003. From this date onwards, the franchise became directly operated by the DfT under the brand name Northern Trains with an objective to "stabilise performance and restore reliability for passengers".[21][22]


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  1. ^ "Arriva Rail North Limited". Companies House. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019.
  2. ^ "Northern Prospectus – Background and context" (PDF). Department for Transport (DfT). June 2014. p. 24. Retrieved 29 December 2019. The Northern franchise was the largest train franchise in Britain in terms of the size of the network and the number of services run.
  3. ^ "We are modernising". Arriva Rail North. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  4. ^ "Northern launches new £500m fleet of 101 trains". BBC News. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  5. ^ "Northern considering options for more new trains". Rail Magazine. 14 July 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  6. ^ "Northern Withdraws First Pacers". Modern Railways. No. 852. September 2019. p. 12.
  7. ^ "Most overcrowded services revealed as passenger numbers plummet". Rail Technology Magazine. 24 July 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018. Users of rail networks in several major cities across England have fallen. Passengers of services to Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Cardiff have suffered the largest decline, with many citing chaotic delays and cancellations as a number of reasons for no longer frequently using rail network.
  8. ^ Topham, Gwyn (6 December 2018). "Train performance this summer the worst for 20 years, figures show". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 December 2018. Northern's punctuality and reliability hit an all-time low for the July–September period, according to industry regulator the Office of Rail and Road
  9. ^ "Complaints about complaints: train passengers fed up with how they're treated". Which?. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018. Northern had the lowest satisfaction rate for politeness out of all train companies in the survey; in fact, it came last or in the bottom three of the 18 train companies in every aspect of the complaints process that passengers were asked about.
  10. ^ "Further disruption on Northern Rail as union members begin 38th day of strike action". ITV News. 1 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  11. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: New trains crisis: ORR demands co-operation to ensure progress of new fleets". Rail Magazine. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  12. ^ "DfT examines future of Northern franchise". Rail Magazine. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  13. ^ "Why Pacers Won't be leaving Greater Manchester in the new year after all – but Northern Rail might be soon". Manchester Evening News. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019. our members strongly felt that Northern have, through their poor performance, foregone any right to continue running the franchise, but clearly stating that a future management contract arrangement with Arriva Rail North should not be considered.
  14. ^ "Northern Rail could be renationalised, according to transport secretary Grant Shapps". Rail Technology magazine. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019. Transport secretary Grant Shapps has said he has issued a "request for proposals" from the train operator and the Operator of Last Resort (OLR), which could see Northern stripped of private ownership and services brought under government control.
  15. ^ "Passenger Rail Performance". Office of Rail and Road. Retrieved 1 February 2020. Summary of the ORR statistics:
    • In 2016-17 Q1, the first quarter of Northern's operation, timetabled services were 218,350 and recorded station stops were 1,998,326.
    • In 2019-20 Q2, the last full quarter of Northern's operation, timetabled services were 241,949 and recorded station stops were 2,369,610
  16. ^ Paton, Graeme (27 January 2020). "Northern Rail subsidies soared by £120m in a year as it faces being renationalised". The Times. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  17. ^ "Northern could lose rail franchise, says Grant Shapps". BBC News. 2 January 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  18. ^ "Northern rail crisis is a 'collective system inability', says Arriva UK Trains MD". Railway Gazette International. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  19. ^ "Transformation in Partnership" (PDF). DfT. June 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 July 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  20. ^ "Northern rail crisis is a 'collective system inability', says Arriva UK Trains MD". Railway Gazette International. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Rail firm Northern to be put into public ownership". BBC News. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  22. ^ "Customer Information". Northern OLR Holdings. 30 January 2020. Archived from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020. Q: What are Northern Trains Limited's plans for the franchise? Our initial priority is to continue to stabilise performance across the region and restore reliability for customers. We will then explore opportunities to improve the experience for customers.