CrossCountry

CrossCountry

A Class 220 Voyager on the South Devon Railway sea wall in July 2009
Overview
Franchise(s)	New CrossCountry 11 November 2007 - 15 October 2027
Main region(s)	East Midlands North East England North West England South West England West Midlands Yorkshire & the Humber
Other region(s)	East of England Scotland South East England Wales
Fleet size	29 Class 170 Turbostars[2] 34 Class 220 Voyagers 27 Class 221 Super Voyagers
Stations called at	120
Parent company	Arriva UK Trains
Headquarters	Birmingham[1]
Reporting mark	XC
Predecessor	Virgin CrossCountry Central Trains
Technical
Length	2,397.9 km (1,490.0 mi)[citation needed]
Other
Website	www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk
Route map

CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited^[3]) is a British train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the current CrossCountry franchise.

The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) in 2006, incorporating elements of both the Central Trains and the Virgin CrossCountry franchises, ahead of its invitation to tender on October of that year. On 10 July 2007, the DfT announced that Arriva had been awarded the New Cross Country franchise. CrossCountry is one of only two franchised train operating companies that does not manage any stations, the other being Caledonian Sleeper. CrossCountry's services have been periodically disrupted by industrial action amongst its staff, often due to disputes over rostering and pay. While the franchise had been originally due to conclude on 31 March 2016, multiple subsequent agreements have been enacted; in September 2023, the DfT confirmed that the franchise has been extended for a further four years for a finish date of 15 October 2027.

At the commencement of operations, CrossCountry's rolling stock consisted of 34 four-car Class 220 Voyagers and 40 five-car and 4 four-car Class 221 Super Voyagers from Virgin CrossCountry as well as 11 two-car and 18 three-car Class 170 Turbostars from Central Trains. As per its franchise agreement, it obtained ten Class 43 power cars and forty Mark 3 carriages to operate on services that required greater seating capacity, while some Super Voyagers were transferred to Virgin West Coast. Overhauls of the Voyager & Super Voyager fleets were performed, the removal of the shop to fit more seating and storage being a prominent change; the Mark 3 carriages were also refurbished to provide suitable amenities for modern travellers. Both the Super Voyagers and Turbostar fleets have been extended where possible to provide more capacity.

CrossCountry's network is centred around Birmingham New Street. It operates intercity and other long-distance passenger trains across Great Britain, but does not serve Greater London. It operates the UK's longest direct rail passenger service, from Aberdeen in the north-east of Scotland to Penzance in western Cornwall, which has a journey time of 13 hours and 15 minutes. While some services on the West Coast Main Line were promptly discontinued with the introduction of a new timetable on 9 December 2007, with some transferring over to both Virgin Trains West Coast and to First TransPennine Express, new services, such as a daily Nottingham to Bournemouth service introduced during December 2008, were also implemented. CrossCountry has designated four stations as alternative changeover stations: Cheltenham Spa, Derby, Leamington Spa and Wolverhampton. Special services have occasionally been run, such as between Bournemouth and Weymouth in support of the Sailing at the 2012 Olympics & Paralympics.

In August 2024, the Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh, criticised the company's performance and threatened to take action if it did not improve, following its request to reduce its service levels in the new timetable.