East Midlands Trains
Encyclopedia
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. The franchise
, which began 11 November 2007, was formed through the amalgamation of the former Midland Mainline
and the eastern part of Central Trains
franchises.
Originally legally known as Stagecoach Midland Rail Limited the company was later renamed East Midlands Trains Ltd. The parent company of East Midlands Trains is Stagecoach Group
, which also owns South West Trains
and 49% of the Virgin Trains
franchise. The company is led by Managing Director, Tim Shoveller who is soon to be replaced by David Horne, the current Commercial and Customer Service Director at EMT.
Prior to the launch of the franchise, the Department for Transport
divided up the former routes of Central Trains
: East Midlands Trains resulted from the letting of the East Midlands franchise.
East Midlands Trains began operating from 11 November 2007. EMT has taken over all the routes formerly operated by Midland Mainline
and a few routes from Central Trains
.
East Midlands Trains has been affected by the world recession
, and in March 2009 announced its intention to reduce its staff numbers, following a similar announcement at South West Trains earlier in the year.
EMT has promised better integration between "London" and "Local" services, together with increased punctuality and becoming more user-friendly.
The new timetables indicate a reduction in off-peak departures at many smaller stations on London and Local routes, which has caused concern in affected communities; Kettering for example has had its northbound services halved.
In several interviews, East Midlands Trains indicated that services would be speeded up, not denying that some stations would lose their current high frequency of trains off-peak. Various rail-user groups have expressed dissatisfaction with various proposals, particularly those affecting smaller stations. Indeed, East Midlands Trains has been mentioned in Parliament several times due to customer dissatisfaction.
On 25 November 2008, Peter Bone
(MP for Wellingborough) asked if the Secretary of State for Transport
supports the "In the Can" campaign, whereby sardines are sent to the Chief Executive to show dissatisfaction at perceived overcrowding. Helen Southworth
(then MP for Warrington South
) also raised the overcrowding issue on the same day.
Despite public statements claiming improved services, peak-time services from St Pancras to Wellingborough between 16:30 and 18:00 have been reduced from seven to three, and an additional stop has been added to the 17:00, as well as reducing the train from eight cars to five. Furthermore, there is a severely restricted northbound evening peak service from the Luton stations with no services to Wellingborough, Kettering or stations north of Leicester (except a single service to Beeston, East Midlands Parkway and Nottingham) between 16:51 and 18:10.
Route-clearance trials have been carried out with Class 222
on routes from Nottingham to Liverpool, Lincoln and Norwich. Although East Midlands Trains has no current plans to use these units on Liverpool or Norwich services, except on Grand National weekend where a 7 car Class 222 is used between Liverpool and Nottingham only.
Route 1 is the InterCity route on the Midland Main Line
. The above table shows the service pattern from the December 2009 timetable change.
The service pattern at the start of the franchise was of four off-peak departures from London: two fast (one to Sheffield and one to Nottingham), and two stopping (one to Derby and one to Nottingham). Sheffield peak-hour trains extended from and to Leeds, with weekend services also extending to York and Scarborough. One peak-hour Derby service was extended to Burton on Trent and one to Barnsley. EMT made no significant changes until the introduction of its December 2008 timetable.
From December 2008, EMT used the above service pattern (that shown in the box). There are five off-peak departures from London: two fast (one to Sheffield and one to Nottingham), one semi-fast (to Sheffield, extended from Derby from December 2009) and two stopping (one to Nottingham and one to Corby/Kettering). A smaller number of Sheffield peak-hour trains continue to extend from and to Leeds, with weekend services also extending to York and Scarborough. In addition a Nottingham service is extended to start from Lincoln, Monday to Saturday. There were plans initially for two return services to Skegness
through from London in the summer; however, these currently run through from Derby instead of London, because of speed restrictions around Boston. The Burton on Trent and Barnsley services ceased at the beginning of the December 2008 timetable, when Corby services began. One Corby service was extended to Melton Mowbray at the outset, and a second was added to Derby from May 2010.
Route 2 services cross England from east to west, and are former Central Citylink
services. EMT sees this as a mainline route (and wants to develop it accordingly), and as such will paint relevant trains in the mainline livery.
Nottinghamshire County Council is working with Network Rail
on introducing an additional train to Manchester which would have a shorter journey time by avoiding Sheffield. Network Rail's plans for a northern hub would deliver extra train paths along the Hope Valley Line, enabling more trains to run from the North West to the East Midlands.
Route 3 services link towns in the East Midlands and provide direct services to Crewe and Stoke. The Derby to Matlock service links to the Peak District
.
Route 4 services link the East Midlands with eastern England. They are operated with Class 156 and Class 153 DMUs and occasionally Class 158 Express Sprinters.
Nottinghamshire County Council has paid for a study into increasing the line speed between Newark and Lincoln from 60 mph to 90 mph; it has also requested a doubling of service on the line.
Fares are set to rise by an average of 3.4% plus inflation each year. Stagecoach says that it needs to increase prices to keep its service going and to meet Government profit demands. 3.4% plus inflation over the franchise could mean a 58% fare increase over the length of the franchise, although the percentage increases relate to averages across a range of fares and deals.
scheme was introduced. The scheme includes all mainline stations served by EMT from London to Sheffield via Corby, Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Alfreton. In addition it includes small commuter stations such as Syston, Attenborough, and Duffield, which have been provided with a Pertis
machine which must be used.
fares on its London routes on 2 January 2008 operating to/from London St Pancras International to
Megatrain fares have also been introduced on Route 2 between Sheffield, Chesterfield, Nottingham and Peterborough or Norwich.
Routes operated under the "MegabusPlus" brand are between London and:
The bus from Hull and Scunthorpe also had a stop at Doncaster at the launch of MegabusPlus, but due to lack of demand in Doncaster, the service no longer calls there.
Faster trains from and from Sheffield
to London St Pancras
.
Increasing the number of departures from London to five an hour off-peak incorporating Corby
services and extending the hours of operation with earlier arrival and later departures, to allow better connections with Eurostar
at St Pancras.
London to Lincoln
daily service via Nottingham.
East Midlands Trains Local to Derby services run hourly and extend to Nottingham. A new Sunday service runs on the Robin Hood Line between Nottingham and Mansfield Woodhouse. Trains will be lengthened on the east-west Liverpool Lime Street
to Norwich
route on weekdays. There will be an internal and external refit of all of the old trains to incorporate the new logo and livery.
Other changes to the timetable are planned, but these need to have approval from Network Rail
, Office of Rail Regulation
and the Department for Transport
. Journey times will be further improved after planned infrastructure works are completed.
The Department for Transport
in its franchise specification gave an indication of its ambitions for the timetable; this mainly related to former Midland Mainline
services operating to and from London St Pancras.
to serve East Midlands Airport. A new station has been opened at Corby
.
The provision of Wi-Fi
Internet at key stations including Leicester, Derby, and Sheffield.
Installation of ticket barriers at four more stations including London St Pancras Domestic
, Derby Midland
, Nottingham and Sheffield.
Derby's Etches Park
train maintenance depot is in the process of an extensive upgrade.
Introduction of smart card
technology, similar to that used on South West Trains, at all London route stations and all those in the Leicester/Derby/Nottingham commuter triangle, and the installation of more self-service ticket machines across the network.
East Midlands Trains also manage stations at which they do not operate services:
sets as they are very heavy and used only to cook breakfast on some trains; they were to be replaced by an at-seat trolley service. The company reviewed its decision and launched an enhanced catering service for the start of the May 2008 timetable. From September 2010 Rail Gourmet will provide all standard class catering on routes 1 and 2, with the customer host on route 1 services providing an enhanced first class service. WiFi will be available on all London services from 5 September 2010.
Stagecoach have targeted 90.3% (PPM) on London services and 87% (PPM) on Local services. Previously the Central Trains franchise had had difficulties with timekeeping due to the high number of potential clashes with late running other services en route and use of insufficient stock, causing long dwell times at stations due to slow unloading and loading. Figures released rated Central Trains' performance at 87.8% for the PPM (Public Performance Measure) over the first quarter of the financial year 2007/8. Latest figures released by the ORR rated performance over the last year (up to 31 March 2011) at 92.1% (MAA) and 92.5% (PPM) for the fourth quarter of the financial year 2010/11.
158856 from Nottingham
to Norwich
was involved in an incident at Barrow upon Soar
. The train hit a footbridge in its path, after a road vehicle had struck and damaged the bridge causing it to be foul of the line. Six passengers were on board the service and the driver had to be cut free from the driving cab.
’s InterCity 125 (HST)
and Class 222 Meridian
diesel-electric high-speed trains, along with some of the Sprinter diesel units (classes 153
/156
/158
) formerly operated by Central Trains
.
All Class 158 units have been refurbished in a style similar to sister company South West Trains' fleet, although with a higher seating capacity.
The High Speed Train sets are being refurbished over a sixty-week period. The first set was shown off to the public at the Neville Hill Open Day in September. The refurbishment features only a retrim of carpets, recovering of existing seats and new dado side panels, wall ends and seat-top hand grips being repainted. LED reading lights in first-class carriages are being removed and the wheelchair-accessible toilets are not being updated to meet the Disability Discrimination Act.
East Midlands Trains announced in March 2008 that it was to reform its Class 222 sets to prevent overcrowding. This will see the remaining 4-car Class 222 units receive an extra vehicle to become 5-car sets. This was accomplished by reducing one of the 8-car sets to a 5-car, with the remaining 8-car sets reduced to 7-cars. Extra capacity on long-distance routes is provided by running pairs of 5-car sets coupled together.
All four of the Class 222/1
units from First Hull Trains have now been transferred, allowing enough rolling stock for the new service to Corby
.
First Hull Trains made a decision to use only Class 180 'Adelante'
units, with its Class 222 'Pioneer'
units transferring to East Midlands Trains.
East Midlands Trains began the service from Corby on 23 February 2009. Initially, this was made up of one train per day in each direction, using the existing Meridian fleet. The full Corby service started on 27 April 2009.
The sprinter fleet which EMT inherited at the start of the franchise was in a very poor state. Problems ranged from basic and simple to major complicated faults. The fleet was put together from various sources - around four different previous companies, with some coming directly from passenger work but some that had been lying idle surplus to requirements off lease in sidings. East Midlands Trains has claimed that it will take the lifetime of the franchise to get the trains to a standard that it is happy with. In addition to the various sources of the trains, passenger figures given to the Department for Transport
prior to the franchise were incorrect, leading to a shortfall in the number of seats provided (a 26% decrease in capacity on route 2) compared with what was required.
Four additional Class 156 DMUs, leased from Angel Trains
have been cascaded from Northern
to enable more route 2 services to run as four-coach trains by using these cascaded Class 156s on Skegness services in lieu of Class 158s. From December 2012 when the sprinter refurbishment programme is complete, all route 2 services between Liverpool and Nottingham will be able to operate as four-coach trains. In addition, from December 2011 the 13:52 from Liverpool will operate through to Norwich.
Trains are maintained at:
Shunter drivers are employed by EMT at Derby, Nottingham and Leeds.
On train catering for standard class passengers on routes 1 and 2, is of September 2010, provided by rail gourmet who have depots at Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield.
Although all stations are owned by Network Rail
the day to day management is handled by Train Operating Company's
. EMT has staff at the following managed stations: London St Pancras, Wellingborough, Kettering, Corby, Market Harborough, Leicester, Melton Mowbray, Oakham, Stamford, Narborough, Hinckley, Loughborough, East Midlands Parkway, Long Eaton, Derby, Kidsgrove, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Beeston, Nottingham, Alfretton, Sleaford, Boston, Skegness.
|-
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, it provides train services in the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
and Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, and between the East Midlands and London. The franchise
Rail franchising in Great Britain
Rail franchising in Great Britain was created by the Railways Act 1993. Passenger services are franchised, for a limited period, to train operating companies...
, which began 11 November 2007, was formed through the amalgamation of the former 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....
and the eastern part of Central Trains
Central Trains
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.-Overview:...
franchises.
Originally legally known as Stagecoach Midland Rail Limited the company was later renamed East Midlands Trains Ltd. The parent company of East Midlands Trains is Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
, which also owns 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...
and 49% of the Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
franchise. The company is led by Managing Director, Tim Shoveller who is soon to be replaced by David Horne, the current Commercial and Customer Service Director at EMT.
History
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
divided up the former routes of Central Trains
Central Trains
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.-Overview:...
: East Midlands Trains resulted from the letting of the East Midlands franchise.
East Midlands Trains began operating from 11 November 2007. EMT has taken over all the routes formerly operated by 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....
and a few routes from Central Trains
Central Trains
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.-Overview:...
.
East Midlands Trains has been affected by the world recession
Late 2000s recession
The late-2000s recession, sometimes referred to as the Great Recession or Lesser Depression or Long Recession, is a severe ongoing global economic problem that began in December 2007 and took a particularly sharp downward turn in September 2008. The Great Recession has affected the entire world...
, and in March 2009 announced its intention to reduce its staff numbers, following a similar announcement at South West Trains earlier in the year.
Routes
East Midlands Trains initially divided its services between two sub-brands: Mainline InterCity services, and Connect urban and suburban services, which mainly came from the Central Trains franchise. However, from April 2008, the company dropped the "Mainline" and "Connect" branding in favour of "London" and "Local" services. It also has four broad routes for the areas in which it operates, except for the high-speed InterCity services, which all serve London.EMT has promised better integration between "London" and "Local" services, together with increased punctuality and becoming more user-friendly.
The new timetables indicate a reduction in off-peak departures at many smaller stations on London and Local routes, which has caused concern in affected communities; Kettering for example has had its northbound services halved.
In several interviews, East Midlands Trains indicated that services would be speeded up, not denying that some stations would lose their current high frequency of trains off-peak. Various rail-user groups have expressed dissatisfaction with various proposals, particularly those affecting smaller stations. Indeed, East Midlands Trains has been mentioned in Parliament several times due to customer dissatisfaction.
On 25 November 2008, Peter Bone
Peter Bone
Peter William Bone is a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for Wellingborough and Rushden.-Personal life:Bone was born in 1952 in Billericay and was educated at Westcliff-on-Sea High School for Boys...
(MP for Wellingborough) asked if the Secretary of State for Transport
Secretary of State for Transport
The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
supports the "In the Can" campaign, whereby sardines are sent to the Chief Executive to show dissatisfaction at perceived overcrowding. Helen Southworth
Helen Southworth
Helen Mary Southworth is a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. She is the former Member of Parliament for Warrington South, and was first elected at the 1997 general election. She retained the Warrington South seat at the 2001 and 2005 general elections, each time with a reduced majority...
(then MP for Warrington South
Warrington South (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:In 2006 Paul Kennedy joined the Conservative Party, becoming a Conservative Councillor on Warrington Borough Council in May 2008, representing the Hatton, Stretton & Walton Ward.-Elections in the 1990s:...
) also raised the overcrowding issue on the same day.
Despite public statements claiming improved services, peak-time services from St Pancras to Wellingborough between 16:30 and 18:00 have been reduced from seven to three, and an additional stop has been added to the 17:00, as well as reducing the train from eight cars to five. Furthermore, there is a severely restricted northbound evening peak service from the Luton stations with no services to Wellingborough, Kettering or stations north of Leicester (except a single service to Beeston, East Midlands Parkway and Nottingham) between 16:51 and 18:10.
Route-clearance trials have been carried out with Class 222
British Rail Class 222
The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation....
on routes from Nottingham to Liverpool, Lincoln and Norwich. Although East Midlands Trains has no current plans to use these units on Liverpool or Norwich services, except on Grand National weekend where a 7 car Class 222 is used between Liverpool and Nottingham only.
Route 1
| Service Pattern | Destination | Calling At | Main Stock | Journey Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XX:00 | Corby Corby railway station Corby railway station, owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains , serves the town of Corby in Northamptonshire, England. The current station, opened on 23 February 2009, replaces an earlier one dating from 1879 and first closed in 1966 .Plans for the current station, built on a... |
Luton Luton railway station Luton railway station is located in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The station is near to the town centre, about three minutes' walk from the Arndale Shopping Centre. It is situated on the Midland Main Line and is operated by First Capital Connect.-History:... , Bedford, Wellingborough, Kettering |
MER British Rail Class 222 The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation.... |
1h 10min |
| extension | to Melton Mowbray Melton Mowbray railway station Melton Mowbray railway station serves the town of Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and operated by East Midlands Trains train operating company .... (one service north/south) |
Oakham Oakham railway station Oakham railway station serves the town of Oakham in Rutland, England. The station is situated almost halfway between Leicester – to the west – and Peterborough – eastward on the Syston and Peterborough Railway, the line is now part of the much bigger Birmingham to Peterborough... |
MER British Rail Class 222 The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation.... |
1h 55min |
| extension | to Derby (one service north/south) | Oakham, Melton Mowbray, East Midlands Parkway | MER British Rail Class 222 The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation.... |
2h 10min |
| XX:15 | Nottingham | Market Harborough Market Harborough railway station Market Harborough railway station serves the town of Market Harborough in Leicestershire, England. It lies on the Midland Main Line, 16 miles south-east of Leicester and is served by the fast and semi-fast East Midlands Trains Class 222 "Meridian"/HST services... , Leicester, East Midlands Parkway |
HST British Rail Class 43 (HST) The British Rail Class 43 is the TOPS classification used for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train power cars, built by BREL from 1975 to 1982.... |
1h 44min |
| XX:25 | Sheffield Sheffield Midland station Sheffield station, formerly Pond Street and later Sheffield Midland, is a railway station in Sheffield, England and is the busiest station in South Yorkshire... |
Luton Luton railway station Luton railway station is located in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The station is near to the town centre, about three minutes' walk from the Arndale Shopping Centre. It is situated on the Midland Main Line and is operated by First Capital Connect.-History:... , Leicester, , , Long Eaton Long Eaton railway station Long Eaton railway station serves the town of Long Eaton in Derbyshire, in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Midland Main Line and the Derby - Nottingham line south east of Derby... , Derby Derby Midland railway station Derby railway station , also known as Derby Midland Station, is a main line railway station serving the city of Derby in England. Owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains, the station is also used by CrossCountry services and one Northern Rail service... , Chesterfield |
MER British Rail Class 222 The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation.... |
2h 27min |
| extension | to York York railway station York railway station is a main-line railway station in the city of York, England. It lies on the East Coast Main Line north of London's King's Cross station towards Edinburgh's Waverley Station... (weekends) / Scarborough Scarborough railway station Scarborough railway station serves the seaside town of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. It lies east of York and is one of the eastern termini on the North TransPennine route operated by First TransPennine Express... (summer Saturdays) |
Doncaster | MER British Rail Class 222 The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation.... |
3h 39min |
| XX:30 | Nottingham | Luton Airport Parkway Luton Airport Parkway railway station | Luton Airport Parkway railway station is the railway station for London Luton Airport in Bedfordshire, England. The station opened in 1999 and is located south-east of Luton and west of the airport.... , Bedford, Wellingborough Wellingborough railway station Wellingborough railway station is located the market town of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, England. It lies on the Midland Main Line, it is from London St. Pancras... , Kettering Kettering railway station Kettering railway station is to the south-west of the Kettering town centre in Northamptonshire, England. It lies on the Midland Main Line, north of London St... , Market Harborough, Leicester, Loughborough, Beeston Beeston railway station Beeston railway station is a railway station on the Midland Main Line which serves the town of Beeston in Nottinghamshire, England. It lies south west of Nottingham railway station... |
MER British Rail Class 222 The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation.... |
1h 56min |
| extension | to Lincoln Lincoln Central railway station Lincoln Central railway station serves the city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, England. The station is operated by East Midlands Trains, who provide services along with Northern Rail and East Coast.... (one service north/south) |
Lowdham Lowdham railway station Lowdham railway station serves the village of Lowdham in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the Nottingham to Lincoln Line.The buildings were designed by Thomas Chambers Hine.... (Northbound only), Newark Castle, Collingham Collingham railway station Collingham Railway Station is located in the village of Collingham, Nottinghamshire, situated on the Nottingham to Lincoln Line. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by East Midlands Trains.... |
MER British Rail Class 222 The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation.... |
2h 54min |
| XX:55 | Sheffield Sheffield Midland station Sheffield station, formerly Pond Street and later Sheffield Midland, is a railway station in Sheffield, England and is the busiest station in South Yorkshire... |
Leicester Leicester railway station Leicester railway station serves the City of Leicester in Leicestershire, England.As of late 2009 Leicester is a Penalty fare station, a valid ticket or Permit to travel must be shown when requested.-Background:... , Derby Derby Midland railway station Derby railway station , also known as Derby Midland Station, is a main line railway station serving the city of Derby in England. Owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains, the station is also used by CrossCountry services and one Northern Rail service... , Chesterfield Chesterfield railway station Entrance to the station is on Crow Lane and includes a car park, taxi rank and bus stop. There is also a small car park on the other side of Crow Lane which does not have a parking charge. The main entrance leads to the station concourse, which is very spacious and was built in the late 1990s. It... |
MER British Rail Class 222 The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation.... |
2h 7min |
| extension | to Leeds Leeds City railway station Leeds railway station is the mainline railway station serving the city centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England... (some peak services) |
, Wakefield Westgate Wakefield Westgate railway station Wakefield Westgate railway station is the mainline railway station for the city of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on the western edge of the main city centre, on the opposite side from Wakefield's other station, Kirkgate.-Services:... |
HST British Rail Class 43 (HST) The British Rail Class 43 is the TOPS classification used for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train power cars, built by BREL from 1975 to 1982.... |
3h 10min |
Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway route in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system.The present-day line links London St...
. The above table shows the service pattern from the December 2009 timetable change.
The service pattern at the start of the franchise was of four off-peak departures from London: two fast (one to Sheffield and one to Nottingham), and two stopping (one to Derby and one to Nottingham). Sheffield peak-hour trains extended from and to Leeds, with weekend services also extending to York and Scarborough. One peak-hour Derby service was extended to Burton on Trent and one to Barnsley. EMT made no significant changes until the introduction of its December 2008 timetable.
From December 2008, EMT used the above service pattern (that shown in the box). There are five off-peak departures from London: two fast (one to Sheffield and one to Nottingham), one semi-fast (to Sheffield, extended from Derby from December 2009) and two stopping (one to Nottingham and one to Corby/Kettering). A smaller number of Sheffield peak-hour trains continue to extend from and to Leeds, with weekend services also extending to York and Scarborough. In addition a Nottingham service is extended to start from Lincoln, Monday to Saturday. There were plans initially for two return services to Skegness
Skegness railway station
Skegness railway station serves the seaside resort of Skegness in Lincolnshire, England.Services are operated by East Midlands Trains which run to and from Nottingham, where services originate or terminate.-History:...
through from London in the summer; however, these currently run through from Derby instead of London, because of speed restrictions around Boston. The Burton on Trent and Barnsley services ceased at the beginning of the December 2008 timetable, when Corby services began. One Corby service was extended to Melton Mowbray at the outset, and a second was added to Derby from May 2010.
- From December 2009, East Midlands Trains runs two trains per hour between Sheffield and London (achieved by extending the xx.25 London-Derby service with a similar changes southbound).
- Corby benefited from the May 2010 timetable change, which provided an extra daily northbound service. The addition of the Derby service means that passengers now benefit from two daily northbound services, one to Derby and one to Melton Mowbray. Rail groups hope this will eventually lead to further northbound services from the town.
Named trains
- The Sheffield ContinentalSheffield ContinentalThe Sheffield Continental is one of the four flagship named passenger trains operated by East Midlands Trains. There is only a south-bound Sheffield Continental service which is the 0647 train from Sheffield to London St Pancras....
: 06:47 Sheffield to St Pancras. Introduced in December 2008. - The Master CutlerMaster Cutler (train)The Master Cutler is a British named express passenger train that operates on the National Rail network from Sheffield to London and return...
: 07:27 Sheffield to St Pancras, and 16:55 return. - The South YorkshiremanSouth YorkshiremanThe South Yorkshireman is a British named passenger train. In its modern version it is one of four named expresses operated by East Midlands Trains, and runs between and ....
: 07:44 Sheffield to St Pancras, and 17:55 return. Introduced in December 2008. - The Robin HoodRobin Hood (passenger train)The Robin Hood is one of the four flagship named passenger trains operated by East Midlands Trains inherited from Midland Mainline in the UK. There are two trains named the "Robin Hood"; the 0750 train from Nottingham to London, St. Pancras on weekday mornings, and the 1615 train from London, St....
: 07:50 Nottingham to St Pancras, and 16:15 return. A named service inherited from Midland Mainline.
Route 2
| Route | Via | |
|---|---|---|
| Express/Stopping | Liverpool Liverpool Lime Street railway station Liverpool Lime Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England. The station lies on a branch of the West Coast Main Line from London Euston, and on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network... to Norwich Norwich railway station Norwich is a railway station serving the city of Norwich in the English county of Norfolk. The station is the northern terminus of the Great Eastern Main Line from London Liverpool Street. It is also the terminus of railway lines from Ely, Sheringham, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.-History:At one... /Nottingham |
Manchester Piccadilly Manchester Piccadilly station Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. It serves intercity routes to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, South Wales, the south coast of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow Central, and routes throughout northern England... , , Nottingham, Peterborough Peterborough railway station Peterborough railway station serves the city of Peterborough, England. It is located approximately north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line... & Ely Ely railway station Ely railway station serves the city of Ely in Cambridgeshire, England. The station lies on the Fen Line from Cambridge to King's Lynn, which is electrified at 25 kV AC overhead... |
Route 2 services cross England from east to west, and are former 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...
services. EMT sees this as a mainline route (and wants to develop it accordingly), and as such will paint relevant trains in the mainline livery.
Nottinghamshire County Council is working with Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
on introducing an additional train to Manchester which would have a shorter journey time by avoiding Sheffield. Network Rail's plans for a northern hub would deliver extra train paths along the Hope Valley Line, enabling more trains to run from the North West to the East Midlands.
Route 3
| Route | Via | |
|---|---|---|
| Local stopping | Nottingham to Mansfield Woodhouse Mansfield Woodhouse railway station Mansfield Woodhouse railway station serves the town of Mansfield Woodhouse which adjoins the larger town of Mansfield. They are located in Nottinghamshire, England.The station on the Robin Hood Line between Nottingham and Worksop.-Services:... /Worksop Worksop railway station Worksop railway station serves the town of Worksop in Nottinghamshire, England.Opened in July 1849 by the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway, part of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, it is today an intermediate stop on the regional service from Lincoln Central to... |
Hucknall Hucknall station Hucknall station is a railway station and tram stop in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, England.It is located on the Robin Hood Line north of Nottingham and is also the northern terminus of the Nottingham Express Transit.The station has park and ride facilities... , Mansfield Mansfield railway station Mansfield railway station serves the large town of Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, England. Alternatively it is named Mansfield Town, to distinguish itself from Mansfield Woodhouse and the GCR's former Mansfield Central... |
| Local stopping | Derby Derby Midland railway station Derby railway station , also known as Derby Midland Station, is a main line railway station serving the city of Derby in England. Owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains, the station is also used by CrossCountry services and one Northern Rail service... to |
, , |
| Local stopping | Nottingham to Matlock Matlock railway station Matlock Railway Station is a railway station owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains. It is located in the Derbyshire town of Matlock in Derbyshire, England. The station is now currently the terminus of both the Derwent Valley Line from Derby and Peak Rail who operate heritage... |
, , |
Route 3 services link towns in the East Midlands and provide direct services to Crewe and Stoke. The Derby to Matlock service links to the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
.
Route 4
| Route | Via | |
|---|---|---|
| Local stopping | to | , |
| Local stopping | to | , Lincoln Central |
| Local stopping | to Skegness Skegness railway station Skegness railway station serves the seaside resort of Skegness in Lincolnshire, England.Services are operated by East Midlands Trains which run to and from Nottingham, where services originate or terminate.-History:... |
, Sleaford, Boston Boston railway station Boston railway station serves the town of Boston in Lincolnshire, England. Services are operated by East Midlands Trains.-History:The station has declined in importance since the 1960s. In its heyday the station employed over 50 staff and had two through tracks and cover over the platform tracks... |
| Local stopping | to | Ivanhoe Line Stations ( - ), , , Newark |
Route 4 services link the East Midlands with eastern England. They are operated with Class 156 and Class 153 DMUs and occasionally Class 158 Express Sprinters.
Nottinghamshire County Council has paid for a study into increasing the line speed between Newark and Lincoln from 60 mph to 90 mph; it has also requested a doubling of service on the line.
Ticketing
Penalty Fare Scheme
In late 2009 a Penalty farePenalty fare
On the United Kingdom's public transport systems, a penalty fare is a special fare charged at a higher than normal price because the purchaser did not comply with the normal ticket purchasing rules...
scheme was introduced. The scheme includes all mainline stations served by EMT from London to Sheffield via Corby, Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Alfreton. In addition it includes small commuter stations such as Syston, Attenborough, and Duffield, which have been provided with a Pertis
Permit to travel
In the ticketing system of the British rail network, a Permit to Travel provisionally allows passengers to travel on a train when they have not purchased a ticket in advance and the ticket office of the station they are travelling from is closed, without incurring a penalty fare.Since a large...
machine which must be used.
Megatrain
Stagecoach Group, EMT's parent company, introduced MegatrainMegatrain
Megatrain offers low cost intercity train travel via the megabus.com website, using yield management pricing, on East Midlands Trains and South West Trains which are rail franchises in the United Kingdom operated by Scottish-based Stagecoach Group...
fares on its London routes on 2 January 2008 operating to/from London St Pancras International to
- LeicesterLeicester railway stationLeicester railway station serves the City of Leicester in Leicestershire, England.As of late 2009 Leicester is a Penalty fare station, a valid ticket or Permit to travel must be shown when requested.-Background:...
- LoughboroughLoughborough railway stationLoughborough railway station serves the town of Loughborough in Leicestershire, England. Situated on the Midland Main Line, 20 km north of Leicester, the station lies to the north-east of the town centre....
- Derby
- Nottingham
- ChesterfieldChesterfield railway stationEntrance to the station is on Crow Lane and includes a car park, taxi rank and bus stop. There is also a small car park on the other side of Crow Lane which does not have a parking charge. The main entrance leads to the station concourse, which is very spacious and was built in the late 1990s. It...
- Sheffield
Megatrain fares have also been introduced on Route 2 between Sheffield, Chesterfield, Nottingham and Peterborough or Norwich.
MegabusPlus
is used as an interchange station for combined multi-modal journeys under the brand name "MegabusPlus", whereby passengers are carried by road coach from the cities in the north of England to East Midlands Parkway, where passengers transfer to rail for the service to London.Routes operated under the "MegabusPlus" brand are between London and:
- HullKingston upon HullKingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
via ScunthorpeScunthorpeScunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,... - YorkYorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
via CastlefordCastlefordCastleford is the largest of the "five towns" district in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is near Pontefract, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45-50,000. To the north...
and HarrogateHarrogateHarrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th... - HuddersfieldHuddersfieldHuddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
via BradfordBradfordBradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
and HalifaxHalifax, West YorkshireHalifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
The bus from Hull and Scunthorpe also had a stop at Doncaster at the launch of MegabusPlus, but due to lack of demand in Doncaster, the service no longer calls there.
Franchise commitments
Stagecoach is currently spending more than £91 million on service improvements.Train services
Sheffield Midland station
Sheffield station, formerly Pond Street and later Sheffield Midland, is a railway station in Sheffield, England and is the busiest station in South Yorkshire...
to London St Pancras
St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
.
Increasing the number of departures from London to five an hour off-peak incorporating Corby
Corby railway station
Corby railway station, owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains , serves the town of Corby in Northamptonshire, England. The current station, opened on 23 February 2009, replaces an earlier one dating from 1879 and first closed in 1966 .Plans for the current station, built on a...
services and extending the hours of operation with earlier arrival and later departures, to allow better connections with Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
at St Pancras.
London to Lincoln
Lincoln Central railway station
Lincoln Central railway station serves the city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, England. The station is operated by East Midlands Trains, who provide services along with Northern Rail and East Coast....
daily service via Nottingham.
East Midlands Trains Local to Derby services run hourly and extend to Nottingham. A new Sunday service runs on the Robin Hood Line between Nottingham and Mansfield Woodhouse. Trains will be lengthened on the east-west Liverpool Lime Street
Liverpool Lime Street railway station
Liverpool Lime Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England. The station lies on a branch of the West Coast Main Line from London Euston, and on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network...
to Norwich
Norwich railway station
Norwich is a railway station serving the city of Norwich in the English county of Norfolk. The station is the northern terminus of the Great Eastern Main Line from London Liverpool Street. It is also the terminus of railway lines from Ely, Sheringham, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.-History:At one...
route on weekdays. There will be an internal and external refit of all of the old trains to incorporate the new logo and livery.
Other changes to the timetable are planned, but these need to have approval from Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
, Office of Rail Regulation
Office of Rail Regulation
The Office of Rail Regulation is a statutory board which is the combined economic and safety regulatory authority for Great Britain's railway network. It was established on 5 July 2004 by the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, replacing the Rail Regulator...
and the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
. Journey times will be further improved after planned infrastructure works are completed.
The Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
in its franchise specification gave an indication of its ambitions for the timetable; this mainly related to former 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....
services operating to and from London St Pancras.
| St Pancras – Sheffield Sheffield Midland station Sheffield station, formerly Pond Street and later Sheffield Midland, is a railway station in Sheffield, England and is the busiest station in South Yorkshire... (stopping only at the key locations of Chesterfield Chesterfield railway station Entrance to the station is on Crow Lane and includes a car park, taxi rank and bus stop. There is also a small car park on the other side of Crow Lane which does not have a parking charge. The main entrance leads to the station concourse, which is very spacious and was built in the late 1990s. It... , Derby Derby Midland railway station Derby railway station , also known as Derby Midland Station, is a main line railway station serving the city of Derby in England. Owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains, the station is also used by CrossCountry services and one Northern Rail service... and Leicester Leicester railway station Leicester railway station serves the City of Leicester in Leicestershire, England.As of late 2009 Leicester is a Penalty fare station, a valid ticket or Permit to travel must be shown when requested.-Background:... with faster timings of 2hr 08min). |
|
| St Pancras – . This train runs as a dedicated commuter/short distance service. | |
| St Pancras – Derby Derby Midland railway station Derby railway station , also known as Derby Midland Station, is a main line railway station serving the city of Derby in England. Owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains, the station is also used by CrossCountry services and one Northern Rail service... (fast service). |
|
| St Pancras – Nottingham (fast) | |
| St Pancras – Lincoln Lincoln Central railway station Lincoln Central railway station serves the city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, England. The station is operated by East Midlands Trains, who provide services along with Northern Rail and East Coast.... (stopping service, extended from Nottingham at peak times). |
|
| The current morning and evening services from and to Leeds Leeds City railway station Leeds railway station is the mainline railway station serving the city centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England... are to continue as the HST fleet will continue to be maintained at Neville Hill depot in Leeds. |
|
| Weekend services to York York railway station York railway station is a main-line railway station in the city of York, England. It lies on the East Coast Main Line north of London's King's Cross station towards Edinburgh's Waverley Station... and Scarborough Scarborough railway station Scarborough railway station serves the seaside town of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. It lies east of York and is one of the eastern termini on the North TransPennine route operated by First TransPennine Express... will continue beyond the December 2008 timetable change. |
|
| Services to and from Barnsley Barnsley Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and... and Burton upon Trent Burton upon Trent Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian".... will cease to operate from the December 2008 timetable. |
|
| The 2008 timetable changes reduce frequency, capacity and speed of services between London, Kettering and Wellingborough. | |
| There has been no mention of the proposed timetable in Lincolnshire and the other rural lines, although it is expected that service patterns will remain as now until the 2008 timetable change when there will be extensive consultation sessions. Standard hourly timetables are expected to be introduced on many routes. |
Stations
More than £5 million has been pledged for station enhancements. These include the opening of East Midlands Parkway stationEast Midlands Parkway railway station
East Midlands Parkway is a railway station located north of Ratcliffe-on-Soar on the Midland Main Line in the East Midlands of England. It provides park and ride facilities for rail passengers on the routes from Leicester to Derby and Nottingham...
to serve East Midlands Airport. A new station has been opened at Corby
Corby railway station
Corby railway station, owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains , serves the town of Corby in Northamptonshire, England. The current station, opened on 23 February 2009, replaces an earlier one dating from 1879 and first closed in 1966 .Plans for the current station, built on a...
.
The provision of Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
Internet at key stations including Leicester, Derby, and Sheffield.
Installation of ticket barriers at four more stations including London St Pancras Domestic
St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
, Derby Midland
Derby Midland railway station
Derby railway station , also known as Derby Midland Station, is a main line railway station serving the city of Derby in England. Owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains, the station is also used by CrossCountry services and one Northern Rail service...
, Nottingham and Sheffield.
Derby's Etches Park
Etches Park
Derby Etches Park is a railway Traction & Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot operated by East Midlands Trains, and is situated in Derby, England. InterCity and Diesel Multiple Unit trains are serviced and maintained here...
train maintenance depot is in the process of an extensive upgrade.
Introduction of smart card
Smart card
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...
technology, similar to that used on South West Trains, at all London route stations and all those in the Leicester/Derby/Nottingham commuter triangle, and the installation of more self-service ticket machines across the network.
East Midlands Trains also manage stations at which they do not operate services:
On board
Originally it was proposed to remove the buffet cars from High Speed TrainInterCity 125
The InterCity 125 was the brand name of British Rail's High Speed Train fleet. The InterCity 125 train is made up of two power cars, one at each end of a fixed formation of Mark 3 carriages, and is capable of , making the train the fastest diesel-powered locomotive in regular service in the...
sets as they are very heavy and used only to cook breakfast on some trains; they were to be replaced by an at-seat trolley service. The company reviewed its decision and launched an enhanced catering service for the start of the May 2008 timetable. From September 2010 Rail Gourmet will provide all standard class catering on routes 1 and 2, with the customer host on route 1 services providing an enhanced first class service. WiFi will be available on all London services from 5 September 2010.
Performance
Barrow upon Soar
On 1 February 2008, an East Midlands Trains Class 158British 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...
158856 from Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
to Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
was involved in an incident at Barrow upon Soar
Barrow upon Soar
Barrow upon Soar is a large village in northern Leicestershire, in the Soar Valley between Leicester and Loughborough. It has a population of around 5,000 and is part of the Charnwood local government district....
. The train hit a footbridge in its path, after a road vehicle had struck and damaged the bridge causing it to be foul of the line. Six passengers were on board the service and the driver had to be cut free from the driving cab.
Soldiers' rail warrants incident
The company received media attention in January 2010 when a ticket inspector refused to allow a group of soldiers to travel from East Midlands Parkway to London St Pancras because their rail warrants had been made out for a different journey. Another passenger bought tickets for the soldiers and East Midlands Trains subsequently apologised for the incident.Market Harborough incident
On 20 February 2010 an express from London St Pancras to Sheffield being operated by 222005 was derailed north of Market Harborough, causing track damage and major disruption to rail services for three days. East Midlands Trains put an emergency timetable into place, running services via Melton Mowbray on 21, 22 and 23 February. A complete safety check found no problems in the rest of the fleet.Rolling stock
East Midlands Trains inherited Midland MainlineMidland 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....
’s InterCity 125 (HST)
InterCity 125
The InterCity 125 was the brand name of British Rail's High Speed Train fleet. The InterCity 125 train is made up of two power cars, one at each end of a fixed formation of Mark 3 carriages, and is capable of , making the train the fastest diesel-powered locomotive in regular service in the...
and Class 222 Meridian
British Rail Class 222
The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation....
diesel-electric high-speed trains, along with some of the Sprinter diesel units (classes 153
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...
/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...
/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...
) formerly operated by Central Trains
Central Trains
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.-Overview:...
.
All Class 158 units have been refurbished in a style similar to sister company South West Trains' fleet, although with a higher seating capacity.
The High Speed Train sets are being refurbished over a sixty-week period. The first set was shown off to the public at the Neville Hill Open Day in September. The refurbishment features only a retrim of carpets, recovering of existing seats and new dado side panels, wall ends and seat-top hand grips being repainted. LED reading lights in first-class carriages are being removed and the wheelchair-accessible toilets are not being updated to meet the Disability Discrimination Act.
East Midlands Trains announced in March 2008 that it was to reform its Class 222 sets to prevent overcrowding. This will see the remaining 4-car Class 222 units receive an extra vehicle to become 5-car sets. This was accomplished by reducing one of the 8-car sets to a 5-car, with the remaining 8-car sets reduced to 7-cars. Extra capacity on long-distance routes is provided by running pairs of 5-car sets coupled together.
All four of the Class 222/1
British Rail Class 222
The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation....
units from First Hull Trains have now been transferred, allowing enough rolling stock for the new service to Corby
Corby
Corby Town is a town and borough located in the county of Northamptonshire. Corby Town is 23 miles north-east of the county town, Northampton. The borough had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure...
.
First Hull Trains made a decision to use only Class 180 'Adelante'
British Rail Class 180
The Class 180 is a type of British diesel multiple unit train built by Alstom between 2000 and 2001 for use on then-new express services by First Great Western . They were built at Washwood Heath in Birmingham and are part of the Coradia 1000 family along with the Class 175. FGW stopped using the...
units, with its Class 222 'Pioneer'
British Rail Class 222
The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation....
units transferring to East Midlands Trains.
East Midlands Trains began the service from Corby on 23 February 2009. Initially, this was made up of one train per day in each direction, using the existing Meridian fleet. The full Corby service started on 27 April 2009.
The sprinter fleet which EMT inherited at the start of the franchise was in a very poor state. Problems ranged from basic and simple to major complicated faults. The fleet was put together from various sources - around four different previous companies, with some coming directly from passenger work but some that had been lying idle surplus to requirements off lease in sidings. East Midlands Trains has claimed that it will take the lifetime of the franchise to get the trains to a standard that it is happy with. In addition to the various sources of the trains, passenger figures given to the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
prior to the franchise were incorrect, leading to a shortfall in the number of seats provided (a 26% decrease in capacity on route 2) compared with what was required.
Four additional Class 156 DMUs, leased from Angel Trains
Angel Trains
Angel Trains is an English Rolling Stock Operating Company created in 1994 as part of the privatisation of British Rail. It was one of three ROSCOs...
have been cascaded from Northern
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
to enable more route 2 services to run as four-coach trains by using these cascaded Class 156s on Skegness services in lieu of Class 158s. From December 2012 when the sprinter refurbishment programme is complete, all route 2 services between Liverpool and Nottingham will be able to operate as four-coach trains. In addition, from December 2011 the 13:52 from Liverpool will operate through to Norwich.
Current fleet
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Cars per set | Routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | |||||||
| Class 43 High Speed Train British Rail Class 43 (HST) The British Rail Class 43 is the TOPS classification used for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train power cars, built by BREL from 1975 to 1982.... |
 |
diesel locomotive | 125 | 200 | 26 | Operates with MK3s | Route 1 Route 4 (Skegness Summer Sat from 2009) |
1976–1982 |
| Mark 3 Coach British Rail Mark 3 British Rail's third design of standard carriage was designated 'Mark 3' , and was developed primarily for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train... |
 |
Passenger Coach | 125 | 200 | 108 | Operates with HSTs | Route 1 Route 4 (Skegness Summer Sat from 2009) |
1975–1988 |
| 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 | 17 | 1 | Route 3 Route 4 |
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 | 15 | 2 | Route 2 (Occasionally) Route 3 Route 4 |
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 | 25 | 2 | Route 2 Route 3 Route 4 |
1989–1992 | |
 |
||||||||
| Class 222 Meridian British Rail Class 222 The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation.... |
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diesel-electric multiple unit | 125 | 200 | 27 | 4, 5 or 7 | Route 1 Route 2 (Occasionally) |
2003–2005 |
Depots
Train crew depots are located at:- London - London route Driver, Guards and Revenue staff
- Leicester - Revenue staff
- Derby - London and Local route Drivers, Guards and Revenue staff
- Nottingham - London route Guards and Local route Drivers, Guards and Revenue staff
- Sheffield - London route Guards and Revenue staff
- Boston - Local route Drivers and Guards
- Lincoln - Local route Drivers and Guards
- Norwich - Local route Drivers and Guards
Trains are maintained at:
- CricklewoodCricklewoodCricklewood is a district of North London, England whose northeastern part is in the London Borough of Barnet, western part is the London Borough of Brent and southeastern part is in London Borough of Camden.-History:...
(fueling and cleaning of HST & 222) - Leicester (cleaning of 15x)
- DerbyEtches ParkDerby Etches Park is a railway Traction & Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot operated by East Midlands Trains, and is situated in Derby, England. InterCity and Diesel Multiple Unit trains are serviced and maintained here...
(heavy maintenance of 222British Rail Class 222The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation....
, 153British Rail Class 153The 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...
, 156British Rail Class 156The 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...
& 158British Rail Class 158British 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...
) - Nottingham (light maintenance of 15x)
- Boston (cleaning of 15x)
- CreweCrewe WorksCrewe railway works is a British railway engineering facility built in 1840 by the Grand Junction Railway. It is located in the town of Crewe, in the county of Cheshire....
(light maintenance of 15x) - Leeds (heavy maintenance of HST stock)
- NorwichNorwich Crown PointCrown Point was originally the name given to an area within the city of Norwich in the United Kingdom.The name is now more commonly associated with the Crown Point Traction Maintenance Depot operated by National Express East Anglia. Intercity and Diesel Multiple Unit trains are serviced and...
(light maintenance of 158 sets)
Shunter drivers are employed by EMT at Derby, Nottingham and Leeds.
On train catering for standard class passengers on routes 1 and 2, is of September 2010, provided by rail gourmet who have depots at Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield.
Although all stations are owned by Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
the day to day management is handled by Train Operating Company's
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...
. EMT has staff at the following managed stations: London St Pancras, Wellingborough, Kettering, Corby, Market Harborough, Leicester, Melton Mowbray, Oakham, Stamford, Narborough, Hinckley, Loughborough, East Midlands Parkway, Long Eaton, Derby, Kidsgrove, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Beeston, Nottingham, Alfretton, Sleaford, Boston, Skegness.
External links
- East Midlands Trains
- East Midlands Trains Best Fare Finder
- East Midlands Trains News and Press releases
- East Midlands Trains route map
- Government News Network
- Department for Transport Stock Market Statement for East Midlands Franchise
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