London Midland - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

London Midland is a train operating company

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...

in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia

Govia

Govia is a transport company based in the United Kingdom. A joint venture between Go-Ahead and Keolis SA it is a key operator of commuter services in London, the South East and on the West Coast Main Line...

, and has operated the West Midlands 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...

since 11 November 2007.

Its services operate primarily on the West Coast Main Line

West Coast Main Line

The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...

from London Euston

Euston railway station

Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...

and in the West Midlands region

West Midlands (region)

The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...

, replacing previous operators 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:...

and Silverlink

Silverlink

Silverlink Train Services Ltd was a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operated routes in North London and from London to Northampton...

(both subsidiaries of the National Express Group

National Express Group

National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...

Performance

The company has stated that it experienced many breakdowns due to the outdated rolling stock it inherited and which it has now replaced. The services to London have received more attention, although the neglect of the local Midland services outside of Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

has led to the company having some of the lowest performance rates of any British rail franchise. The company has seen marked improvements in customer satisfaction rates during 2010, with train frequency, reliability and value all rising by 11% in the customers' eyes. The state of onboard toilet facilities, however, showed no marked improvement.

According to the most recent performance figures for London Midland, punctuality fell in the fourth quarter of 2010/11. The ORR

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...

revealed that the Public Performance Measure for this quarter was 88.4% (down 1.9 percentage points on the same quarter last year). The MAA (moving annual average) up to 31 March 2011 was 89.7%.

Routes

London Midland's services are divided between two sub-brands, London Midland Express and London Midland City.

London Midland Express

This sub-brand is used primarily for semi-fast services on the West Coast Main Line

West Coast Main Line

(WCML). The main service pattern is as follows:
– .
Every half-hour, calling at either Smethwick Galton Bridge or Coseley (alternating to give each an hourly express service), Wolverhampton, Penkridge (hourly service), Stafford, Crewe, Winsford (hourly/two hourly service), Hartford, (hourly service, although frequency improves in the morning and evening peak), Runcorn, and Liverpool South Parkway. Journey times vary between approx. 1½ hours and 1¾ hours.

London Euston
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...

- .

Every 20 minutes to Northampton, calling at Watford Junction (hourly), Hemel Hempstead (hourly), Berkhamsted (hourly), Leighton Buzzard, Bletchley, Milton Keynes Central, and Wolverton, with hourly extensions to Birmingham New Street, calling at Long Buckby, Rugby, Coventry, Canley, Tile Hill, Berkswell, Birmingham International and Marston Green. Journey times are about an hour longer than 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...

' InterCity service, which calls only at the intercity stations.

London Euston
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...

- .

Every 20 minutes to Tring, calling at Harrow & Wealdstone, Bushey, Watford Junction, Kings Langley, Apsley, Hemel Hempstead, and Berkhamsted, with hourly extensions to Milton Keynes calling at Watford Junction, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring, Cheddington, Leighton Buzzard, then Bletchley and Milton Keynes Central. Southern Trains

Southern (train operating company)

Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...

operates a similar service on part of this route, with an hourly service between Harrow & Wealdstone and Milton Keynes, from via Olympia. At peak times, London Midland has introduced a "Watford Shuttle" service, calling at Harrow & Wealdstone and Bushey

Bushey railway station

Bushey railway station serves the towns of Bushey and Oxhey and is situated on the Watford DC Line, north of Harrow & Wealdstone. The station was renamed from "Bushey & Oxhey" to "Bushey" on 6 May 1974, even though it is actually sited in the neighbouring town of Oxhey, and the nearest part of...

London Euston
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...

- .

Hourly, off-peak, calling at Watford Junction, Milton Keynes Central, Northampton, Rugby, Nuneaton, Polesworth (served only by one northbound "Parliamentary" train service

Parliamentary train

A Parliamentary train or Parly is, nowadays, a British English term for a train that operates a Parliamentary service - that is to say a token service to a given station, thus maintaining a legal fiction that either the station or, in some cases, the whole line is open, although in reality the...

per day), Atherstone, Tamworth, Lichﬁeld Trent Valley, Rugeley Trent Valley, Stafford, Stone, Stoke-on-Trent, Kidsgrove, and Alsager.

This semi-fast service replaced the old Virgin Trains

Virgin Trains

service from December 2008. This coincided with the number of Virgin Trains off-peak services calling at stations in the Trent Valley

Trent Valley line

The Trent Valley Line is a railway line between Rugby and Stafford in England, forming part of the West Coast Main Line.The line was electrified on 25 kV AC system during the 1960s, in the wake of the 1955 British Rail modernisation plan....

(and other parts of the WCML) being reduced.

This move was controversial, as it meant some towns losing their fast services to the capital. However, it also enabled some smaller towns, such as Stone

Stone railway station

Stone railway station serves the town of Stone, Staffordshire, England. The station is located on a junction of the Colwich to Manchester spur of the West Coast Main Line, but has platforms only on the branch from Stafford to Stoke-on-Trent....

, to have their rail service reinstated or improved. A handful of Virgin trains continue to call at Trent Valley stations in peak hours only.

The London Midland Express brand is also used for two branches off the WCML:

The Marston Vale Line
Marston Vale Line
The Marston Vale Line is the railway line from Bletchley to Bedford in England. It is one of two surviving passenger-carrying sections of the "Varsity Line" between Oxford and Cambridge....

(from to Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...

). Hourly, all stations.
The St Albans Branch Line
St Albans Branch Line
The Abbey Line is a railway line from Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey railway station. The route passes through town and countryside...

(from to ). Every 45 minutes, all stations.

It is a requirement of the franchise that Transport for London

Transport for London

Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...

's Oyster Card

Oyster card

The Oyster card is a form of electronic ticketing used on public transport services within the Greater London area of the United Kingdom. It is promoted by Transport for London and is valid on a number of different travel systems across London including London Underground, buses, the Docklands...

s be valid for trains between London and Watford Junction

Watford Junction railway station

On 23 January 1975, an express train from Manchester to Euston derailed just south of Watford Junction after striking some stillages that had fallen on to the track. It then collided with a sleeper service from Euston to Glasgow. The driver of the Manchester train was killed, and eight passengers...

. In the past, TfL have expressed interest in taking over the St Albans branch, and installing Oyster Card readers on the stations along it; however, this route was included within the London Midland franchise.

Proposed future services

London Midland has applied to the Office of Rail Regulation

Office of Rail Regulation

to run a new hourly Birmingham-Preston service from 2012 by diverting every other Birmingham-Liverpool train. The Euston-Crewe service would then be extended to Liverpool to maintain a half-hourly service between Crewe and Liverpool. LM also seeks to run additional evening and Sunday trains between London and Northampton and between Northampton and Crewe, to satisfy what the company says is unmet demand.

London Midland City

This sub-brand is used for local and commuter services

Commuter rail in the United Kingdom

Urban rail, commuter rail, regional rail, or suburban rail, plays a key role in the public transport system of many of the United Kingdom's major cities. Urban rail is defined as a rail service between a central business district and suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a...

around the Birmingham / Coventry area, sponsored by Centro

West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive

The West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive , sometimes known as Centro, is a local government organisation responsible for certain transport services in the West Midlands county in England....

/ Network West Midlands, that were previously run by Central Trains

Central Trains

. These services are:
– . Hourly. Semi-fast. Run together with the hourly Birmingham-to-London service.

Birmingham New Street – . Half-hourly, all stops. – Birmingham New Street - (the Cross-City Line). Every ten minutes between Longbridge and Four Oaks, all stops, with half-hourly extensions to the termini.
Birmingham New Street - - Rugeley
Rugeley Trent Valley railway station
Rugeley Trent Valley is a railway station located on the outskirts of Rugeley in Staffordshire, England. It is one of two stations in Rugeley, the other being Rugeley Town...

(the Chase Line
Chase Line
The Chase Line is the railway line from Birmingham New Street to Walsall and Rugeley.-Overview:The line from Birmingham to Walsall has two alternative routes, both of which are electrified at 25 kV AC overhead...

). Every 15 minutes, with hourly extensions to Rugeley [half-hourly in peak hours].
Birmingham New Street – . Hourly, all stops beyond Wolverhampton, complemented by Arriva Trains Wales' fast services to give a twice-hourly service at main stations.
Birmingham New Street – via . Hourly off-peak, half-hourly peak. Semi-fast.
Worcester
Worcester Foregate Street railway station
Worcester Foregate Street railway station, opened by the Great Western Railway in 1860, is situated in the centre of the city of Worcester, in Worcestershire, England. It is physically the smaller of the two stations serving the city, but is more centrally located...

- Birmingham Snow Hill
Birmingham Snow Hill station
Birmingham Snow Hill is a railway station and tram stop in the centre of Birmingham, England, on the site of an earlier, much larger station built by the former Great Western Railway . It is the second most important railway station in the city, after Birmingham New Street station...

– / (the Snow Hill Lines
Snow Hill Lines
The Snow Hill Lines are railway lines running through Birmingham Snow Hill railway station, Birmingham, United Kingdom. All other lines to/through Birmingham use station.The three Snow Hill lines are:...

). Every ten minutes between Stourbridge Junction and Birmingham Moor Street, various extensions and patterns. – (the Stourbridge Branch Line). Every ten minutes. – . Hourly.

Smaller stations

London Midland operate several "limited stop" stations, where only a handful of trains a day call.

These include:

Hartlebury
Hartlebury railway station
Hartlebury railway station serves the village of Hartlebury in Worcestershire. All trains serving the station are operated by London Midland; however, Hartlebury has only a limited service, especially outside peak hours...

; six trains a day Monday-Saturday, peak only, no Sunday service.
Bordesley
Bordesley railway station
Bordesley railway station is a small railway station serving the area of Bordesley in Birmingham, England. It is served by London Midland services between Birmingham Snow Hill and Stratford-upon-Avon and is located between Birmingham Moor Street and Small Heath stations.The platforms are above...

, one train per week on a Saturday (a parliamentary train
Parliamentary train
A Parliamentary train or Parly is, nowadays, a British English term for a train that operates a Parliamentary service - that is to say a token service to a given station, thus maintaining a legal fiction that either the station or, in some cases, the whole line is open, although in reality the...

), plus football specials.
Polesworth
Polesworth railway station
Polesworth railway station serves the large village of Polesworth in Warwickshire, England. It is situated on the Trent Valley section of the West Coast Main Line.-History:...

; one train per day (a parliamentary train
Parliamentary train
A Parliamentary train or Parly is, nowadays, a British English term for a train that operates a Parliamentary service - that is to say a token service to a given station, thus maintaining a legal fiction that either the station or, in some cases, the whole line is open, although in reality the...

).

Former routes

In December 2008, London Midland discontinued the direct service between Walsall

Walsall railway station

Walsall railway station is the principal railway station of Walsall, West Midlands, England and situated in the heart of the town. It is operated by London Midland, who run all of its train services...

and Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton railway station

Wolverhampton railway station in Wolverhampton, West Midlands is on the West Coast Main Line. It is served by London Midland, CrossCountry, Virgin Trains and Arriva Trains Wales.-History:...

. Traffic on the route was low, but growing, and there was a campaign to keep the service. The service was a priced option with the new West Midlands franchise, but 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...

decided not to provide funding from December 2008, and as a result the service ceased. London Midland advised that passengers should use Travel West Midlands buses instead. The rolling stock was re-allocated to the new Worcester

Worcester Foregate Street railway station

Worcester Foregate Street railway station, opened by the Great Western Railway in 1860, is situated in the centre of the city of Worcester, in Worcestershire, England. It is physically the smaller of the two stations serving the city, but is more centrally located...

- Gloucester

Gloucester railway station

Gloucester railway station serves the city of Gloucester in England. The station was originally built as the terminus of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway in 1840, but the arrival of the Bristol and Gloucester Railway and Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway in 1844, and then conversion...

service.

This Worcester to Gloucester service (every two hours, complementing the First Great Western service to give an hourly service overall, off-peak, all stops) was introduced as part of the December 2008 timetable change to improve transport links between the two areas as well as to provide an increased service at Ashchurch for Tewkesbury

Ashchurch for Tewkesbury railway station

Ashchurch for Tewkesbury is a railway station serving the village of Ashchurch near Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, England. The station is located on the main Bristol–Birmingham main line 12 km north of Cheltenham Spa and was opened on 1 June 1997...

. However, this service was withdrawn in December 2009 because of low passenger use.

Rolling stock

London Midland's fleet was initially composed of rolling stock inherited from Silverlink and Central Trains. However, as part of its franchise agreement, it committed to the procurement of a significant amount of new build rolling stock, that would enable some of its existing fleet to be cascaded to other operators. Three individual types were eventually procured:

Class 350 Desiro
British Rail Class 350
The British Rail Class 350 "Desiro" is class of electrical multiple unit built by Siemens AG from 2004–05 and 2008–09. Thirty of these units, designated Class 350/1, were built for use by Central Trains and Silverlink on regional express services and services on the southern section of the West...

- a further 37 four-car Class 350 units were purchased; these were intended as only operating using OHLE, rather than the dual-voltage of the first batch, and would replace the Class 321
British Rail Class 321
The British Rail Class 321 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL York in three batches from 1988-91. The design was successful and led to the development of the similar Class 320 and Class 322 units for use by Strathclyde PTE and Stansted Express respectively...

units on interurban services from London and Birmingham.
Class 172 Turbostar
British Rail Class 172
The Class 172 is a type of diesel multiple unit of the Turbostar family, similar to the Class 168, Class 170 and Class 171.-Technical details and variants :There will be four sub-types:*Class 172/0 - two-car units in operation with London Overground...

- 27 two and three-car DMUs that would go to replace the Class 150 Sprinter
British Rail Class 150
The British Rail Class 150 "Sprinter" diesel multiple units were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier first-generation "Heritage" DMUs.- Background :...

units on local services originating from Birmingham Snow Hill
Birmingham Snow Hill station
Birmingham Snow Hill is a railway station and tram stop in the centre of Birmingham, England, on the site of an earlier, much larger station built by the former Great Western Railway . It is the second most important railway station in the city, after Birmingham New Street station...

.
Class 139 PPM
British Rail Class 139
British Rail Class 139 is the TOPS classification for PPM60 model lightweight railcars built by Parry People Movers, for use on the British rail network...

- 2 lightweight railcars that would be used to replace the Class 153 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...

on the Stourbridge Town Branch Line
Stourbridge Town Branch Line
The Stourbridge Town Branch Line is a railway branch line, in Stourbridge, West Midlands, England. It is claimed to be the shortest branch line in Europe, and many miniature railways are certainly longer....

.

Current fleet

London Midland has refurbished the existing 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...

, Class 170 Turbostar

British Rail Classes 170 and 171

The Class 170 "Turbostar" is a British diesel multiple-unit train built by Bombardier Transportation at its Derby Litchurch Lane Works. Introduced after privatisation, they have operated as regional trains as well as long-distance trains, and to a lesser extent suburban trains...

and Class 323

British Rail Class 323

The British Rail Class 323 electric multiple units were built by Hunslet TPL from 1992-93. Forty-three 3-car units were built for inner-suburban services around Birmingham and Manchester...

multiple-unit trains. It also intends to use automatic load-monitoring systems to measure how heavily its services are used, to alleviate overcrowding.

The first of the 37 new Desiro units arrived in the UK in early October 2008 for testing at the Siemens

Siemens

Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...

Northampton

Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...

depot. By July 2009 they were all in service.

London Midland is to retain seven Class 321

British Rail Class 321

The British Rail Class 321 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL York in three batches from 1988-91. The design was successful and led to the development of the similar Class 320 and Class 322 units for use by Strathclyde PTE and Stansted Express respectively...

EMU trains, for use both on the Watford Junction–St. Albans Abbey branch line and on peak-hour express services between Northampton and London Euston.

The two Class 139

British Rail Class 139

British Rail Class 139 is the TOPS classification for PPM60 model lightweight railcars built by Parry People Movers, for use on the British rail network...

railcars were due to enter service on the Stourbridge line with the start of the new timetable on 15 December 2008. However, problems in testing caused a delay in their introduction, with a replacement bus covering the route following the reallocation of the Class 153

British Rail Class 153

originally used. The two railcars finally entered full passenger service in June 2009.

London Midland has ordered Class 172

British Rail Class 172

The Class 172 is a type of diesel multiple unit of the Turbostar family, similar to the Class 168, Class 170 and Class 171.-Technical details and variants :There will be four sub-types:*Class 172/0 - two-car units in operation with London Overground...

replacements for its Class 150s. It will retain 6 Class 150 vehicles as additional capacity, following a statement from the Department for Transport on 10 August 2011. However, London Midland will surrender 2 Class 153s to First Great Western as a result.

{| class="wikitable"
|----- bgcolor=#f9f9f9
! rowspan="2" |Class
! rowspan="2" |Image
! rowspan="2" |Type
! rowspan="2" |Cars per set
! colspan="2" |Top speed
! rowspan="2" |Number
! rowspan="2" |Routes operated
! rowspan="2" |Built
|----- bgcolor=#f9f9f9
!mph
!km/h
|-
|Class 139 Parry People Mover

British Rail Class 139

British Rail Class 139 is the TOPS classification for PPM60 model lightweight railcars built by Parry People Movers, for use on the British rail network...

|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:...

|align=center|1
|4064
|align=center|2
|Stourbridge Town Branch Line

Stourbridge Town Branch Line

The Stourbridge Town Branch Line is a railway branch line, in Stourbridge, West Midlands, England. It is claimed to be the shortest branch line in Europe, and many miniature railways are certainly longer....

|2008
|-
|Class 150/0 Sprinter

British Rail Class 150

The British Rail Class 150 "Sprinter" diesel multiple units were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier first-generation "Heritage" DMUs.- Background :...

|diesel multiple unit

Diesel multiple unit

|align=center|3
|75121
|align=center|2
|Snow Hill Lines

Snow Hill Lines

The Snow Hill Lines are railway lines running through Birmingham Snow Hill railway station, Birmingham, United Kingdom. All other lines to/through Birmingham use station.The three Snow Hill lines are:...

|1984–1987
|-
|rowspan="2" |Class 150/1 Sprinter

British Rail Class 150

|rowspan="2" |

|rowspan="2" |diesel multiple unit

Diesel multiple unit

|align=center|3
|75121
|align=center|14
|rowspan="2" |Snow Hill Lines

Snow Hill Lines

|rowspan="2" |1984–1987
|-
|align=center|2
|75121
|align=center|10
|-
|Class 150/2 Sprinter

British Rail Class 150

|diesel multiple unit

Diesel multiple unit

|align=center|2
|75121
|align=center|2
|Snow Hill Lines

Snow Hill Lines

|-
|Class 153 Super Sprinter

British Rail Class 153

|diesel multiple unit

Diesel multiple unit

Marston Vale Line

The Marston Vale Line is the railway line from Bletchley to Bedford in England. It is one of two surviving passenger-carrying sections of the "Varsity Line" between Oxford and Cambridge....

Coventry - Nuneaton
Strengthening of any class 150 or 170 services
Stourbridge Town when Parry People Movers unavailable
Birmingham to Rugeley Trent Valley via Chase Line (Occasionally)
|1987–1988
Converted 1991–1992
|-
|Class 170/5 Turbostar
|

|diesel multiple unit

Diesel multiple unit

|align=center|2
|100161
|align=center|17
|Hereford - Birmingham
Birmingham - Shrewsbury
Birmingham to Rugeley Trent Valley via Chase Line
|1999–2000
|-
|Class 170/6 Turbostar
|
|diesel multiple unit

Diesel multiple unit

|align=center|3
|100161
|align=center|6
|Hereford - Birmingham
Birmingham - Shrewsbury
Birmingham to Rugeley Trent Valley via Chase Line
|1999–2000
|-
|Class 172/2 Turbostar

British Rail Class 172

|
|diesel multiple unit

Diesel multiple unit

|align=center|2
|100161
|align=center|2
|Snow Hill Lines
|2011
|-
|Class 172/3 Turbostar

British Rail Class 172

|
|diesel multiple unit

Diesel multiple unit

|align=center|3
|100161
|align=center|11
|Snow Hill Lines
|2011
|-
|Class 321/4

British Rail Class 321

|electric multiple unit

Electric multiple unit

An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...

|align=center|4
|100161
|align=center|7
|London - Milton Keynes/Northampton
Watford Junction - St. Albans Abbey
|1989–1990
|-
|Class 323

British Rail Class 323

The British Rail Class 323 electric multiple units were built by Hunslet TPL from 1992-93. Forty-three 3-car units were built for inner-suburban services around Birmingham and Manchester...

|electric multiple unit

Electric multiple unit

|align=center|3
|90145
|align=center|26

|Lichfield - Redditch (The Cross City Line)
Walsall - Birmingham New Street - Wolverhampton
Birmingham New Street - Birmingham International - Coventry
|1992–1993
|-
|Class 350/1 Desiro

British Rail Class 350

The British Rail Class 350 "Desiro" is class of electrical multiple unit built by Siemens AG from 2004–05 and 2008–09. Thirty of these units, designated Class 350/1, were built for use by Central Trains and Silverlink on regional express services and services on the southern section of the West...

|electric multiple unit

Electric multiple unit

|align=center|4
|150241
|align=center|30
|Birmingham - Liverpool
Northampton - Birmingham
London - Tring/Milton Keynes
London - Birmingham/Crewe
|2004–2005
|-
|Class 350/2 Desiro

British Rail Class 350

|electric multiple unit

Electric multiple unit

|align=center|4
|100161
|align=center|37
|Birmingham - Liverpool
Northampton - Birmingham
London - Tring/Milton Keynes
London - Birmingham/Crewe
|2008–2009
|-

Future fleet

As part of its franchise agreement, London Midland is committed to a major programme of new rolling stock. The company has ordered fifteen 3-car and twelve 2-car Class 172 Turbostar

British Rail Class 172

units from Bombardier Transportation

Bombardier Transportation

Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....

, to replace its Class 150s

British Rail Class 150

. Under the government's rolling-stock plan, the Class 150s will be cascaded to Northern Rail

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...

and First Great Western

First Great Western

First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....

. As a direct result of the cascade to Northern, some of Northern's Class 156s will be released to East Midlands Trains

East Midlands Trains

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...

.

In 2011, London Midland announced that it would be procuring a further 72 Class 350 vehicles, formed into a total of 18 sets. Of these, eight 4-car trains will be allocated to London Midland to provide additional capacity for its own services, while ten units will be diverted to First TransPennine Express

First TransPennine Express

First TransPennine Express is a British train operating company. It is a joint operation between First Group and Keolis . It operates regular passenger services in northern England, including services linking the west and east coasts across the Pennines...

to be used on Manchester-Scotland services once the North-West electrification is complete. The first of these units will likely be delivered in 2013.
{| class="sort wikitable sortable"
|----- bgcolor=#f9f9f9
!Class
!Type
!Cars per set
!Number
!Introduced
!Notes
|-
|Class 172/2 Turbostar

British Rail Class 172

|rowspan=2|diesel multiple unit

Diesel multiple unit

British Rail Class 150

. These trains will transfer to First Great Western

First Great Western

.
|-
|Class 172/3 Turbostar

British Rail Class 172

|3
|4
|-
|rowspan=2|Class 350/3 Desiro

British Rail Class 350

|rowspan=2|electric multiple unit

Electric multiple unit

|rowspan=2|4
|rowspan=2|8
|rowspan=2|2013
|rowspan=2|Will provide additional capacity.
|-
|}

External links

London Midland official website

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