National Location Code
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Train ticket
A train ticket is a ticket issued by a railway operator that enables the bearer to travel on the operator's network or a partner's network. Tickets can authorize the bearer to travel a set itinerary at a specific time , a set itinerary at any time , a set itinerary at multiple times, or an...
ing system of the British railway network
Rail transport in Great Britain
The railway system in Great Britain is the oldest in the world, with the world's first locomotive-hauled public railway opening in 1825. As of 2010, it consists of of standard gauge lines , of which are electrified. These lines range from single to double, triple, quadruple track and up to twelve...
, a National Location Code (NLC) is a four-digit code allocated to every railway station and railway ticket issuing point in Great Britain. NLCs are used in the issue of tickets, and for accounting purposes. These four-digit codes, used in respect of ticket issuing, are a subset of the full array of NLCs originally created by British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
, which are based on four "main" digits plus two supplementary digits.
Introduction by British Rail
NLCs were introduced as a method of accounting for and attributing costs and revenue to railway assets. This quotation is taken from the 14th Edition (January 1987) of the definitive National Location Code listing book, published by the British Railways BoardBritish Railways Board
The British Railways Board was a nationalised industry in the United Kingdom that existed from 1962 to 2001. From its foundation until 1997, it was responsible for most railway services in Great Britain, trading under the brand names British Railways and, from 1965, British Rail...
:
"With the widespread use of computers within British Railways and the advent of national computer systems for dealing with payroll compilation, stores recording and accounting, wagon control, traffic data, revenue and expenditure accounting, market and traffic surveys etc., the need for a standard location code became increasingly important. In order to meet this need, the Regions were asked in November 1966 to revise and update the publication then known as the Terminals and Mileage Gazetteer Code. At the same time the opportunity was taken to include all sidings, yards, depots, offices, administrative centres, etc., where there is 'railway' activity. [...] A file was developed based on a six-digit code known as the British Railways National Location Code. This was [first] published on 1 January 1968."
Each six-digit code is split into two parts: the first four digits identify the location of the asset or cost centre, and the final two give more information about the specific asset. In all cases, the "base" location (including all stations and ticket-issuing locations) has 00 after the first four digits; other two-digit combinations signify other types of asset, with the first four digits indicating the "base" location to which they relate. As described above, in a ticket issuing context, only the first four digits (excluding the 00) are used. Some examples:
- 852400 is the NLC of Hebden BridgeHebden BridgeHebden Bridge is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Upper Calder Valley and lies 8 miles west of Halifax and 14 miles north east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the River Hebden .A 2004 profile of...
as a location, asset base and cost centre on the rail network. - 852405 is the NLC of the Up Refuge Siding outside Hebden Bridge station.
- 8524 is shown on tickets issued at Hebden Bridge station.
- 548400 is the NLC of CrawleyCrawleyCrawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
as a location, asset base and cost centre on the rail network. - 548461 is the NLC of the (now disused) signalboxSignal boxOn a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
controlling the points and level crossings there - 548465 is the NLC of the former parcels delivery agency at the station
- 5484 is shown on tickets issued at Crawley ticket office.
- Furthermore, an additional code, 548500, is allocated to Crawley New Yard, a goods facility north of nearby Three BridgesThree Bridges railway stationThree Bridges railway station is located in and named after the village of Three Bridges, which is now a district of Crawley, West Sussex, England...
station. It had additional codes allocated to it based on the various users of the yard, such as the National Coal BoardNational Coal BoardThe National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
(which maintained a coal concentration depot there until 1981) and the former Ready Mixed Concrete company.
- Furthermore, an additional code, 548500, is allocated to Crawley New Yard, a goods facility north of nearby Three Bridges
Consequence for ticketing systems
In the 1960s and 1970s, there were various ticket issuing systems in use throughout the British Rail network, some quite localised. Some of these had simple numerical code structures covering a limited number of stations in the relevant area, but there was no universal coding system to identify stations until the NLC was introduced. NLCs began to appear on certain types of ticket (such as the Southern Region mainstay, the NCR21) almost immediately.With the introduction of the fully computerised INTIS (Intermediate Ticket Issuing System) in the early 1980s, the four-digit version of the NLC became fully established. INTIS tickets were partly pre-printed, and the station name printed on the ticket featured the NLC next to it. Also, the machine printed the codes of the "origin" and "destination" stations on the top line of the ticket.
INTIS was superseded by APTIS
APTIS
APTIS was the Accountancy and Passenger Ticket Issuing System used on Rail transport in Great Britain until 2007.It was widely known as the All-Purpose Ticket-Issuing System, a description which was used during the development of the...
in 1986; the latter became the railway network's universal ticket office-based system for the next 15–20 years, with the last APTIS machines removed in March 2007. APTIS tickets had the NLC of the station of issue printed on their second line, irrespective of whether the journey started there - so for example, a ticket issued at Brighton (NLC 5268) for a journey from Gatwick Airport to London Victoria would display 5268.
An NLC covered the whole station and all of its associated accounting activities; it would be featured on everything from tickets issued from self-service (passenger-operated) ticket machines to ticket office staff wage slips. However, where stations on the same site needed to be treated as separate entities, they could be allocated different codes. When London Waterloo's "East" platforms (serving South Eastern Division destinations) began in the late 1980s to be considered as a separate station from the main London Waterloo, for example, its self-service machines - previously allocated NLC 5598, in common with the main station - got their own code, 5158. Revenue could then be apportioned correctly to the relevant Division, and, after privatisation, the correct Train Operating Company.
The modern era
After the railway network was privatisedPrivatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was set in motion when the Conservative government enacted, on 19 January 1993, the British Coal and British Rail Act 1993 . This enabled the relevant Secretary of State to issue directions to the relevant Board...
in the mid-1990s, there was a need for additional NLCs to be created and allocated in various cases:
- The South West TrainsSouth West TrainsSouth 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...
Train Operating Company opened Travel Centres at many of its larger stations, for booking of more complex journeys, and wanted each one to have a different code from that of the station itself - mostly in order to differentiate revenue derived from Travel Centre bookings (which are typically more complex and lengthy but often of high monetary value). Other TOCs did this to a lesser extent as well. - Many TOCs began to operate Telesales facilities and, later, online booking facilities.
- As new types of ticket issuing system began to be rolled out to replace APTIS and the less widespread "QuickfareAscom B8050 QuickfareAscom B8050, usually known by the name Quickfare, is an early example of a passenger-operated railway ticket issuing system, consisting of a series of broadly identical machines installed at British railway stations from 1989 onwards...
" self-service machines, TOCs began to use different codes to distinguish between revenue derived from ticket office-based systems and that derived from self-service positions. Now that "New Generation" systems are in place throughout the National Rail network, the following distinction is universally found:- Ticket office-based systems use the station's original NLC, allocated to it in the 1960s;
- Self-service machines use a new NLC which may have been allocated at any time since privatisation and which bears no relation to the original geographical boundaries.
Example of the allocation of new codes
In 1998, Brighton was supplied with two wall-mounted touch-screen machines by Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc., issuing a limited range of tickets by credit card only; code 8882 was given to these. Subsequently, these (and the erstwhile Quickfare machines) were replaced by a set of six "FASTticketShere FASTticket
The Shere FASTticket system is a passenger-operated, self-service railway ticket issuing system, developed by the Guildford-based company Shere Ltd and first introduced on a trial basis in Britain in 1996, shortly after privatisation...
" touch-screen machines manufactured by Shere Ltd.; these bore NLC 8882 as well, whereas the ticket office machines ("SMART Terminal
Shere SMART
The Shere SMART is a desktop-based railway ticket issuing system, developed by the Guildford-based company Shere Ltd, utilising Newbury Data ND4020 ticket printer, first introduced in Britain in 2003...
", again supplied by Shere Ltd.) used the station's original code, 5268.
Special NLCs
As noted above, any location to which railway revenue or expenditure can be attributed was coded in the 1960s (or later, if it came into existence subsequently). Therefore, codes have always been allocated to any location, be it fixed or mobile, that can issue tickets. Also, any location that can have a ticket issued to it for a journey from a National Rail station will have a code. Some examples are:- London UndergroundLondon UndergroundThe London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
stations: codes run upwards from 0500, allocated alphabetically by station name. Anomalies have since arisen where stations have opened or changed their name. - In the same way, Docklands Light RailwayDocklands Light RailwayThe Docklands Light Railway is an automated light metro or light rail system opened on 31 August 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of London...
stops, stations on the Northern Ireland RailwaysNorthern Ireland RailwaysNI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways and for a brief period of time, Ulster Transport Railways , is the railway operator in Northern Ireland...
network and stations in the Republic of Ireland served by the Iarnród ÉireannIarnród ÉireannIarnród Éireann is the national railway system operator of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann . It operates all internal intercity, commuter and freight railway services in the Republic of Ireland, and, jointly with Northern Ireland Railways, the...
network have codes in the 0000-series. - Portable machines used by on-train staff. Originally the PORTIS (Portable Ticket Issuing System), then superseded by SPORTIS (Super-PORTIS) and now the PDA-based "Avantix Mobile". NLCs were allocated to depots and conductors' bases from which machines were sent out each day.
- Rail Appointed Travel Agencies.
- Back-office machines used at stations or in railway offices for accounting purposes.
- Agencies used by local authorities to issue concessionary passes, season tickets and similar.
- "Extra" issuing points at stations: for example, excess fares windows, positions used only for season ticket renewals or business/executive travel tickets.
- Machines in airport terminals.
- Standalone travel centres away from stations, such as One Stop Travel in Brighton city centre (NLC 3644, now changed to 2791) and the former Victoria Street Travel Centre in London (NLC 6127).
- Station groupsStation groupsIn the ticketing system of the British rail network, tickets are normally issued to and from individual stations. In some instances, when there is more than one station in a town or other locality—especially where these are on different routes—it may be desirable for passengers to be able to...
. These pseudo-locations were given codes in the 0200 and 0400 ranges.
Original allocation of NLCs
When British Railways was created in 1948, it was split on a geographical basis into six operating regions; these became five in the 1960s (Eastern, London Midland, Western, Southern and Scottish). The distribution of NLCs broadly followed this pattern. The following table demonstrates this:| Series (and colour on map) | Geographical Area | Selected Examples | BR Regions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000-1999 | West Coast Main Line (southern section); West Midlands (north of Birmingham); Midland Main Line (southern section); London Marylebone-Aylesbury section of Chiltern line; Cumbrian Coast Line | 1127 Birmingham New Street; 1243 Crewe; 1444 London Euston; 1823 Derby | MR |
| 2000-2999 | West Coast Main Line (northern section); Merseyside; Greater Manchester; North Wales Coast Line | 2118 Carlisle; 2246 Liverpool Lime Street; 2437 Holyhead; 2968 Manchester Piccadilly | MR |
| 3000-3999 | Great Western Main Line and associated branches; Chiltern main line; South Wales and Welsh/English border area | 3087 London Paddington; 3526 Penzance; 3607 Hereford; 3899 Cardiff Central | WR |
| 4000-4999 | Lines in West of England and Wales north of those in "3000" series; ex-Great Western Railway lines in West Midlands | 4222 Swansea; 4303 Aberystwyth; 4387 Shrewsbury; 4558 Stratford-upon-Avon | WR |
| 5000-5999 | All lines south, southeast and southwest of London | See below | SR |
| 6000-6999 | East Coast Main Line (southern section); Great Eastern Main Line; lines in Eastern England; suburban lines north and east of London; Midland Main Line (northern section) | 6121 London Kings Cross; 6417 Doncaster; 6691 Sheffield; 6861 Colchester | ER |
| 7000-7999 | East Anglia; East Coast Main Line (northern section); associated branch lines in North East England | 7022 Cambridge; 7309 Norwich; 7728 Newcastle; 7929 Middlesbrough | ER |
| 8000-8999 | North and North East England (east of the Pennines), including most of Yorkshire; Highlands and north of Scotland | 8126 Hull; 8263 York; 8487 Leeds; 8976 Aberdeen | ER, ScR |
| 9000-9999 | Central and Southern Scotland, including suburban Glasgow and Edinburgh | 9039 Dundee; 9328 Edinburgh Waverley; 9555 Stranraer Harbour; 9813 Glasgow Central | ScR |
NLCs in the Southern Region
The British Rail Southern Region contained hundreds of stations, and was further divided into three subdivisions: South Eastern, Central and South Western. These were based on the three pre-Grouping companies which came together to form the Southern Region at nationalisation. NLCs were allocated (approximately) following these boundaries, as follows:| Series | Geographical Area | Selected Examples | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5000-5099 | Suburban and main-line routes in Kent, mostly those served from London Victoria | 5004 Ashford International; 5007 Canterbury West; 5033 Dover Priory; 5064 Bromley South | South Eastern |
| 5100-5199 | Suburban and main-line routes in Kent, mostly those served from London Charing Cross/London Bridge | 5122 Orpington; 5146 Greenwich; 5148 London Bridge; 5199 Chatham | South Eastern |
| 5200-5299 | Secondary routes in Kent and East Sussex (including Tonbridge-Hastings); East Coastway and West Coastway routes in Sussex | 5219 Hastings; 5230 Tunbridge Wells; 5268 Brighton; 5279 Worthing | South Eastern, Central |
| 5300-5399 | Suburban and main-line routes in South London, Surrey and Sussex | 5309 Horsham; 5334 Uckfield; 5355 East Croydon; 5360 Epsom | Central |
| 5400-5499 | Suburban and main-line routes in South London, Surrey and Sussex - overlaps completely with 5300 series | 5416 Gatwick Airport; 5448 Eastbourne; 5484 Crawley; 5486 East Grinstead | Central |
| 5500-5599 | Suburban and main-line routes in Surrey and Hampshire, including Isle of Wight | 5520 Basingstoke; 5537 Portsmouth & Southsea; 5578 Wimbledon; 5598 London Waterloo | South Western |
| 5600-5699 | Suburban and secondary routes in Surrey and Hampshire | 5623 Aldershot; 5631 Guildford; 5672 Windsor & Eton Riverside; 5685 Woking | South Western |
| 5700-5799 | Secondary routes and branch lines in southwest England, including certain former Southern Region lines in Western Region territory | 5712 Westbury; 5714 Axminster; 5725 Barnstaple; 5756 Exmouth | South Western |
| 5800-5899 | Southern end of main-line routes from London Waterloo to southwest England | 5838 Yeovil Junction; 5876 Bournemouth; 5883 Poole; 5899 Eastleigh | South Western |
| 5900-5999 | Southern end of main-line routes from London Waterloo to southwest England; associated secondary routes and branch lines | 5924 Winchester; 5932 Southampton Central; 5961 Dorchester South; 5965 Weymouth | South Western |
Anomalies
Since privatisation, the need for new codes has grown so much that they have largely stopped being allocated on a geographical basis. This is especially true where additional codes are being given to an existing station, as noted above. Where a brand new station is opened and given a geographically "correct" code, it is usually because the station had been planned for some time and a gap was left in the appropriate section of codes for it to be added. An example is Lea GreenLea Green railway station
Lea Green railway station is a railway station in St Helens, Merseyside, England, around three miles from the town centre near to the suburb of Clock Face. It is situated on the northern route of the Liverpool to Manchester Line . It is operated by Northern Rail...
(NLC 2339), which was proposed for many years (under the name "Marshalls Cross") before being opened in 2000. Sometimes, as at Chandler's Ford
Chandler's Ford railway station
Chandler's Ford railway station serves the Chandler's Ford area of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England. It lies on the Eastleigh to Romsey Line.-History:The station was opened by the LSWR in 1847...
, a station is reopened with its original code after being closed. When Coleshill Parkway
Coleshill Parkway railway station
Coleshill Parkway Railway Station is a station at Hams Hall on the Birmingham to Peterborough railway line, serving Coleshill in Warwickshire, England...
, on the route between 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...
and Nuneaton
Nuneaton
Nuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
was opened in 2007 it was allocated the code 9882, which relates geographically to Scotland.
Some quirks have always existed, however:
- Kensington Olympia station was given code 3092 as it was considered part of the Western Region at the time, although it was not served by any scheduled trains originating from that region, and in fact only had a tenuous physical connection to it (the little-used North Pole Junction). It later passed into Southern Region control, at a time when the only services using the station were peak-hour shuttle trains from Clapham Junction, before passing to the Midland Region before privatisation when a Clapham Junction-Willesden Junction service began (now operated by London OvergroundLondon OvergroundLondon Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
and SouthernSouthern (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...
). - Skipton formed the boundary between the LMR and ER, and so could have been given a 2000-series or an 8000-series code. Although most of its services originated from the ER, it was given code 2728.
- The North London LineNorth London LineThe North London Line is a railway line which passes through the inner suburbs of north London, England. Its route is a rough semicircle from the south west to the north east, avoiding central London. The line is owned and maintained by Network Rail...
(Richmond-Stratford; Richmond-North Woolwich until December 2006) crosses several regions. The first two stations, Kew Gardens and Gunnersbury, were given 5500-series codes to match Richmond. Once the parallel London Underground District Line was left behind, LMR territory was entered, with 1000-series codes. Because the LMR originally had a terminus at Broad Street in the City of London (closed 1986), the 1000-series continued until the original junction where the branch line to Broad Street left the North London Line itself; the junction formed the boundary between the LMR and the ER, with 6000-series codes continuing for the rest of the route. When a new station opened at Dalston Kingsland, it was given code 1429, as it lay on the LMR side of the junction.