Red Star Parcels
Encyclopedia
Red Star Parcels was a service which utilised passenger trains for transporting parcels between passenger railway stations throughout the United Kingdom, owned and operated by British Rail
. It was introduced experimentally on 1 April 1963. Senders could despatch their consignments to a number of selected stations at which the parcels were collected by the recipient. The service used scheduled trains and as such was one of the fastest methods of transporting a package long distances around the country.
Red Star Parcels no longer trades although signage bearing the Red Star logo can be seen at railway stations across the UK including Bradford Interchange, Bournemouth Central
, Birmingham New Street, Brighton
, Littlehampton
, London Euston, York
, Derby
, Stoke-On-Trent
, Stafford
, Darlington
, Southend Victoria
and more.
set up an express registered
parcel deliver service to compete against the General Post Office
; the service was known as "Red Star".
introduced the concept of same and next day delivery throughout the UK, utilising the Red Star parcels service to transport its packages from station-to-station where City Link agents (later to become franchisees) would collect and deliver the final mile. So successful was the service that City Link promoted it as "Red Star Parcels Door-to-Door". The concept was also promoted widely by British Rail's own freight sales force, which later helped City Link to become the largest single user of Red Star.
In 1982, British Rail introduced their own Door-to-Door parcels service, calling it "Night Star" (a brand which was later quietly dropped). Ironically, City Link were appointed as the delivery agents with a 5-year contract (and a 2-year extension) and this was eventually to lead to the downfall of the relationship between the two organisations. In 1989, following suspicions and allegations that both parties were competing directly with each other, City Link started the transition of moving its parcels from rail to road. Red Star awarded the delivery contract to a consortium of minicab companies that led to a tripling of the company's turnover as it offered on demand collection and delivery services naitonwide. During this period Red Star had the highest non-prompted awareness of any parcels carrier in the UK. An international service was provided through a contract with DHL.
Red Star Parcels. The British Railways Board
attempted to sell it in June 1993, attracting seven bids. Only two were considered to be serious; and in November 1993 the board recommended that the sale be abandoned. In 1993-94, John MacGregor
, Secretary of State for Transport
, attempted unsuccessfully to sell it off. On 5 September 1995 it was sold to a management buyout
, for a peppercorn rent; the cost of the sale was recorded as £0.3 million. Privatisation of the network led to the creation of a number of private passenger train companies and the loss of a national network heralded the start of the demise of Red Star.
Ltd, which was in turn itself acquired by UPS
in 2005.
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...
. It was introduced experimentally on 1 April 1963. Senders could despatch their consignments to a number of selected stations at which the parcels were collected by the recipient. The service used scheduled trains and as such was one of the fastest methods of transporting a package long distances around the country.
Red Star Parcels no longer trades although signage bearing the Red Star logo can be seen at railway stations across the UK including Bradford Interchange, Bournemouth Central
Bournemouth railway station
Bournemouth railway station, originally known as Bournemouth East and then Bournemouth Central , is the main railway station serving the town of Bournemouth in Dorset, England. It is located on the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth...
, Birmingham New Street, Brighton
Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
, Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
, London Euston, York
York
York 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...
, Derby
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...
, Stoke-On-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
, Stafford
Stafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
, Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
, Southend Victoria
Southend Victoria railway station
Southend Victoria is one of two major railway stations in the town of Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England. The station is the terminus of the Shenfield to Southend Line, which is a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line...
and more.
British Rail's registered parcel service
In 1963 British RailBritish 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...
set up an express registered
Registered mail
Registered mail describes letters, packets or other postal documents considered valuable and need a chain of custody that provides more control than regular mail. The posted item has its details recorded in a register to enable its location to be tracked, sometimes with added insurance to cover loss...
parcel deliver service to compete against the General Post Office
General Post Office
General Post Office is the name of the British postal system from 1660 until 1969.General Post Office may also refer to:* General Post Office, Perth* General Post Office, Sydney* General Post Office, Melbourne* General Post Office, Brisbane...
; the service was known as "Red Star".
City Link
In 1969 City Link Transport Services Limited (a private company) was established in order to offer a transfer service between London termini. Shortly thereafter City Link Ltd.City Link Ltd.
City Link is a British next day courier company based in Coventry, United Kingdom. City Link operates services in the UK including the Isle of Man from its hub in Coventry in the West Midlands although functional offices exist in other areas of the country...
introduced the concept of same and next day delivery throughout the UK, utilising the Red Star parcels service to transport its packages from station-to-station where City Link agents (later to become franchisees) would collect and deliver the final mile. So successful was the service that City Link promoted it as "Red Star Parcels Door-to-Door". The concept was also promoted widely by British Rail's own freight sales force, which later helped City Link to become the largest single user of Red Star.
In 1982, British Rail introduced their own Door-to-Door parcels service, calling it "Night Star" (a brand which was later quietly dropped). Ironically, City Link were appointed as the delivery agents with a 5-year contract (and a 2-year extension) and this was eventually to lead to the downfall of the relationship between the two organisations. In 1989, following suspicions and allegations that both parties were competing directly with each other, City Link started the transition of moving its parcels from rail to road. Red Star awarded the delivery contract to a consortium of minicab companies that led to a tripling of the company's turnover as it offered on demand collection and delivery services naitonwide. During this period Red Star had the highest non-prompted awareness of any parcels carrier in the UK. An international service was provided through a contract with DHL.
Management buyout
The Government made several attempts to privatisePrivatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
Red Star Parcels. The British Railways Board
British 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...
attempted to sell it in June 1993, attracting seven bids. Only two were considered to be serious; and in November 1993 the board recommended that the sale be abandoned. In 1993-94, John MacGregor
John MacGregor
John Roddick Russell MacGregor, Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market, OBE PC FKC , is a politician in the United Kingdom. He was educated at Merchiston Castle School, then at the University of St Andrews and at King's College London...
, 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...
, attempted unsuccessfully to sell it off. On 5 September 1995 it was sold to a management buyout
Management buyout
A management buyout is a form of acquisition where a company's existing managers acquire a large part or all of the company.- Overview :Management buyouts are similar in all major legal aspects to any other acquisition of a company...
, for a peppercorn rent; the cost of the sale was recorded as £0.3 million. Privatisation of the network led to the creation of a number of private passenger train companies and the loss of a national network heralded the start of the demise of Red Star.
LYNX Express
In January 1999, Red Star was acquired by LYNX ExpressLYNX Express
LYNX Express was a courier company operating principally in the United Kingdom. It was acquired in September 2005 by UPS.-History:The Company's history dates back to the nationalisation of the British Railways after World War II...
Ltd, which was in turn itself acquired by UPS
United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...
in 2005.