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Franchise(s):	Northern 12. December 2004 – September 2013
Main Region(s):	North West, North East, Yorkshire and Humberside
Other Region(s):	None
Fleet size:	273
Stations:	529 (471 operated)
Parent company:	Serco Group / NedRailways
Web site:	www.northernrail.org

Northern Rail is a train operating company that has operated local services in the north of England since 2004. The franchise was won by a consortium formed of NedRailways (the English unit of Nederlandse Spoorwegen, the state-owned train operating company of the Netherlands) and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems. This consortium had already won the contract to operate the Merseyrail network earlier in 2003.

Serco-NedRailways was announced as the 'preferred bidder' for the Northern franchise by the SRA on 1 July 2004, and signed the agreement to operate the franchise on 19 October. However, the new operators did not actually commence ownership and take over from the previous incumbents (First North Western and Arriva Trains Northern) until 12 December 2004. Most of the former Arriva long-distance routes were separated out into the Transpennine Express franchise, won by First and Keolis; Northern was left with a mix of commuter routes around Liverpool, Manchester, West and South Yorkshire, and the North East, rural branch lines, and some longer-distance stopping services (e.g. York-Blackpool via Manchester Victoria), Leeds-Carlisle or Morecambe etc. Some services are supported by Passenger Transport Executives.

The franchise is planned to run for a maximum of 8 years and 9 months, depending on how well Serco-NedRailways perform. As the media have reported throughout, the franchise does not require them to purchase new trains, but there have been rumours of a large fleet of Chinese-built diesel multiple units being purchased at a cost of £650,000 per carriage - a substantially lower price than their European competitors.^[1] The franchise agreement commits only to a 15% reduction in delays before 2009 and to a new 'incentive/penalty régime' and 'local focus on performance'.

Northern Rail leases a fleet comprised of diesel and electric multiple units and has not continued First and Arriva's practice of hiring locomotive-hauled trains.

Contents 1 Routes 2 Rolling Stock 2.1 Current fleet 3 References 4 External links

Timetable		Route
1		Chathill and Morpeth to Newcastle and MetroCentre
2		Middlesbrough to Newcastle and MetroCentre (Durham Coast Line)
3		Newcastle and Bishop Auckland to Saltburn (Tees Valley Line)
4		Sunderland and Newcastle to Carlisle (Tyne Valley Line)
5		Middlesbrough to Whitby (Esk Valley Line)
6		Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness to Preston and Manchester (Cumbrian Coast Line and Furness Line)
7		Route number not in use
8		Preston to Blackpool composite
9		Colne, Burnley and Blackburn to Preston and Blackpool
10		Liverpool to Wigan, Preston and Blackpool and Preston to Ormskirk
11		Bolton to Manchester and Manchester Airport
12		Manchester to Blackburn and Clitheroe
13		Route number not in use
14		Manchester and Manchester to Southport and Kirkby
15		Liverpool to Manchester Airport and Warrington Bank Quay via Earlestown
16		Liverpool to Manchester Piccadilly via Warrington Central
17		Manchester to Chester via Altrincham
18		Manchester, Manchester Airport and Stockport to Crewe
19		Manchester to Macclesfield and Stoke-on-Trent
20		Manchester to Buxton
21		Route number not in use
22		Manchester to New Mills Central and Rose Hill Marple
23		Manchester to Sheffield (The Hope Valley Line)
24		Manchester to Hadfield and Glossop
25		Manchester to Wakefield and Huddersfield
26		Manchester to Rochdale via Oldham and Moston
27		Leeds to Carlisle (Settle-Carlisle Railway) and Morcambe and Lancaster to Heysham
28		Leeds to Manchester Victoria, Selby to Huddersfield and York to Blackpool
29		York to Leeds via Harrogate
30		Hull to York, Leeds, Doncaster & Sheffield and York to Sheffield via Pontefract Baghill
31		Barton-upon-Humber to Cleethorpes
32		Hull to Scarborough (Yorkshire Coast Line)
33		Sheffield to Lincoln
WY		Leeds to Skipton (Airedale Line)
WY		Leeds to Sheffield via Wakefield Kirkgate and Barnsley (Hallam Line)
WY		Leeds to Huddersfield via Marsden (Huddersfield Line)
WY		Bradford Forster Square and Leeds to Ilkley (Wharfedale Line)
WY		Leeds to Bradford Forster Square
WY		Leeds and Wakefield to Knottingley (Pontefract Line)
WY		Leeds to Doncaster and Sheffield via Wakefield Westgate (Wakefield Line)

Timetable booklets for routes marked WY are only produced by Metro, the West Yorkshire PTE.

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number	Unit numbers	Routes operated	Built
			mph	km/h
Class 142 Pacer		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	801	142001, 003 – 005, 007, 009, 011 – 058, 060 – 068, 070 – 071, 078 – 079, 084, 086 – 096	Local Services mainly around Leeds , Liverpool , Newcastle & Sheffield.	1985
Class 144 Pacer		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	23	144001 – 023	Services around Leeds and Sheffield	1986 - 1987
Class 150 Sprinter		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	42	150133 – 150, 201, 203, 205, 207 – 208, 211, 215, 218, 222 – 225, 228, 268 – 277	Found on most Northern Routes	1985 - 1987
Class 153 Super Sprinter		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	20	153301, 304, 307, 315 – 317, 319, 324, 328, 330 – 332, 351 – 352, 357 – 360, 363, 378	Can be found on Preston - Ormskirk , Leeds - Knottingley and short distance services	1987 - 1988
Class 155 Super Sprinter		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	7	155341 – 347	Manchester Victoria - Leeds Services	1987
Class 156 Super Sprinter		Diesel multiple unit	75	120	46	156420 – 421, 423 – 429, 438, 440 – 441, 443 – 444, 448, 451 – 452, 454 – 455, 459 – 462, 464, 466, 468 – 473, 475, 479 – 484, 486 – 491, 497 – 498	Found on most Northern Services	1987 - 1989
Class 158 Express Sprinter		Diesel multiple unit	90	145	191	158752 – 759, 787, 851, 901 – 910	Manchester Victoria - Leeds , York - Blackpool North and Sheffield - Bridlington	1989 - 1992
Class 321		Electric multiple unit	100	160	3	321901 – 903	Leeds - Doncaster	1988 - 1991
Class 323		Electric multiple unit	100	160	17	323223 – 239	Manchester Piccadilly - Glossop/Hadfield Manchester Piccadilly - Crewe Manchester Piccadilly - Hazel Grove Manchester Piccadilly - Macclesfield/Stoke-on-Trent Deansgate - Manchester Airport	1992 - 1993
Class 333		Electric multiple unit	100	160	16	333001 – 016	Wharfedale and Airedale lines	2000

1. 30 Class 158's will shortly be added to the fleet, which have come off lease from Merseyrail and four other train operating companies, to replace elderly Class 142's, which will be cascaded into storage.^[2]

1. ^ article published by Alycidon, October 2004
2. ^ News Release published March 13 2007.

• Northern Rail official website
• A train in the new Northern Rail livery, picture by Tony Miles
• Serco-NedRailways official website

Preceded by Arriva Trains Northern ---- First North Western North Western franchise

Operator of Northern franchise 2004-present

Succeeded by N/A

v • d • e Current scheduled passenger train operators in Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Domestic:	Arriva Trains Wales - c2c - Central Trains1 - Chiltern Railways - First Capital Connect First Great Western - First ScotRail - Grand Central2 - GNER - Heathrow Connect Hull Trains - Island Line3 - Merseyrail - Midland Mainline1 - Northern Rail Northern Ireland Railways4 - 'one' - Silverlink1 - Southeastern - Southern South West Trains - TransPennine Express - Virgin Trains (VWC - VXC1)
International:	Enterprise4 - Eurostar
Airport Link:	Gatwick Express - Heathrow Express - Stansted Express5
Sleeper:	Caledonian Sleeper6 - Night Riviera7
1 Ends November 2007 - 2 Starts 20 May 2007 - 3 Operated by South West Trains 4 Operated on the Irish railway network - 5 Operated by 'one' - 6 Operated by First ScotRail 7 Operated by First Great Western

Future passenger train operators and franchises in Great Britain
New Franchises:	Cross Country1 - East Midlands1 - InterCity East Coast - London Overground1 West Midlands1
Proposed open-access operators:	Glasgow Trains2 - Grand Union2 - Humber & City2 - Wrexham & Shropshire3
1 Starts November 2007 - 2 Proposed - 3 Awaiting Approval