Arriva Trains Northern

File:Northern 156483 Hull 25-10-2006.jpg

File:TPE 158774.jpg

As part of the privatisation of British Rail, the Regional Railways North East franchise was awarded by the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising to MTL after it won the contest from a field of Connex, FirstBus, Grand Central, a management/Via-GTI consortium, National Express, Prism Rail and Stagecoach."RRNE franchise process revealed" Rail Privatisation News issue 45 9 January 1997 page 1"MTL nets RRNE" Rail Privatisation News issue 48 20 February 1997 page 4 The franchise commenced on 2 March 1997.{{cite magazine |title= MTL lands a second franchise with RRNE |magazine= The Railway Magazine |issue=1152 |date= April 1997 |page=8}}

In May 1998, the franchise was rebranded as Northern Spirit with a livery of turquoise with a lime green stylised italic N across the midsection introduced.{{cite magazine |title= Northern Spirit is brand new name for Regional Railways North East |magazine= Rail Magazine |issue=332 |date=3 June 1998 |page=7}}{{cite magazine |title= Regional Railways North East rebranded as Northern Spirit |magazine= Rail Express |issue=26 July 1998 |page=6}}{{cite magazine |title= Regional Railways North East renamed Northern Spirit |magazine= The Railway Magazine |issue=1167 |date= July 1998 |page=55}}

At the same time, the long distance regional services connecting Sunderland, Newcastle, Scarborough and Hull with Manchester, Liverpool and Blackpool were sub-branded under the TransPennine Express banner with rolling stock painted in a base colour of maroon with a gold stylised italic N across the midsection. These services would later become a franchise in their own right from 2004, which is currently operated by TransPennine Express.{{Cite web|url=http://www.yhtar.org.uk/tpebriefnote.pdf |title=Yorkshire & The Humber Transport Activist's Roundtable |date=2001 |url-status=usurped |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20041020125001/http://www.yhtar.org.uk/tpebriefnote.pdf |archivedate=20 October 2004 |df=dmy }}

On 18 February 2000, MTL was purchased by Arriva,[http://www.investegate.co.uk/articlePrint.aspx?id=200002180730228111F Recommended Cash Offer for MTL Services] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414091304/http://www.investegate.co.uk/articlePrint.aspx?id=200002180730228111F |date=14 April 2016 }} Arriva 18 February 2000{{cite magazine |title= Arriva buys MTL for £84m |magazine= Rail Magazine |issue=378 |date= 8 March 2000 |page=13}}{{cite magazine |title= Arriva to take over MTL's two franchises |magazine= Rail Express |issue=46 |date=March 2000 |page=6}} and on 27 April 2001 the franchise was rebranded as Arriva Trains Northern.{{cite magazine |title= Name changes for Arriva TOCs |magazine= Rail Magazine |issue=408 |date=2 May 2001 |page=9}}{{cite magazine |title= End for Northern Spirit as two TOCs get new names |magazine= The Railway Magazine |issue=1203 |date= July 2001 |page=12}} The Arriva corporate turquoise and stone livery was introduced on refurbished 153352 in July 2001.{{cite magazine |title= Arriva launches refurbished Class 153 |magazine= Rail Magazine |issue=415 |date= 8 August 2001 |page=12}}{{cite magazine |title= Arriva Northern unveils new branding |magazine= The Railway Magazine |issue=1206 |date= October 2001 |page=72}}

Arriva Trains Northern operated a mix of long distance regional, local urban and rural passenger services in the North of England and Yorkshire and the Humber extending across the Pennines.

The network extended from Carlisle and Chathill in the north to Sunderland, Scarborough, Hull and Cleethorpes on the east coast down to Sheffield and across to Manchester, Liverpool, Blackpool and Morecambe on the West Coast.

A daily Leeds to Glasgow Central via the Settle & Carlisle and West Coast Main Lines service was introduced in September 1999, the first time such a service had operated since 1982.{{cite magazine |title= Northern Spirit to serve Scotland from September |magazine= Rail Magazine |issue=363 |date= 11 August 1999 |page=10}}{{cite magazine |title= New Northern Spirit Anglo-Scottish service starts |magazine= Rail Magazine |issue=369 |date= 3 November 1999 |page=11}}

A long-running dispute with the RMT union lead to a prolonged period of industrial action. As a result, in 2001, the Strategic Rail Authority imposed a £2{{nbsp}}million fine.{{cite magazine |title= SRA hits Arriva with £2m fine |magazine= The Railway Magazine |issue=1208 |date= 3 December 2001 |page=14}}{{cite magazine |title= Arriva fined £2m as 1,000 services a week cancelled |magazine= Rail Express |issue=67 |date= December 2001 |page=10}}{{cite magazine |title= Strategic Rail Authority confirms Arriva Trains Northern £2m fine |magazine= Rail Magazine |issue=433 |date= 17 April 2002 |page=4}} Throughout its life, the franchise suffered a shortage of drivers and rolling stock which led to many cancellations on a daily basis. An emergency timetable was later brought in which cancelled many services on a permanent basis rather than random as before.{{cite magazine |title= Arriva Northern switches to emergency timetable |magazine= The Railway Magazine |issue=1209 |date= January 2002 |page=8}}

Arriva Trains Northern inherited a fleet of Class 142, Class 144, Class 150, Class 153, Class 155, Class 156, Class 158, Class 308 and Class 321s from Regional Railways.

In September 1998, Northern Spirit traded seven of its Class 142s (142085-091) to Valley Lines in exchange for seven Class 150s (150268-274),{{cite magazine |title= Northern Spirit and Cardiff swap DMUs |magazine= Rail Magazine |issue=340 |date= 23 September 1998 |page=9}} although between October and December 2002 these were swapped for unrefurbished units 142072-77 and 142080-083, as 142086-091 had only recently been refurbished by Northern Spirit and Valley Lines wished to start their own refurbishment from scratch. In January 2001, the first of 16 Class 333s ordered to replace the Class 308s, entered service.{{cite magazine |title= RRNE confirms orders for 16 Class 333 EMUs for West Yorkshire |magazine= Rail Magazine |issue=327 |date= 25 March 1998 |page=10}}{{cite magazine |title= Arriva's Northern Spirit Class 333 EMU is delivered |magazine= Rail Magazine |issue=379 |date= 22 March 2000 |page=7}}{{cite magazine |title= Class 333s in service at last |magazine= The Railway Magazine |issue=1199 |date= March 2001 |page=11}}

A shortage of available rolling stock to meet increasing demand led Arriva Trains Northern to lease Class 37s and ex Virgin CrossCountry Mark 2 carriages from English Welsh & Scottish to top and tail a daily service from Leeds to Carlisle for 12 months from September 2003.{{cite magazine |title= EWS 37s for Leeds-Carlisle Arriva trains |magazine= Rail Magazine |issue=466 |date= 23 July 2003 |page=16}}{{cite magazine |title= Arriva Trains Northern to run loco-hauled service over S&C |magazine= Rail Express |issue=87 |date= August 2003 |page=5}}{{cite magazine |title= Loco-hauled trains back on the S&C |magazine= The Railway Magazine |issue=1229 |date= September 2003 |page=7}} It also operated a peak hour Knaresborough to Leeds service.{{cite magazine |title= Arriva settles with EWS |magazine= Rail Magazine |issue=480 |date= 4 February 2004 |page=40}}

Some of the rolling stock was owned by the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and these were repainted red and silver with the Metro logos of the passenger transport executive.{{cite magazine |title= New look for West Yorkshire units |magazine= Rail Magazine |issue=344 |date= 18 November 1998 |page=8}}{{cite magazine |title= West Yorkshire PTE unveils new Class 158 livery |magazine= The Railway Magazine |issue=1173 |date= January 1999 |page=56}}

Arriva Trains Northern's fleet was maintained at Heaton depot in Newcastle upon Tyne and Neville Hill depot in Leeds.

In 2000, the Strategic Rail Authority announced that it planned to create a new TransPennine Express franchise transferring Arriva Train Northern's long distance regional services with the remainder to be combined with those of the Regional Railways North West franchise to form a new Northern Rail franchise.{{cite magazine |title= TransPennine TOC to be created by SSRA puts five franchises up for sale early |magazine= The Railway Magazine |issue=1189 |date= May 2000 |page=37}}{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20041020125001/http://www.yhtar.org.uk/tpebriefnote.pdf The Trans-Pennine Express rail franchise]}} Yorkshire & The Humber Transport Activist's Roundtable Briefing Note October 2001

In July 2003, the Strategic Rail Authority awarded the TransPennine franchise to FirstGroup/Keolis with services operated by Arriva Trains Northern transferring to First TransPennine Express on 1 February 2004.[http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090826025317/http://www.dft.gov.uk/press/releases/sra/2003a1/2003b/nnouncepreferredbidderfo1524.pdf SRA Announce Preferred Bidder for TransPennine Express Franchise] Strategic Rail Authority 28 July 2003{{cite magazine |title= First wins TranPennine Express and promises new 100mph trains |magazine= Rail Magazine |issue=468 |date= 20 August 2003 |page=10}}{{cite magazine |title= First Group to operate Trans-Pennine Express |magazine= Rail Express |issue=88 |date= September 2003 |page=7}}{{cite magazine |title= Trans Pennine DMU order follows franchise victory for First Group/Keolis joint bid |magazine= The Railway Magazine |issue=1230 |date= October 2003 |page=35}}

In July 2004, the Strategic Rail Authority awarded the Northern Rail franchise to Serco-Abellio with the remaining services operated by Arriva Trains Northern transferring to Northern Rail on 12 December 2004.[http://www.serco.com/Images/010704NorthernRailFranchisePressRelease_tcm3-2158.pdf Serco joint venture selected as preferred bidder for Northern Rail train operating franchise] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127223255/http://serco.com/Images/010704NorthernRailFranchisePressRelease_tcm3-2158.pdf |date=27 November 2010 }} Serco Group 1 July 2004{{cite magazine |title= Serco and NedRailways joint bid secures new Northern franchise |magazine= Rail Express |issue=99 |date= August 2004 |page=5}}

In 2015, it was announced that Arriva had been awarded the Northern franchise, trading this time as Northern by Arriva. This franchise started in April 2016. However, this franchise was terminated early due to poor performance at the end of February 2020.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

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{{S-bef|rows=2|before=Regional Railways
As part of British Rail}}

{{S-ttl|rows=2|title=Operator of the Regional Railways North East franchise|years=1997–2004}}

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Northern Rail franchise}}

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TransPennine Express franchise}}

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{{UK TOCs|defunct|state=collapsed}}

Category:Arriva Group companies

Category:Defunct train operating companies in the United Kingdom

Category:Railway companies established in 1997

Category:Railway companies disestablished in 2004

Category:1997 establishments in England

Category:2004 disestablishments in England