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Silverlink Train Services Ltd was a train operating company
Train operating company

The term train operating company is used in the United Kingdom to describe the various businesses operating Train#Passenger trainss on the Rail transport in Great Britain under the collective National Rail brand....
 in the United Kingdom
Rail transport in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and previously consisted of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Rail transport systems developed independently on the two islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and most of the railway construction in the Republic of Ireland was undertaken before independence in 1922....
. It operated routes in North London
North London

North London is the northern part of London, England. The area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes....
 and from London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 to Northampton
Northampton

Northampton is a large market town and Non-metropolitan district in the East Midlands region of England. It is about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, and lies on the River Nene....
 (and until 2004, to Birmingham via Coventry). It was owned by National Express Group
National Express Group

National Express Group plc is a United Kingdom-based transport group with headquarters in Birmingham that operates bus, Coach , Rail transport and tram services in the UK, the United States and Canada, Australia, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe....
 plc.

franchise was awarded to National Express on 7th February 1997, when it was agreed they would take over North London Railways Ltd, a shadow franchise created when the Network SouthEast
Network SouthEast

Network SouthEast was one of three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982. NSE principally operated commuter trains in the London area and inter-urban services in densely populated South East England....
 sector of British Rail began to be prepared for privatisation on 1 April 1994.






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Silverlink Train Services Ltd was a train operating company
Train operating company

The term train operating company is used in the United Kingdom to describe the various businesses operating Train#Passenger trainss on the Rail transport in Great Britain under the collective National Rail brand....
 in the United Kingdom
Rail transport in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and previously consisted of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Rail transport systems developed independently on the two islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and most of the railway construction in the Republic of Ireland was undertaken before independence in 1922....
. It operated routes in North London
North London

North London is the northern part of London, England. The area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes....
 and from London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 to Northampton
Northampton

Northampton is a large market town and Non-metropolitan district in the East Midlands region of England. It is about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, and lies on the River Nene....
 (and until 2004, to Birmingham via Coventry). It was owned by National Express Group
National Express Group

National Express Group plc is a United Kingdom-based transport group with headquarters in Birmingham that operates bus, Coach , Rail transport and tram services in the UK, the United States and Canada, Australia, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe....
 plc.

History

The franchise was awarded to National Express on 7th February 1997, when it was agreed they would take over North London Railways Ltd, a shadow franchise created when the Network SouthEast
Network SouthEast

Network SouthEast was one of three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982. NSE principally operated commuter trains in the London area and inter-urban services in densely populated South East England....
 sector of British Rail began to be prepared for privatisation on 1 April 1994. The franchise began on 3 March 1997 and was due to end on 15 October 2006, but on 11 August 2006 the DfT
DFT

DFT may stand for:*Discrete Fourier transform*Decision field theory*Density functional theory*The United Kingdom's Department for Transport...
 extended the franchise to finish on 11 November 2007.

The company's name was changed to Silverlink in September 1997. The name is taken from the first of the LNER A4 steam locomotives (a member of which holds the world speed record for steam traction) which was called Silver Link. Ironically, Silverlink trains operated on the route to the north of the old LMS, the LNER's greatest rival.

Sub-brands


Silverlink trains had two sub-brands:

  • Silverlink County-operating services between London Euston and Northampton, Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey
    St Albans Branch Line

    The St Albans Abbey Branch Line is a railway line from Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey railway station. Its 6.5 miles go through town and countryside....
    , and Bletchley and Bedford; and


  • Silverlink Metro -operating services between Stratford and Richmond, Willesden Junction and Clapham Junction, London Euston to Watford Junction via Queen's Park and Willesden Junction, and Gospel Oak and Barking.


Silverlink Metro


North London Line
North London Line

The North London Line is a railway line through the inner suburbs of north London, England, from Richmond station in the west to North Woolwich railway station in the east in roughly a semi-circle....

† At the end of service on Saturday 9 December 2006 the line between Stratford and North Woolwich closed, as much of the route is duplicated by the Docklands Light Railway
Docklands Light Railway

The Docklands Light Railway is a light rail system serving the redeveloped London Docklands area of East London, England....
 and the Jubilee Line
Jubilee Line

The Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections - initially to Charing Cross tube station in Central London, and Jubilee Line Extension in 1999 to Stratford station in East London, England....
, leaving Stratford as the eastern terminus of the North London Line.

West London Line
West London Line

The West London Line is a short railway linking Clapham Junction in the south to Willesden Junction station in the north. It was built to enable trains to cross London....

Watford DC Line
Watford DC Line

The Watford DC Line is a Commuter rail in the United Kingdom from Euston railway station to Watford Junction railway station. Services on the line are operated by London Overground....

† = also served by the Bakerloo Line
Bakerloo Line

The Bakerloo line is a line of the London Underground, coloured brown on the Tube map. It runs partly on the surface and partly at deep level, from the Elephant and Castle in south-east to Wealdstone in north-west of London....
.

Gospel Oak to Barking Line
Gospel Oak to Barking line

The Gospel Oak ? Barking Line is a railway line in north and east London which connects Gospel Oak railway station in North London and Barking station in East London as part of the London Overground network....

Silverlink County


Northampton Line

Northampton Line services ran on the slow lines of the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line

The West Coast Main Line is a busy mixed-traffic railway route in the United Kingdom. It is central to the provision of fast, long-distance Intercity passenger services between London, the West Midlands , the North West England, North Wales and southern Scotland....
.

† Services north of Northampton were taken over by Central Trains
Central Trains

Central Trains was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running local and long-distance services in central England. The company?s operations were centred on Birmingham in the West Midlands ....
 from 2005. The route shared rolling stock and parent company
National Express

National Express is the brand under which the majority of long distance bus and Coach services in Great Britain are marketed, and also the company that manages this network and operates some of the services....
 with Silverlink, and some through services remained.

St Albans Abbey Line
St Albans Branch Line

The St Albans Abbey Branch Line is a railway line from Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey railway station. Its 6.5 miles go through town and countryside....

Marston Vale Line
Marston Vale Line

The Marston Vale Line is the railway line from Bletchley, Milton Keynes to Bedford, England in England. It is one of two passenger-carrying remnants of the Oxford to Cambridge "Varsity Line"....

Performance


Silverlink was categorised as a London and South East operator by the Office for Rail Regulation (ORR) and was one of the best performing TOCs in this sector with a PPM (Public Performance Measure) of 90.8% for the last quarter of the financial year 2006/7 . This figure is for the whole of the day, as opposed to just peak services for which their performance is lower. The figures are slightly down from last year, but remain above the sector level of 89.0%.

Silverlink Metro service levels

Despite published performance figures the Silverlink Metro franchise on the North London Line was regarded by frequent travellers as offering a poor service, with extremely congested trains and an unreliable service with some trains cancelled shortly before they are due to arrive. A recent London Assembly
London Assembly

The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget....
 report described the service as "shabby, unreliable, unsafe and overcrowded". The recent transfer of the service to 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....
 (TfL) has the potential to improve the quality of the service due to upgrade plans which coincide with the extension of the East London line
East London Line

The East London Line was a line of the London Underground, coloured orange on the Tube map. It ran north to south through the East End of London and London Docklands areas of London, entirely in Travelcard Zone 2....
.

A report on the future of the line can be found on the London Assembly website.

Rolling Stock

Metro services were operated by class 313
British Rail Class 313

Class 313 electric multiple units were built by BREL at York Works from 1976-1977, these being the first List of British Rail classes#Second Generation EMUs to be constructed for British Rail....
 25kV AC/750 V DC electric multiple units on the electrified routes, with three class 508/3
British Rail Class 508

The British Rail Class 508 electric multiple units were built by BREL at York works in 1979-80. They were the fourth variety of BR's then-standard 1972 design for suburban EMUs, eventually encompassing 755 vehicles and five classes ....
 750 V DC electric multiple units used exclusively on the Euston-Watford Junction service. Class 150
British Rail Class 150

The British Rail Class 150 British Rail brand names 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 List of British Rail diesel multiple unit classes#1st Generation "Heritage" DMUs....
 Sprinter 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....
s are used on the non-electrified Gospel Oak-Barking route. They replaced elderly class 121
British Rail Class 121

Sixteen Class 121 single-car driving motor vehicles were built from 1960, numbered 55020-55035. These were supplemented by ten trailer vehicles, numbered 56280-289 ....
 units in 2000.

County services to Northampton were operated by class 321/4
British Rail Class 321

The British Rail Class 321 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL York in three batches from 1986-1989. The design was very successful and led to the development of the similar British Rail Class 320 and British Rail Class 322 units for use by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and Stansted Express respectively....
 electrical multiple units introduced in 1988. They were joined by new class 350/1
British Rail Class 350

File:350240 Birmingham New Street.jpgFile:Class350 HighDensity Seating.jpgThe British Rail Class 350 Desiro is class of electrical multiple unit built by Siemens AG from 2004- present....
 Desiro
Desiro

Desiro is the brand name for a design of modular train manufactured by Siemens AG of Germany.The Desiro can be built as a diesel or electric multiple unit ....
 units built by Siemens AG
Siemens AG

Siemens Aktiengesellschaft is Europe's largest engineering Conglomerate . Siemens' international headquarters are located in Berlin and Munich, Germany....
 in summer 2005, which operate as a shared fleet with Central Trains
Central Trains

Central Trains was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running local and long-distance services in central England. The company?s operations were centred on Birmingham in the West Midlands ....
.

The St Albans Abbey line was operated for many years by class 313
British Rail Class 313

Class 313 electric multiple units were built by BREL at York Works from 1976-1977, these being the first List of British Rail classes#Second Generation EMUs to be constructed for British Rail....
 electric multiple units, but were usually operated by 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 1986-1989. The design was very successful and led to the development of the similar British Rail Class 320 and British Rail Class 322 units for use by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and Stansted Express respectively....
 units with Silverlink Metro drivers and Silverlink County guards.

The non-electrified County Marston Vale Line used class 150
British Rail Class 150

The British Rail Class 150 British Rail brand names 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 List of British Rail diesel multiple unit classes#1st Generation "Heritage" DMUs....
 diesel units.

Fleet


ClassImageTypeTop speedNumberRoutes operatedBuiltPeriod usedNotes
mphkm/h
Class 121 Bubble Car
British Rail Class 121

Sixteen Class 121 single-car driving motor vehicles were built from 1960, numbered 55020-55035. These were supplemented by ten trailer vehicles, numbered 56280-289 ....
 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....
701124Gospel Oak - Barking Line
Marston Vale Line		1959?-2001Replaced by Class 150
Class 150/1 Sprinter
British Rail Class 150

The British Rail Class 150 British Rail brand names 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 List of British Rail diesel multiple unit classes#1st Generation "Heritage" DMUs....
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....
751208Silverlink Metro:
Gospel Oak - Barking Line
Silverlink County:
Marston Vale Line		1981 - 19852000 - 2007Remained in service after end of franchise.
Class 313
British Rail Class 313

Class 313 electric multiple units were built by BREL at York Works from 1976-1977, these being the first List of British Rail classes#Second Generation EMUs to be constructed for British Rail....
electric multiple unit
Electric multiple unit

An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of many carriages using electricity as the motive power....
7512021Silverlink Metro:
North London Line
West London Line
Watford DC Line		1975 - 1978
1998 - 1999
(Refurbished)		? - 2007Remained in service after end of franchise.
Class 321/4
British Rail Class 321

The British Rail Class 321 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL York in three batches from 1986-1989. The design was very successful and led to the development of the similar British Rail Class 320 and British Rail Class 322 units for use by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and Stansted Express respectively....
electric multiple unit
Electric multiple unit

An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of many carriages using electricity as the motive power....
10016048Silverlink County:
Northampton Line
St Albans Abbey Line		1988 - 1989? - 2007Remained in service after end of franchise.
Class 350/1 Desiro
British Rail Class 350

File:350240 Birmingham New Street.jpgFile:Class350 HighDensity Seating.jpgThe British Rail Class 350 Desiro is class of electrical multiple unit built by Siemens AG from 2004- present....
electric multiple unit
Electric multiple unit

An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of many carriages using electricity as the motive power....
100160301Silverlink County:
Northampton Line		2004 - 20052004 - 2007Remained in service after end of franchise.
Class 508/3
British Rail Class 508

The British Rail Class 508 electric multiple units were built by BREL at York works in 1979-80. They were the fourth variety of BR's then-standard 1972 design for suburban EMUs, eventually encompassing 755 vehicles and five classes ....
electric multiple unit
Electric multiple unit

An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of many carriages using electricity as the motive power....
751203Silverlink Metro:
Watford DC Line		1979 - 1980
2003
(Refurbished)		2003 - 2007Remained in service after end of franchise.


  1. Built for Central Trains and Silverlink regional express services and Central Trains CityLink services on the southern section of the West Coast Main Line.


Silverlink in the News

  • On Tuesday 24 January 2006, London
    London

    London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
     Mayor Ken Livingstone
    Ken Livingstone

    Kenneth Robert Livingstone, is a United Kingdom politician. He has twice held the List of heads of London government in London local government: firstly as leader of the Greater London Council from 1981 until the council was abolished in 1986 by the government of Margaret Thatcher, and secondly as the first Mayor of London, a post he held fr...
     called for all Silverlink stations to be staffed after the murder of City lawyer Thomas Rhys Pryce near Kensal Green station
    Kensal Green station

    Kensal Green station is a station served by London Underground Bakerloo line and London Overground trains. On both services, the station is between Willesden Junction station and Queen's Park station stations....
    .
  • On Friday 16 July 2004, Virgin Trains
    Virgin Trains

    Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, which currently provides services from Euston railway station to the West Midlands , North West England, North Wales and Scotland, and from Birmingham New Street station to North West England and Scotland, on the West Coast Main Line....
     announced that it was withdrawing most of its stops at Milton Keynes Central
    Milton Keynes Central railway station

    Milton Keynes Central is a railway station that serves the central area of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire#Ceremonial county. The station is located on the West Coast Main Line where it is served by Virgin Trains inter-city services and by London Midland local services....
    , which were used by up to 6000 passengers a day. Commuters became unhappy at the prospect of switching to older Silverlink trains, a longer journey. Silverlink countered this with the temporary usage of ex-Virgin stock, still in Virgin colours.
  • On Monday 7 June 2004, a Silverlink train carrying about 50 passengers derailed as it entered Northampton
    Northampton railway station

    Northampton railway station is the railway station that serves Northampton and parts of the south of Northamptonshire in England. Other parts of South Northamptonshire are better served by Kings Sutton, Banbury and Milton Keynes stations....
    . No-one was injured.


Reorganisation of former Silverlink Services

The Silverlink franchise ended in November 2007. Henceforward, Silverlink's operations were split between 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....
 and the new West Midlands franchise. Therefore, Silverlink County and Silverlink Metro have become Defunct UK Train Operating companies (sub-brands).

London Overground

Silverlink Metro services (the North London Line
North London Line

The North London Line is a railway line through the inner suburbs of north London, England, from Richmond station in the west to North Woolwich railway station in the east in roughly a semi-circle....
, the West London Line
West London Line

The West London Line is a short railway linking Clapham Junction in the south to Willesden Junction station in the north. It was built to enable trains to cross London....
, the Watford DC Line
Watford DC Line

The Watford DC Line is a Commuter rail in the United Kingdom from Euston railway station to Watford Junction railway station. Services on the line are operated by London Overground....
 and the Gospel Oak to Barking line
Gospel Oak to Barking line

The Gospel Oak ? Barking Line is a railway line in north and east London which connects Gospel Oak railway station in North London and Barking station in East London as part of the London Overground network....
) have come under the control of 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....
 under the banner of the London Overground.

Four prospective operators were initially pre-selected for the London Overground concession:
  • Govia
    Govia

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

    MTR Laing was the original trading name of LOROL, the company responsible for the operations of London Overground, one of the rapid transit systems managed by Transport for London in London, United Kingdom....
     (a joint venture between MTR Corporation
    MTR Corporation

    MTR Corporation Limited is a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and included in the Hang Seng Index. It is the company that owns and runs the MTR metro system....
     and Laing Rail)
  • National Express Group
    National Express Group

    National Express Group plc is a United Kingdom-based transport group with headquarters in Birmingham that operates bus, Coach , Rail transport and tram services in the UK, the United States and Canada, Australia, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe....
  • Nedrail
    Nederlandse Spoorwegen

    Nederlandse Spoorwegen , or NS, is the principal passenger railway operating company in the Netherlands. Its trains operate over the tracks of the Dutch national rail infrastructure company ProRail, which was split off from NS in 2003....


In December 2006, Govia and MTR Laing were selected to submit "best and final offers" for the concession. MTR Laing was selected on 19th June 2007 and began operations from 11 November 2007.

West Midlands Franchise

Silverlink County services were merged with part of Central Trains
Central Trains

Central Trains was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running local and long-distance services in central England. The company?s operations were centred on Birmingham in the West Midlands ....
 to form the new West Midlands franchise. The Department for Transport
Department for Transport

In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the Departments of the United Kingdom Government responsible for the English transport network and transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved....
 announced on 19 September 2006 that three parties had pre-qualified for the new franchise..

  • London & Birmingham Railway Limited (Govia
    Govia

    Govia is a transport company based in the United Kingdom. A joint venture between Go-Ahead_Group and Keolis SA it is a key operator of commuter services in London, the South East England and on the West Coast Main Line....
    )
  • MTR Corporation (UK) Limited (MTR Corporation
    MTR Corporation

    MTR Corporation Limited is a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and included in the Hang Seng Index. It is the company that owns and runs the MTR metro system....
     of Hong Kong
    Hong Kong

    Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia, bordering the province of Guangdong to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south....
    )
  • Serco NedRailways West Midlands Limited (a Joint Venture between Serco and NedRailways
    Nederlandse Spoorwegen

    Nederlandse Spoorwegen , or NS, is the principal passenger railway operating company in the Netherlands. Its trains operate over the tracks of the Dutch national rail infrastructure company ProRail, which was split off from NS in 2003....
    )


Subsequently, MTR withdrew. In June 2007, the Government announced that Govia had been awarded the franchise, to be operated under the name London Midland
London Midland

London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands Franchise since 11 November 2007....
.

Willesden depot

Alstom
Alstom

Alstom is a large France multinational company list of conglomerates which holds interests in the electricity generation and transport markets....
 had proposed to withdraw from the Willesden train maintenance depot. Closure would have left the Class 313 trains homeless. On May 12 2007, Silverlink took over direct running of the depot and its staff for the final six months of its franchise. . Alstom will continue to operate four depots on the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line

The West Coast Main Line is a busy mixed-traffic railway route in the United Kingdom. It is central to the provision of fast, long-distance Intercity passenger services between London, the West Midlands , the North West England, North Wales and southern Scotland....
, at Wembley
Wembley

Wembley Central is an area located in HA postcode area, UK which forms the Western part of the London Borough of Brent. It is best known as the location of Wembley Stadium, which is the home of English football....
, Oxley
Oxley

Oxley may refer to several things:...
, Longsight
Longsight

Longsight is an area of the Manchester, in North West England England. It is around south of Manchester City Centre, and has a total population of 16,007....
, and Polmadie
Polmadie

Polmadie is a district of Glasgow, a city in Scotland. Polmadie is situated south of the River Clyde, and adjacent to the Gorbals.The most prominent landmark within Polmadie is the twin chimneys of a now disused waste incinerator plant operated by Glasgow City Council....
.

External links

  • (now redirects to London Midland
    London Midland

    London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands Franchise since 11 November 2007....
    )


|-