Network NorthWest

Class 142 atManchester Piccadilly in Network NorthWest/BR Provincial livery
Main region(s)	Manchester,North West England
Parent company	British Rail

Network NorthWest was abrand name of British Rail which was applied for a short period to the provincial railway network inNorth West England. It was launched in 1989 duringBritish Rail'ssectorisation programme which created distinct brand identities for regional sub-divisions.

The Network NorthWest name mirrored the largerNetwork SouthEast brand which had been rolled out on the rail network aroundLondon and theSouth East of England since 1982. Network NorthWest promoted suburban and regional railway services centred onManchester and was jointly funded byBritish Rail, theGreater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive andLancashire County Council.^[1][2] Some Network NorthWest services overlapped with those of neighbouringMerseyrail, another British Rail regional network which was centred onLiverpool.

The public launch of the brand took place on 4 April 1989 at an event hosted by television presenterStuart Hall at theManchester Museum of Science and Industry, sited around the formerManchester Liverpool Road railway station.^[3][4][5] Invited guests travelled on a special train formed of aClass 150 from the museum toChorley, then back fromAdlington (Lancashire) toManchester Oxford Road. Souvenir tickets were issued for the journey.^[6] TheProvincial sector of British Rail, which was responsible for the new network, then ran a series of roadshows in town centres across northwest England in June and July 1989 to increase public awareness of the brand.^[7]

With effect from 15 May 1989, when the summer 1989 timetable was introduced, all rail services operated by theProvincial sector of British Rail across a large area of northwest England were marketed and operated under the Network NorthWest name. The area was bounded byShotton,Runcorn,Warrington Central,Wigan North Western,Southport (viaParbold),Blackpool South,Blackpool North,Wennington,Colne,Littleborough,Greenfield,Hadfield,Grindleford,Buxton,Congleton andCrewe.^[3] TheWigan Wallgate–Kirkby andPreston–Ormskirk branches were also included, but theWest Coast Main Line betweenCrewe andWigan North Western was excluded because it was run by theInterCity sector.^{[6][note 1]}

Also introduced at this time were two one-dayRail Rover tickets allowing unlimited off-peak travel in either the full Network NorthWest area (at £7.60, with reductions for children andRailcard holders) or a smaller zone described as the "central area" (£3.80).^[8] Ticket issuing facilities at stations were also overhauled during the Network NorthWest era: some stations were destaffed or saw reductions in ticket office opening hours, the newAPTIS andSPORTIS systems were installed at many stations, and three types ofself-service ticket issuing system were trialled at various locations.^[9]

From 15 May 1990, the Merseyrail area was added to Network NorthWest, and additional Rover tickets were introduced to cover various parts of the network. A Rover covering the whole enlarged area cost £10.90.^[10]

Network NorthWest was a short-lived venture and few examples remain of the Network NorthWest brand today. Network NorthWest was eventually absorbed into theRegional Railways operation prior to theprivatisation of British Rail and the brand disappeared from use. After privatisation, railway services in the Network NorthWest zone were taken over byNorth Western Trains and subsequently operated byNorthern Rail,Arriva Rail North andNorthern Trains, while two local lines were taken into theManchester Metrolinklight rail system.

Network NorthWest featured a red and grey NW logo which was applied to publicity, timetables, station signage and some rolling stock across the region. The limited NorthWest provincial train livery was a blue upper body, light grey lower body and a red and grey bodyside stripe with an "NW" Logo.^[11] The livery was applied to a number ofClass 150Sprinters serving routes in and out of Manchester,^[12] and someClass 142Pacers in light blue British Rail Provincial livery had the "NW" emblem applied alongside the British Rail double arrow logo.^[13]

• Overground Network – a pilot brand used for London rail 2003–2006

Wikimedia Commons has media related toNetwork NorthWest.

Example of Network NorthWest livery on rolling stock:

• Class 150 Sprinter at Manchester Victoria
• Class 150 Sprinter at Chester

• "A new identity for local rail network in the North West".Rail. No. 93. EMAP National Publications. 6–19 April 1989. p. 39.ISSN 0953-4563.OCLC 49953699.
• Lord, Eric (13–26 July 1989). "BR staff attacked as Network NorthWest suffers delays".Rail. No. 100. EMAP National Publications. p. 13.ISSN 0953-4563.OCLC 49953699.

• British Rail brands
• History of rail transport in Great Britain
• British Rail passenger services
• Rail transport in Greater Manchester
• Rail transport in Lancashire
• Transport in North West England
• History of transport in Greater Manchester

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from February 2018
• Use British English from February 2018
• Commons category link from Wikidata