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 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Franchises | Merseyrail 19 January 1997 – 20 July 2003 |
| Main region | Merseyside |
| Other regions | Lancashire Cheshire |
| Fleet | 53 |
| Stations called at | 67 |
| Stations operated | 66 |
| Parent company | Arriva |
| Reporting mark | ME |
| Predecessor | British Rail |
| Successor | Merseyrail |
Arriva Trains Merseyside[1] was atrain operating company in England owned byArriva that operated theMerseyrail Electrics franchise between January 1997 and July 2003. The company served theNorthern Line andWirral Line of the Merseyrail network, coveringMerseyside and parts ofCheshire andLancashire. It inherited a fleet ofClass 507 andClass 508electric multiple units fromBritish Rail, along with a small number of locomotives and departmental units.
The franchise was originally awarded toMTL in 1997, with operations commencing on 19 January that year. In February 2000, Arriva purchased MTL and rebranded the operation as Arriva Trains Merseyside in April 2001. On 23 April 2003, the franchise was awarded to a joint venture betweenSerco andAbellio (now known asTransport UK Group), with operations transferring to the newMerseyrail concession on 20 July 2003 under the oversight of theMerseytravel Passenger Transport Executive.
The Merseyrail Electrics franchise was created during the privatisation of British Rail in the mid-1990s. In December 1996, theDirector of Passenger Rail Franchising awarded the contract to local transport operatorMTL, which at the time also operated bus and other rail services in the Liverpool City Region.[2] Operations commenced on 19 January 1997 under the retained Merseyrail Electrics brand, using the existing fleet of Class 507 and Class 508 electric multiple units. Services covered theNorthern Line andWirral Line, linking central Liverpool with towns such asSouthport,Ormskirk,Kirkby,Ellesmere Port,Chester, andNew Brighton.
On 18 February 2000, MTL was purchased byArriva for £84 million, bringing the franchise under Arriva's control.[3][4] On 27 April 2001, the operation was formally rebranded asArriva Trains Merseyside.[5] The company introduced the standard Arriva corporate livery to parts of the fleet, although many trains retained variations of the original Merseyrail yellow scheme. Day-to-day operations and maintenance continued largely unchanged, with servicing carried out atBirkenhead North depot.
In early 2003, the Strategic Rail Authority andMerseytravel restructured the Merseyrail Electrics franchise into a long-term concession model, designed to be tightly integrated with the local transport executive. On 23 April 2003, the contract to operate the concession was awarded to a joint venture betweenSerco andAbellio (now known asTransport UK Group).[6] Arriva Trains Merseyside ceased operations on 20 July 2003, when the services and rolling stock transferred to the newMerseyrail concessionaire.
Arriva Trains Merseyside inherited a fleet ofClass 507 andClass 508electric multiple units fromRegional Railways. It also inherited a fleet ofClass 73 locomotives andClass 936 EMUs for use on infrastructure trains; these were sold in 2002.
Fleet at end of franchise
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||
| 507 |  | EMU | 75 | 120 | 32 | Northern Line Wirral Line | 1978–1980 |
| 508/1 |  | EMU | 75 | 120 | 21 | Northern Line Wirral Line | 1979–1980 |
Past fleet
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||
| 73 | Loco | 80 | 129 | 4 | Infrastructure train | 1962 | |
| 936 |  | EMU | 60 | 97 | 3 | Infrastructure train | 1955–1956 |
Arriva Trains Merseyside's fleet was maintained atBirkenhead North Depot.
| Preceded by | Operator of Merseyrail franchise 1997–2003 | Succeeded by |
