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 Class 222 atNottingham in EMR Intercity livery | |||
| Overview | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise(s) |
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| Main region(s) | |||
| Other region(s) | |||
| Fleet | |||
| Stations called at | 140 | ||
| Parent company | Transport UK Group | ||
| Reporting mark | EM[1] | ||
| Predecessor | East Midlands Trains | ||
| Other | |||
| Website | www | ||
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East Midlands Railway (EMR; legallyTransport UK East Midlands Limited[3]) is a Britishtrain operating company owned byTransport UK Group, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise.
Originally owned byAbellio, EMR took over operations fromEast Midlands Trains (EMT) on 18 August 2019, on an agreement to run the franchise for eight years. As part of the franchise commitments, EMR placed an order for 33 new bi-modeClass 810Aurora high speed train sets, and sourced over 40 pre-existingClass 170Turbostar diesel multiple units from other operators.
During early 2020, passenger numbers and ticket revenues collapsed following the onset of theCOVID-19 pandemic, leading to the original franchise agreement being initially suspended before being replaced entirely. Under the new National Rail Contract signed in 2022, the franchise is to last until October 2030. In February 2023,Transport UK Group concluded amanagement buyout of Abellio's United Kingdom business, which included EMR.
In March 2017, theDepartment for Transport announced thatArriva, a joint venture betweenFirstGroup andTrenitalia, and incumbentStagecoach had been shortlisted to bid for the next East Midlands franchise.[4][5][6]Abellio was also shortlisted for the franchise during February 2018.[7]
In April 2018, FirstGroup and Trenitalia pulled out of the bidding process, their stated reason for doing so being to focus on theWest Coast Partnership franchise.[8][9] During April 2019, it was announced that the franchise has been awarded to Abellio, with East Midlands Railway (EMR) to take over the franchise fromEast Midlands Trains (EMT) on 18 August 2019 for a period of eight years;[10] rival bidderStagecoach had been disqualified from the process because its submission failed to meet employeepension obligations.[11][12]
In June 2019, Abellio revealed its branding and colour scheme for EMR, which featured distinct purple and white colours that reflected the heritage of theEast Midlands. The company also confirmed that it would divide the franchise's services into three segments:[13]
EMR Electrics was later rebranded as EMR Connect following an announcement in April 2021.[14]
Following the onset of theCOVID-19 pandemic and a resulting collapse in both passenger numbers and ticket revenues in March 2020, the franchise agreement was suspended and replaced by an Emergency Measure Agreement for six months under which the Department for Transport assumed responsibility for all revenues and costs and EMR was instead paid a management fee.[15] This arrangement was superseded by an Emergency Recovery Measures Agreement (ERMA) under which the original franchise agreement was terminated. At the time, it was announced that the EMR franchise would operate until March 2022.[16][17]
In October 2021, the DfT issued an updated prior information notice that confirmed that the ERMA period would be extended until 16 October 2022.[18] During October 2022, it was announced that EMR had received a direct award of a four-year National Rail Contract, the terms of which included the option of extending it for a further period of up to four years.[2]
EMR was one of several train operators impacted by the2022-2023 United Kingdom railway strikes, which was the first national rail strike in the UK for three decades.[19] Its workers were amongst those who participated inindustrial action due to a dispute over pay and working conditions.[20] On multiple occasions, EMR has requested that the travelling public avoid using its services on certain dates due to these strikes.[21][22]
During February 2023,Transport UK Group concluded amanagement buyout of Abellio's United Kingdom business, which included EMR.[23][24]
EMR operates commuter services fromLondon St Pancras toCorby, as well as Intercity services from London St Pancras along theMidland Main Line toNottingham andSheffield with limited extensions toLincoln. EMR also operate the local East Midlands services and inter regional services toLiverpool andNorwich (Express service). Services from Nottingham to Liverpool Lime Street were to transfer to another operator during the life of the franchise,[25] although following a review by the DfT, this will no longer take place; the service instead being split at Nottingham as intended but remaining with EMR.[26] TheBarton line was expected to transfer fromNorthern in 2019 but this was delayed until May 2021.[27][28]
On 19 June 2021, EMR Regional services were cut to enable the timetable to run effectively.[29] Although EMR stated that 85% of services were still running, there was still an impact to local commuter services.[30]
Contactless payment cards can be used betweenLondon St Pancras andLuton Airport Parkway.[31]
Over the course of the franchise, several planned timetable changes are to be made:[25]
As of December 2024, East Midlands Railway's regular off-peak services Monday-Friday include:[32]
| Route | tph | Calling at |
|---|---|---|
| London St Pancras International –Nottingham | 2 |
|
| London St Pancras International –Sheffield | 2 |
|
EMR Regional is a brand used on regional routes, most of which terminate at or pass throughNottingham, including services fromNorwich toLiverpool Lime Street and fromCrewe toNewark Castle.
They run a mixture ofClass 158s and170s with 158s normally confined to the Norwich to Liverpool stretch.[33] EMR introduced Class 170s to replace the153s and156s which have since been withdrawn,[34] and initially the 158s, which will now be kept for the foreseeable future and are planned for refurbishment along with the 170s.[35][36][37][38][39]
The Norwich to Liverpool service was initially planned to terminate at Nottingham with the stretch to Liverpool Lime Street taken over during the franchise by another operator, likelyTransPennine Express.[26] However, this is no longer taking place.
| Derwent Valley line | ||
|---|---|---|
| Route | tph | Calling at |
| Nottingham –Matlock | 1 |
|
| Crewe–Derby line | ||
| Route | tph | Calling at |
| Crewe –Newark Castle | 1 | |
| Castle line | ||
| Route | tph | Calling at |
| Leicester –Lincoln | 1⁄2 | |
| Leicester –Grimsby Town | 1⁄2 | |
| Newark Northgate –Lincoln | 5tpd | |
| Nottingham–Grantham andPoacher lines | ||
| Route | tph | Calling at |
| Nottingham –Skegness | 1 |
|
| Robin Hood Line | ||
| Route | tph | Calling at |
| Nottingham –Worksop | 1 |
|
| Peterborough to Doncaster viaDoncaster–Lincoln line | ||
| Route | tph | Calling at |
| Peterborough –Lincoln | 1 | |
| Peterborough –Doncaster | 1⁄2 | |
| Liverpool to Norwich | ||
| Route | tph | Calling at |
| Liverpool Lime Street –Norwich | 1 | |
| Barton line | ||
| Route | tph | Calling at |
| Barton-on-Humber –Cleethorpes | 1⁄2 | |
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | |
| Current operator(s) | East Midlands Railway,17 May 2021 –16 October 2030 |
| Website | https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/our-fleet/connect |
| Route | |
| Termini | |
| Train number(s) | EM |
| Line(s) used | |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | 21Class 360s |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge |
| Electrification | |
| Track owner(s) | Network Rail |
EMR Connect is a commuter service linkingCorby withSt Pancras. The service began in May 2021 usingClass 360s formerly used byGreater Anglia following theelectrification of the Midland Main Line from Bedford to Kettering and Corby in 2020.[40] It was initially planned to be known asEMR Electrics until just before its launch date in April 2021.
In March 2023, theLuton DART, anautomated guided people mover, opened betweenLuton Airport andLuton Airport Parkway railway station.[41] From then on, EMR simultaneously brands EMR Connect as theairport rail linkLuton Airport Express since the services are non stop from St Pancras to Luton Airport Parkway, with a headline figure of 32 minutes from London St Pancras to the airport terminal using the Luton DART, the cost of which is included in the train ticket price.[42][43]
| Route | tph | Calling at |
|---|---|---|
| London St Pancras International –Corby | 2 |
East Midlands Railway inherited a fleet of 28Class 43, 21Class 153, 15Class 156, 26Class 158, and 27Class 222 units fromEast Midlands Trains. In January 2020, nine additional Class 156 units fromGreater Anglia were introduced into service. Nine 8-carriageInterCity 125 sets were also transferred fromLondon North Eastern Railway, with the first set having entered service on 4 May 2020. They were replaced in May 2021.[44] To replace the formerGrand Central “buffered” HST sets, EMR commenced a lease of the four former Hull TrainsClass 180 fleet despite their history of technical difficulties, with the first units entering service on 13 December 2020.[45][46] On 16 May 2021, East Midlands Railway launched EMR Connect services between Corby and London St Pancras, which has enabled the final HSTs to be withdrawn.[47] The Connect service is operated by ex-Greater AngliaClass 360s.[48][49]
By 2023, East Midlands Railway planned to run EMR Regional services using 40Class 170 units (in fact, they have 43 170s so far), and by 2024 plans to run EMR Intercity services using 33 new bi-modeClass 810Aurora units.[50]
The finalClass 170s fromWest Midlands Trains were delivered in May 2023.[51] The lastClass 170 fromTransport for Wales was transferred on 28 January 2024.[52] EMR also has 170s acquired fromScotRail andSouthern; the latter were converted back to 170s from previously converted171s by reinstating their original type of couplers.
The company is refurbishing the stock used for its regional services.[53][36][37][38][54]
| Family | Class | Image | Type | Top Speed | Number | Carriages | Routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||||
| EMR Intercity | |||||||||
| Bombardier Voyager | 222Meridian |  | DEMU | 125 | 200 | 23[55] | 5 |
| 2003–2005 |
| 4[55] | 7 | ||||||||
  | |||||||||
| EMR Connect / Luton Airport Express | |||||||||
| Siemens Desiro | 360Desiro |  | EMU | 110 | 180 | 21[56] | 4 |
| 2002–2003 |
 | |||||||||
| EMR Regional | |||||||||
| Sprinter | 158Express Sprinter |
| DMU | 90 | 145 | 26[56] | 2 |
| 1989–1992 |
 | |||||||||
| Bombardier Turbostar | 170Turbostar |  | 100 | 161 | 27[56] | 2 |
| 1999–2002 | |
| 16[58] | 3 | ||||||||
  | |||||||||
To replace theClass 222 units, 33 five-carriageClass 810 bi-mode trains will be introduced in early 2025 to make use of the newly electrifiedMidland Main Line.[59][60] The Class 810 is an evolution of theClass 802 units that Hitachi have delivered to a number of British train operators;[61] amongst other changes, it has a reduced car length as to better facilitate its use of stations such as St Pancras and is fitted with uprated diesel engines that enable the Class 810 to equal, if not exceed, the acceleration of the Class 222.[50] During May 2020, EMR opened a competition to give the class their own unique brand name.[62] In October 2020, EMR announced that the fleet will have the 'Aurora' brand.[63] The earlier-than-planned withdrawal of the Class 180 fleet, now occurring at the May 2023 timetable change, means that 'Aurora' units will only directly replace the Class 222 fleet.[64]
| Family | Class | Image | Type | Top Speed | Number | Carriages | Routes operated | In service | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||||
| EMR Intercity | |||||||||
| Hitachi AT300 | 810Aurora |  | BMU | 125 | 200 | 33[65] | 5 | Early 2025[66] | |
The last of theInterCity 125 sets East Midlands Railway inherited fromEast Midlands Trains were withdrawn in December 2020, having been replaced by five exLNER InterCity 125 sets which had greater compliance with new regulations and four Class 180s.[67] Originally nine former LNER sets were to replace a similar number of sets inherited from East Midlands Trains. However, after the carriages were found to require more repairs than originally envisaged, this was cut back to five sets.[68]
In December 2021, the finalClass 153s were withdrawn, as they were not PRM (Persons with Reduced Mobility) compliant, withClass 156s replacing them on theBarton line from 13 December.[69][70] These units were placed into storage at Long Marston and Ely Papworth Sidings in December 2021.[71]
In December 2022, fourClass 156 units went off lease and were sent for storage atBarrow Hill, with East Midlands Railway stating that they will be moved to Ely Papworth sidings at a later date.[72]
East Midlands Railway withdrew the last of its Class 156 fleet and its entire 180 fleet in May 2023.[51]
| Class | Family | Image | Type | Top Speed | Number | Carriages | Routes operated | Withdrawn | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||||
| EMR Intercity | |||||||||
| 43 (HST) | InterCity 125 | .JPG) | Loco | 125 | 200 | 24 | N/A |
| 2020 |
.JPG) | 6[73] | ||||||||
 | 23 | 2020–2021 | |||||||
| Mark 3 |  | Coach | 94[74] | 2020 | |||||
 | 78[75] | 2020–2021 | |||||||
| 180Adelante | Alstom Coradia |  | DHMU | 125 | 200 | 4[60] | 5 |
| 2023[51] |
| EMR Regional | |||||||||
| 153 | Super Sprinter | .JPG) | DMU | 75 | 120 | 21[74][76] | 1 |
| 2019–2021 |
| 156 |  | 24[77] | 2 | 2021-2023 | |||||
EMR operates two depots:Derby Etches Park andNottingham Eastcroft.[78] TheClass 360s are maintained atBedford Cauldwell Walk depot bySiemens Mobility.[79]
East Midlands Railway was investigated by theAdvertising Standards Authority, who in September 2021 found that they had breached marketing codes. The firm had launched a competition in February 2021 asking participants for ideas to "Build Back Better" with the chance of winning £5,000. However, the competition was closed and the prize not awarded; East Midlands Railway stated that this was due to financial concerns regarding theCOVID-19 pandemic as well as due to the low quality of entries received.[80][81]
A newly branded Luton Airport Express train from London St Pancras will run nonstop every half-hour with a journey time of just 22 minutes.
| Preceded by | Operator of East Midlands franchise 2019–2030 | Succeeded by Incumbent |
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