Central Trains
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| Overview | |
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| Franchise(s): | Central Trains 2 March 1997 – 11 November 2007 |
| Main Region(s): | Midlands (East, West) |
| Other Region(s): | North West England, East Anglia, South East Wales |
| Stations called at: | 232 (193 operated) |
| National Rail abbreviation: | CT |
| Parent company: | National Express Group |
Central Trains was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by National Express that operated the Central Trains franchise from March 1997 until November 2007.
Created out of the Central division of Regional Railways, Central Trains passed into the private sector on 2 March 1997. The franchise was awarded to National Express Group, who maintained control of the company until its eventual demise in 2007. Central Trains employed over 2,400 staff.
The company invested significantly in rolling stock, with significant orders for new trains placed and the fleet later further grown through the acquisition of trains made surplus by other companies. Despite a reduction in the area covered during the ten years of its existence, the company grew its core fleet from fewer than 300 passenger vehicles to a total of 379 – a capacity increase of over 28%. It also refurbished a number of its stations, introducing ticket gates, help points and live information boards.
Central Trains also clamped down on vandalism on its trains and fare evasion, including through a controversial poster campaign publicising the names and addresses of passengers who had been fined for not having valid tickets.
The franchise gained a reputation for poor timekeeping: its best performing period between 2000 and 2007 still saw one in six trains five minutes late or more, with punctuality dropping as low as 61% in 2003. The company also suffered from ongoing staff relations problems which led to extensive and long-lasting cancellations of Sunday services.
Following a government policy announced in 2004, Central Trains was eventually disbanded in November 2007 with its services dispersed amongst London Midland, East Midlands Trains and CrossCountry.
At its greatest extent, Central Trains operated 253 stations and provided services covering 1,534 miles of the UK's railway network, covering most of central England and Mid Wales. In its last years, the company saw 43 million passenger journeys and a total of 930 million miles travelled every year.
Services ranged from rural and local services to flagship express services originally branded as Alphaline and later developed into Central Citylink. In the West Midlands, the company also operated the extensive urban rail services under contract to the CENTRO. (later Network West Midlands).
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