Network NorthWest

Network NorthWest

A Class 142 at Manchester Piccadilly in Network NorthWest/BR Provincial livery
Overview
Franchise(s)	Not subject to franchising
Main region(s)	Manchester, North West England
Parent company	British Rail

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

The Network NorthWest name mirrored the larger Network SouthEast brand which had been rolled out on the rail network around London and the South East of England since 1982. Network NorthWest promoted suburban and regional railway services centred on Manchester and was jointly funded by British Rail, the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) and Lancashire County Council. Some Network NorthWest services overlapped with those of neighbouring Merseyrail, another British Rail regional network which was centred on Liverpool.

The public launch of the brand took place on 4 April 1989 at an event hosted by television presenter Stuart Hall at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry. Invited guests travelled on a special train formed of a Class 150 "Sprinter" unit from the museum to Chorley, then back from Adlington (Lancashire) to Manchester Oxford Road. Souvenir tickets were issued for the journey. The Provincial 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.