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134-695: Merseyrail is a commuter rail network which serves Merseyside and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire in the Northwest of England . Merseyrail serves 69 stations , 67 of which it manages, across two lines – the Northern Line and the Wirral Line . The network uses 750 V DC   third rail electrified lines having 75.0 miles (120.7 km) of routes, of which 6.5 miles (10.5 km) are underground. Since January 2023, Merseyrail commenced replacing its train fleet, withdrawing

268-591: A 750 V DC   third rail system, with the exception of the Headbolt Lane line past Fazakerley . The City Line , marked red on the map, is operated primarily by Northern with funding from Merseytravel . The City Line is mainly electrified with one branch, the Liverpool to Manchester line via Warrington, operated by diesel trains. Trains on the Northern Line and Wirral Line cover

402-470: A "public sector body". To cope with rapidly increasing passenger numbers , (as of 2021 ) Network Rail has been undertaking a £38 billion programme of upgrades to the network, including Crossrail , electrification of lines and upgrading Thameslink . In May 2021, the Government announced its intent to replace Network Rail in 2023 with a new public body called Great British Railways . In 2022 it

536-430: A briefing to contractors was released ahead of an invitation to tender for Midland Mainline Electrification project work to extend electrification to Nottingham and Sheffield. This scheme is expected to cost £1.3 billion. Network Rail has undertaken numerous schemes to develop its own renewable electrical generation footprint, which is used in part to power the operational railway. In January 2014, Network Rail opened

670-654: A central street, accommodating more than 3,000 people. Various divisions, including engineering, logistics, operations (including timetable planning), IT, procurement, planning and finance departments, and Route Services Supply Chain operations have been transferred to the Quadrant. In 2009, allegations appeared in the media from the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association concerning treatment of Network Rail employees. Former chief executive Iain Coucher

804-651: A city's central business district, and often share right-of-way with intercity or freight trains. Some services operate only during peak hours and others use fewer departures during off peak hours and weekends. Average speeds are high, often 50 km/h (30 mph) or higher. These higher speeds better serve the longer distances involved. Some services include express services which skip some stations in order to run faster and separate longer distance riders from short-distance ones. The general range of commuter trains' travel distance varies between 15 and 200 km (10 and 125 miles), but longer distances can be covered when

938-461: A cost of £32   million, involving trainsets being transported to and from Eastleigh works . Improvements to the trains included new high-backed seating, interior panel replacement, new lighting, the installation of a Passenger Information System and a new external livery. A farewell tour for the Class 508 operated using units 508139 and 508141 took place on 29 October 2023. A farewell tour for

1072-451: A crash at Kirkby in March 2021, written off following accidents. In 2022, further withdrawals of the trains began, having been replaced by Class 777s. The following table shows trains withdrawn since 2022. The electric fleet is maintained and stabled at Stadler's maintenance depot and United Kingdom headquarters at Kirkdale and Birkenhead North TMD . Minor repair work and train cleaning

1206-496: A fibre optic and copper cable network that is located mainly within trackside troughing routes on the former British Rail Telecommunications network. (It is the largest private telecoms network in the UK). Network Rail operates several analogue radio networks that support mobile communication applications for drivers and lineside workers which consist of base stations, antenna systems and control equipment. The National Radio Network (NRN)

1340-461: A five-tonne battery, provided they have the correct equipment installed, giving operation beyond the current network. As of April 2021, all trains are only equipped for 750 V DC   third rail operation, along with a smaller battery for depot shunting. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers opposed driver-only operation on the new fleet, which they said would put passenger safety and security at risk. Following

1474-413: A headway rather than a published timetable and use dedicated tracks (underground or elevated), whereas commuter rail often shares tracks, technology and the legal framework within mainline railway systems, and uses rolling stocks with more seating and higher speed for comfort on longer city-suburban journeys. However, the classification as a metro or rapid rail can be difficult as both may typically cover

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1608-544: A litany of problems in the areas she was responsible for. Michelle Handforth resigned after infrastructure problems left hundreds of passengers stranded in carriages in London, one of the latest issues with the lines outside Paddington Station . The Office of Rail and Road was already investigating poor reliability and punctuality in the Wales and Western region. During February 2011, it was announced that Network Rail had begun

1742-581: A metropolitan area exclusively, run on separate tracks in the centre, and often feature purpose-built rolling stock. The fact that the terminology is not standardised across countries (even across English-speaking countries) further complicates matters. This distinction is most easily made when there are two (or more) systems such as New York's subway and the LIRR and Metro-North Railroad , Paris' Métro and RER along with Transilien , Washington D.C.'s Metro along with its MARC and VRE , London's tube lines of

1876-582: A net debt of approximately £8 billion by 2003. During May 2001, Railtrack announced that, despite making a pre-tax profit before exceptional expenses of £199m, the £733m of costs and compensation paid out over the Hatfield crash had plunged Railtrack from profit into a loss of £534m, and it approached the government for funding, which it controversially used to pay a £137m dividend to its shareholders in May 2001. Months later, Railtrack sought another bailout from

2010-401: A period of strike action, an agreement was reached to guarantee a guard on every train. Merseytravel has an option for a further 60 Class 777 units as part of the contract, which if exercised would see a total of 113 trains built if services are extended to new destinations such as Helsby, Skelmersdale or Wrexham. The deal also involves the transfer of 155 of Merseyrail's maintenance workers and

2144-685: A result of the privatisation of British Rail , the Northern Line and Wirral Line were brought together as the Mersey Rail Electrics passenger franchise , being sold on 19 January 1997. Although franchises are awarded and administered on a national level (initially through various independent bodies, and later the Department of Transport directly), under the original privatisation legislation of 1993 , passenger transport executives (PTEs) were co-signatories of franchise agreements covering their areas – this role being later modified by

2278-420: A service at least every five minutes from Birkenhead Hamilton Square and around the loop under Liverpool's city centre. Connections to non-Merseyrail services are available at: [REDACTED] The City Line is the brand name used by Merseytravel on services out of the mainline platforms of Liverpool Lime Street railway station to 26 stations on its sponsored network, and cross-boundary destinations outside of

2412-497: A single network in 1977, with a major project being the Loop and Link line, creating a continuous underground route through Liverpool city centre. Over the years, several new stations such as Conway Park in 1998 and Maghull North in 2017 have been added to the network. Most recently in 2023, Headbolt Lane has opened and is served on the network by battery-electric trains. Various proposals have been suggested on how to further expand

2546-439: A small amount of income from commercial property estate. In February 2019 Network Rail sold its commercial property business consisting of 5,200 properties, mainly railway arches, to a consortium of Telereal Trillium and Blackstone Property Partners for £1.46bn. Network Rail works in five-year funding cycles called "Control Periods" (CP for short). The government specifies what is needed from Network Rail and sets out how much

2680-631: A train every 15   minutes from Monday to Saturday, giving a frequent interval between trains on the central section. Some additional trains run at peak hours on the Southport line. On matchdays at Everton F.C. 's Goodison Park and Liverpool F.C. 's Anfield , Northern Line services connect with the SoccerBus service at Sandhills station to transport fans to the stadia. Bus departures are at frequent intervals from Sandhills station with ticketing to combine both modes of travel. Kirkdale station

2814-502: Is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Transport with no shareholders, which reinvests its income in the railways. Network Rail's main customers are the private train operating companies (TOCs), responsible for passenger transport, and freight operating companies (FOCs), who provide train services on the infrastructure that the company owns and maintains. Since 1 September 2014, Network Rail has been classified as

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2948-593: Is carried out mostly by the principal train operating company serving that station; however, in a few cases the train operating company does not serve the station. For example, Hinckley is served by CrossCountry , but it is managed by East Midlands Railway . As of April 2018 , Network Rail manages 20 stations directly, with Clapham Junction and Guildford becoming managed stations on 1 April 2018. The stations Network Rail operate are: National London stations Glasgow Central and Liverpool Lime Street stations are divided into high and low-level stations –

3082-399: Is currently undertaking a £38 billion programme of upgrades to the network, including Crossrail , electrification of lines , in-cab signalling , new inter-city trains , upgrading Thameslink , and a new high-speed line . For investment projects, as opposed to routine maintenance, Network Rail has developed an eight-stage process designed to minimise and mitigate risks. This is known as

3216-914: Is depicted on signage and maps using the colour red and the above word mark. Unlike the Northern and Wirral lines, the City Line is not operated by the Serco-Transport UK Group joint venture. The City Line covers the Liverpool City Region sections of the Crewe–Liverpool line , the two Liverpool–Manchester lines , and the Liverpool–Wigan line . Two services are not electrified, the Manchester via Warrington Central and Chester via Runcorn. Northern mainly operate

3350-935: Is especially the case for lines operated by Korail , such as the Gyeongui-Jungang Line , the Gyeongchun Line , the Suin-Bundang Line , or the Gyeonggang Line . Even some lines not operated by Korail, such as the AREX Line, the Seohae Line or the Shinbundang Line mostly function as commuter rail. Lastly, even for the "numbered lines" (1–9) of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway which mostly travel in

3484-603: Is heavily used by commuters in the Greater Tokyo Area , who commute between 100 and 200 km (62 and 124 mi) by Shinkansen . To meet the demand of commuters, JR sells commuter discount passes. Before 2021, they operated 16-car bilevel E4 Series Shinkansen trains at rush hour, providing a capacity of 1,600 seats. Several lines in China, such as the Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Railway and

3618-626: Is not part of the Network Rail network, such as the line between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Amersham being owned by London Underground. Following an initial period in which Network Rail established itself and demonstrated its competence in addressing the principal challenges of improving asset condition, reducing unit costs and tackling delay, the Government's Rail Review in 2004 said that Network Rail should be given responsibility for whole-industry performance reporting, timetable development, specification of small and medium network enhancements, and

3752-621: Is not part of this exemption. The three lines interchange as follows: [REDACTED] The Northern Line is shown in blue on the Merseyrail and Merseytravel maps and denoted by the above wordmark on underground stations. Services operate on three main routes: from Hunts Cross in the south of Liverpool to Southport via the Link tunnel from Brunswick station through central Liverpool, from Liverpool Central to Ormskirk , and from Liverpool Central to Headbolt lane via Kirkby. Each route operates

3886-417: Is often a case of asset sweating , by using a single large combined fleet for intercity and regional services. Loco hauled services are usually run in push-pull formation, that is, the train can run with the locomotive at the "front" or "rear" of the train (pushing or pulling). Trains are often equipped with a control cab at the other end of the train from the locomotive, allowing the train operator to operate

4020-963: Is often used in contrast to rapid transit or light rail . Some services share similarities with both commuter rail and high-frequency rapid transit ; examples include New Jersey Transit in the U.S., German S-Bahn in some cities, the Réseau Express Régional (RER) in Paris, the S Lines in Milan, many Japanese commuter systems, the East Rail line in Hong Kong, and some Australasian suburban networks, such as Sydney Trains . Many commuter rail systems share tracks with other passenger services and freight . In North America, commuter rail sometimes refers only to systems that primarily operate during rush hour and offer little to no service for

4154-1963: Is one suburban rail called the Chittagong Circular Railway . Another suburban railway called the Dhaka Circular Railway is currently proposed. Karachi in Pakistan has a circular railway since 1969. Tehran Metro currently operates the Line 5 commuter line between Tehran and Karaj . Turkey has lines connecting Başkentray , İZBAN , Marmaray and Gaziray . Major metropolitan areas in most European countries are usually served by extensive commuter/suburban rail systems. Well-known examples include BG Voz in Belgrade (Serbia), S-Bahn in Germany, Austria and German-speaking areas of Switzerland, Proastiakos in Greece, RER in France and Belgium, Servizio ferroviario suburbano in Italy, Cercanías and Rodalies ( Catalonia ) in Spain, CP Urban Services in Portugal, Esko in Prague and Ostrava (Czech Republic), HÉV in Budapest (Hungary) and DART in Dublin (Ireland). London has multiple commuter rail routes: The Merseyrail network in Liverpool consists of two commuter rail routes powered by third rail, both of which branch out at one end. At

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4288-418: Is operated by Colas Rail, primarily using locomotives from Colas' and Network Rail's own fleets, but have also used locomotives hired from other companies such as Direct Rail Services , GB Railfreight and Europhoenix as required. From 1997 to 2014 (inclusive), passenger numbers have more than doubled, following little growth in the previous decades. To cope with the increasing passenger numbers, Network Rail

4422-665: Is operated by Network Rail. A line closure for engineering or renewal works is known as a possession. Network Rail has an internal infrastructure database known as GEOGIS. The system uses codes for four-digit Track IDs to identify which line at any location is referred to. The first number refers to track direction, with values of 1 (Up), 2 (Down), 3 (Reversible/Bi-directional), or 4 (Merry Go Round Loop). The second number refers to track use, which can be 1 (Main or Fast), 2 (Slow, Local or Relief), 3 (Goods), 4 (Single line), 5 (Loop), 6 (Terminal or Bay), 7 (Crossover), 8 (Other or Engine), or 9 (Single Siding). The third and fourth numbers refer to

4556-470: Is operationally more like a typical metro system (frequent trains, an emphasis on standing passengers , short station spacings) than it is like commuter rail in other countries. Japanese commuter rail commonly interline with city center subway lines, with commuter rail trains continuing into the subway network, and then out onto different commuter rail systems on the other side of the city. Many Japanese commuter systems operate various stopping patterns to reduce

4690-437: Is owned and maintained at a national level by Network Rail . As a self-contained system serving a single City Region, the Northern and Wirral Lines are exempt from the national rail franchising structure, which is instead the responsibility of local government. The City Line, which shares infrastructure with regional and high-speed services and trains with neighbouring mainline commuter services (particularly that of Manchester ),

4824-526: Is still possible to tell them apart. Some operators, for example Thameslink , focus solely on commuter services. Others, such as Avanti West Coast and LNER , run solely intercity services. Others still, such as GWR and EMR , run a mixture of commuter, regional and intercity services. Some of these operators use different branding for different types of service (for example EMR brands its trains as either "InterCity", "Connect" for London commuter services, and "Regional") but even for those operators that do not,

4958-509: Is undertaken at Kirkdale, while overhauls are completed at Birkenhead. The roles will be reversed once the Class 777 trains fully replace the existing fleet. Other depots at Hall Road and Birkenhead Central were closed in 1997, and the former was demolished in April 2009. The Birkenhead Central depot is proposed for reopening. There are also two depots near Southport station: Southport Wall Sidings and Southport Carriage Holding Sidings . As

5092-579: Is used in Australia (Sydney for example) to describe the regional trains operating beyond the boundaries of the suburban services, even though some of these "inter-city" services stop all stations similar to German regional services. In this regard, the German service delineations and naming conventions are clearer and better used for academic purposes. Sometimes high-speed rail can serve daily use of commuters. The Japanese Shinkansen high speed rail system

5226-426: Is widely used in many commuter rail trains to increase capacity in rush hours. Carriages are usually not organized to increase seating capacity (although in some trains at least one carriage would feature more doors to facilitate easier boarding and alighting and bench seats so that they can be folded up during rush hour to provide more standing room) even in the case of commuting longer than 50 km and commuters in

5360-403: Is within walking distance of Goodison Park. Connections to non-Merseyrail services are available at: [REDACTED] The Wirral Line is shown in green on the Merseyrail and Merseytravel maps and denoted by the above wordmark on underground stations. Services operate from the four terminus stations of: Chester , Ellesmere Port , New Brighton and West Kirby . Each service from one of these

5494-919: The Brisbane ( Queensland Rail 's City network ) and Perth ( Transperth ) systems in Australia, in some systems in Sweden, and on the Genoa-Casella line in Italy. Some countries and regions, including Finland , India, Pakistan, Russia , Brazil and Sri Lanka, as well as San Francisco ( BART ) in the US and Melbourne and Adelaide in Australia, use broad gauge track. Metro rail and rapid transit usually cover smaller inner-urban areas within 12 to 20 km (7 to 12 mi) of city centers, with shorter stop spacing, use rolling stocks with larger standing spaces, lower top speed and higher acceleration, designed for short-distance travel. They also run more frequently, to

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5628-769: The Chennai MRTS , also covers over 300 stations and carries more than 2.5 million people daily to different areas in Chennai and its surroundings. Other commuter railways in India include the Hyderabad MMTS , Delhi Suburban Railway , Pune Suburban Railway and Lucknow-Kanpur Suburban Railway . In 2020, Government of India approved Bengaluru Suburban Railway to connect Bengaluru and its suburbs. It will be unique and first of its kind in India as it will have metro like facilities and rolling stock. In Bangladesh, there

5762-575: The Class 507 and 508 trains and introducing 53 new Class 777 trains. The network carried 28.3 million passengers in the 2023/2024 statistical period. The concession to operate Merseyrail is held by Merseyrail Electrics 2002, a joint venture between Serco and Transport UK Group (formerly Abellio UK ). The concession is awarded by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and is overseen by Merseytravel ,

5896-528: The Greater Tokyo Area , Seoul metropolitan area , and Jabodetabek area have to stand in the train for more than an hour. Currently there are not many examples of commuter rail in Africa . Metrorail operates in the major cities of South Africa , and there are some commuter rail services in Algeria , Botswana , Kenya , Morocco , Egypt and Tunisia . In Algeria, SNTF operates commuter rail lines between

6030-845: The Guangshen Railway have more frequent metro-like service. The two MTR lines which are owned and formerly operated by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation ( East Rail line and Tuen Ma line which is integrated from the former West Rail line and Ma On Shan line in 2021), then the "KCR" ), and MTR's own Tung Chung line connect the new towns in New Territories and the city centre Kowloon together with frequent intervals, and some New Territories-bound trains terminate at intermediate stations, providing more frequent services in Kowloon and

6164-585: The Jakarta city center with surrounding cities and sub-urbans in Banten and West Java provinces, including Depok , Bogor , Tangerang , Serpong , Rangkasbitung , Bekasi and Cikarang . In July 2015, KRL Commuterline served more than 850,000 passengers per day, which is almost triple of the 2011 figures, but still less than 3.5% of all Jabodetabek commutes. Other commuter rail systems in Indonesia include

6298-1023: The Metro Surabaya Commuter Line , Commuter Line Bandung , KAI Commuter Yogyakarta–Solo Line , Kedung Sepur , and the Sri Lelawangsa . In the Philippines, the Philippine National Railways has two commuter rail systems currently operational; the PNR Metro Commuter Line in the Greater Manila Area and the PNR Bicol Commuter in the Bicol Region . A new commuter rail line in Metro Manila,

6432-759: The Northern Hub . However as of September 2017 the two Manchester stations remained under the operatorship of Arriva Rail North . There are a small number of stations on the National Rail network that are not owned by Network Rail. As of 2022 these are: Network Rail has several training and development sites around Britain. These include sites in York, Peterborough, Derby, Leeds, Walsall and Larbert which provide refresher courses, and train staff in new equipment. Advanced Apprentice Scheme trainees are trained at Network Rail's Westwood training centre for

6566-614: The North–South Commuter Railway , is currently under construction. Its North section is set to be partially opened by 2021. In Malaysia, there are two commuter services operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu . They are the KTM Komuter that serves Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding Klang Valley area , and the KTM Komuter Northern Sector that serves Greater Penang , Perak , Kedah and Perlis in

6700-411: The Railways Act 2005 . The first train operating company awarded the Mersey Rail Electrics franchise contract was MTL . MTL was originally the operating arm of Merseytravel but had been privatised in 1985. The brand name Merseyrail Electrics was adopted by MTL. The Merseyrail name became the official brand for the network in the days of British Rail , surviving several franchise holders, although

6834-528: The Shanghai–Nanjing High-Speed Railway , serve a similar role with many more under construction or planned. In South Korea, some sections of the high-speed rail network are also heavily used by commuters, such as the section between Gwangmyeong Station and Seoul Station on the KTX network ( Gyeongbu HSR Line ), or the section between Dongtan Station and Suseo station on the SRT Line. The high-speed services linking Zürich , Bern and Basel in Switzerland (200 km/h (120 mph)) have brought

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6968-424: The Underground and the Overground , Elizabeth line , Thameslink along with other commuter rail operators , Madrid's Metro and Cercanías , Barcelona's Metro and Rodalies , and Tokyo's subway and the JR lines along with various privately owned and operated commuter rail systems. Regional rail usually provides rail services between towns and cities, rather than purely linking major population hubs in

7102-426: The Yamanote Line , Keihin Tohoku Line , Chūō–Sōbu Line services arguably are more akin to rapid transit with frequent stops, simple stopping patterns (relative to other JR East lines) no branching services and largely serving the inner suburbs; other services along the Chūō Rapid Line , Sōbu Rapid Line / Yokosuka Line , Ueno–Tokyo Line , Shōnan–Shinjuku Line etc. are mid-distance services from suburban lines in

7236-554: The passenger transport executive which co-ordinates public transport across the Liverpool City Region . Merseyrail branding and ticketing is also applied to stations on the City Line , which are within the Liverpool City Region but do not form part of the Merseyrail concession. Merseyrail was established in 1977, when existing railway lines were connected by constructing new tunnels under Liverpool city centre and Birkenhead . The network has since been extended at its peripheries, primarily by electrifying existing lines and transferring

7370-529: The 1863 Metropolitan Railway , now a part of London Underground . The network has a number world firsts. The self-contained network is operated by Merseyrail Electrics 2002, a 50:50 joint venture between Serco and Transport UK Group . Two lines known as the Northern Line and the Wirral Line compose the electric third-rail part of the network, which has service frequencies of 15   minutes in outlying areas converging to rapid transit frequencies in central sections. The lines are electrified throughout using

7504-414: The 1970s from lines that were previously owned by several different railway companies. The Beeching axe during the early 1960s closed key routes in and around Liverpool, with the council proposing an alternate strategy and advocating the preservation of suburban services integrated into a new regional electrified rapid-transit network. The network underwent a period of electrification and expansion, becoming

7638-402: The 300 km/h (186 mph) Nuremberg–Ingolstadt high-speed railway . The regional trains Stockholm – Uppsala , Stockholm– Västerås , Stockholm– Eskilstuna and Gothenburg – Trollhättan in Sweden reach 200 km/h (120 mph) and have many daily commuters. In Great Britain , the HS1 domestic services between London and Ashford runs at a top speed of 225 km/h, and in peak hours

7772-448: The Central Business Districts (CBDs) of these three cities within 1 hour of each other. This has resulted in unexpectedly high demand for new commuter trips between the three cities and a corresponding increase in suburban rail passengers accessing the high-speed services at the main city-centre stations ( Hauptbahnhof ). The Regional-Express commuter service between Munich and Nuremberg in Germany runs at 200 km/h (120 mph) on

7906-410: The City Line with additional services operated by TransPennine Express , Avanti West Coast , East Midlands Railway , Transport for Wales , and West Midlands Trains . The History of Merseyrail dates back to the 19th century, with the original formation of the Mersey Railway and the Mersey Railway Tunnel , among the first underground railway tunnels. The modern Merseyrail network was developed in

8040-461: The Class 507 took place in 2 parts, with the first tour being across the Wirral lines on 15 September 2024, the second part took covering the Northern Lines on 3 November 2024. On 28 January 2020, Swiss rolling-stock manufacturer Stadler Rail provided the first of a new fleet of 53 new train sets, designated Class 777 , built at Stadler's factory in Bussnang , Switzerland . The final units were due to enter service in 2021. The trains are based on

8174-402: The East Rail Line share tracks with intercity trains to mainland China . The three KCR lines are integrated into the MTR network since 2008 and most passengers do not need to exit and re-enter the system through separate fare gates and purchase separate tickets to transfer between such lines and the rest of the network (the exceptions are between the Tuen Ma line's East Tsim Sha Tsui station and

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8308-565: The Governance for Railway Investment Projects (GRIP), previously known as “Guide to Rail Investment Projects”. The stages are as follows: Each stage delivers an agreed set of outputs to defined quality criteria. The process has been criticised as cumbersome by some and it is proposed to replace it with a new process with the acronym PACE- Project Acceleration in a Controlled Environment. For financial and other planning purposes, Network Rail works within 5-year "Control Periods", each one beginning on 1 April and ending on 31 March to coincide with

8442-419: The Kirkby route, followed by the Ormskirk route. The trains were introduced to the Wirral Line, Ormskirk and Southport routes in late 2023. The Class 777 trains are capable of being propelled via onboard battery sets. The battery set per car can be up to 5   tonnes in weight. The batteries can be charged via a rail terminal charger and while operating on electrified tracks. When the Headbolt Lane extension

8576-409: The Liverpool City Region. Merseytravel has policies in place to improve the service frequency, new services and to invest on the City Line. Despite the City Line being operated by other train operators than Merseyrail, it is marketed and branded as Merseyrail to meet the passenger transport executive 's aims to provide the network with a local identity and shared fare and ticketing structures. The line

8710-405: The Liverpool City Region. The total route length of the two lines is 120.7 km (75.0 miles), accommodating 67 stations. The lines connect Liverpool city centre with cities and towns on the outer reaches of the city region, such as Southport , Chester and Ormskirk . Frequent intermediate stops serve other sections of the urban area. Unlike similar networks in the UK, Merseyrail infrastructure

8844-430: The METRO platform, Stadler's product family for underground trains also used on the Berlin U-Bahn and the Minsk Metro . The new trains are a custom-built, bespoke design specifically for the Merseyrail network, with driver only and guard capability. This differs from the previous fleet, which was built to a standard British Rail design for commuter services. The new trains have an articulated four-car design, compared to

8978-433: The Netherlands carry many commuters, while their equipment, range, and speeds are similar to those of commuter trains in some larger countries. The United Kingdom has a privatised rail system, with different routes and services covered by different private operators. The distinction between commuter and intercity rail is not as clear as it was before privatisation (when InterCity existed as a brand of its own), but usually it

9112-438: The Train Operating Companies. During March 2011, the British government announced that the Great Western Main Line would be electrified as far as Bristol Temple Meads. Within four years, this programme, which was headed by Network Rail, was beset by poor planning and cost overruns, leading to the shortcomings being scrutinised by Parliament. Specifically, the projected cost had increased from £1.2 billion to £2.8 billion by

9246-411: The Tsuen Wan line's Tsim Sha Tsui station . In Taiwan, the Western line in the Taipei - Taoyuan Metropolitan Area, Taichung Metropolitan Area and Tainan - Kaohsiung Metropolitan Area as well as the Neiwan - Liujia line in the Hsinchu Area are considered commuter rail. In South Korea, the Seoul Metropolitan Subway includes a total of 22 lines, and some of its lines are suburban lines. This

9380-477: The UK, as of March 2014, Network Rail is well underway in the UK implementation of GSM-R to replace its legacy National Radio Network (NRN) and Cab Secure Radio (CSR) systems currently in use. Network Rail operates a large variety of DMUs, locomotives and rolling stock to perform safety checks and maintenance (this fleet is not to be confused with the combined rolling stock assets of Rail Delivery Group members who work in combination as National Rail ). As well as

9514-467: The capital Algiers and its southern and eastern suburbs. They also serve to connect Algiers ' main universities to each other. The Dar es Salaam commuter rail offers intracity services in Dar es Salaam , Tanzania. In Botswana, the ( Botswana Railways ) "BR Express" has a commuter train between Lobatse and Gaborone . In Japan, commuter rail systems have extensive network and frequent service and are heavily used. In many cases, Japanese commuter rail

9648-455: The company and EDF was signed to provide more solar energy. In May 2021, the Government announced that Network Rail is to superseded by a new body, Great British Railways , in 2023. Network Rail is a not-for-profit organisation . The majority of funding comes from a mix of direct grants and borrowing from the UK and Scottish Governments, payments from train and freight operators and previously

9782-452: The company have any way of assessing the consequence of the speed restrictions it was ordering. These restrictions brought the railway network to an almost total standstill and drew significant public ire. According to railway historian Christian Wolmar , Railtrack's board panicked in the wake of Hatfield. Railtrack's first chief executive, John Edmonds, had pursued a deliberate strategy of outsourcing engineers' work wherever possible with

9916-546: The delivery of route-specific utilisation strategies (RUS). Some of these are functions which Network Rail already had; others – such as the obligation to devise route utilisation strategies – were transferred to Network Rail from the Strategic Rail Authority , a non-departmental public body, part of the UK government. The SRA was abolished in November 2006. Network Rail initially sub-contracted much of

10050-666: The dense parts of Seoul, some track sections extend far outside of the city, and operate large sections at ground level, such as on the Line 1 , Line 3 and Line 4 . In Busan, the Donghae Line , while part of the Busan Metro system, mostly functions as a commuter rail line. In Indonesia , the KRL Commuterline is the largest commuter rail system in the country, serving the Greater Jakarta . It connects

10184-585: The electrification of other lines, including Bristol Parkway to Temple Meads and Didcot to Oxford, was also postponed. During 2011, work commenced to extend the electrification of the Midland Main Line , including to both Corby and Nottingham. In July 2017, it was announced the then-Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling that the electrification scheme north of Kettering to Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield had been cancelled and that bi-mode trains would be used instead. However, in May 2022,

10318-542: The electrified Merseyrail network are operated by British Rail Class 507 electric multiple unit trains (EMUs). These along with the British Rail Class 508 electric multiple unit trains replaced pre-war Class 502 (originally constructed by the LMS ) and similar Class 503 EMUs. As of July 2024, there are nine trains in service on the network. The fleet was refurbished between 2002 and 2005 by Alstom at

10452-418: The electrified sections into Merseyrail. New stations have also been opened. Seven of the Class 777 trains can operate using batteries, which has allowed the Northern Line to extend beyond the electrified track at Kirkby to a new terminus at Headbolt Lane . Merseyrail has its origins in the underground Mersey Railway of 1886, which forms the core, being the world's second underground passenger railway after

10586-624: The end of 2015, while the project's timetable was also delayed to the extent that the government had to request Hitachi to retrofit the new high speed trainsets procured under the Intercity Express Programme with diesel engines as well as electric traction. In July 2017, the government announced that, in response to the programme's continued difficulties, the scope of the electrification scheme had been decreased; specifically, it would only be completed as far as Thingley Junction, two miles (3.2 km) west of Chippenham, while

10720-511: The first five months of their apprenticeship and then are trained further at HMS  Sultan in Gosport over seven 2-week periods or five 3-week periods (throughout their second and third year) of their apprenticeship, using a combination of Royal Navy facilities and a specially installed training centre. All courses are taught by VT Flagship (part of Babcock International ) in the first year but apprentices are trained by Network Rail staff in

10854-471: The former BR 's Regional Railways , France's TER ( Transport express régional ), Germany's Regionalexpress and Regionalbahn , and South Korea's Tonggeun and Mugunghwa-ho services. In some European countries, the distinction between commuter trains and long-distance/intercity trains is subtle, due to the relatively short distances involved. For example, so-called " intercity " trains in Belgium and

10988-800: The goal of reducing costs. Various major schemes being undertaken by Railtrack had also gone awry. The modernisation of the West Coast Main Line had suffered from spiralling costs, rising from an estimated £2 billion to roughly £10 billion. This programme suffered failures that were technical as well as managerial, such as the moving block signalling apparatus being immature for such a busy mixed-traffic mainline. In 2000, reports emerged that Railtrack may not be able to go through with its planned commitment to purchase section 2 of High Speed 1 , resulting in disruption and uncertainty for that programme as well. In February 2001, Steve Marshall, Railtrack's chairman, warned that Railtrack could have

11122-450: The government can afford to contribute. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) then sets the level of fixed income that Network Rail is allowed to charge and assesses the amount of money needed by Network Rail to run efficiently. The last Control Period ran from 2014 to 2019; 1 April 2019 was the start of Control Period 6 . In 2019, government funding for train operating companies amounted to £4.1 billion, paying access charges to use

11256-559: The government. On 7 October 2001, Railtrack plc was placed into railway administration under the Railways Act 1993, following an application to the High Court by the then Transport Secretary , Stephen Byers . Network Rail Ltd. was created with the express purpose of taking over Britain's railway infrastructure control; this was achieved via its purchase of Railtrack plc from Railtrack Group plc for £500 million; Railtrack plc

11390-467: The high-level stations are all termini used primarily by the main inter-city services to those stations. The low-level stations are through routes on local commuter networks that are largely separate from other routes to the main station; these platforms are not managed by Network Rail, but instead by the rail operator that primarily uses them, ScotRail and Merseyrail respectively. Network Rail operated Gatwick Airport station until January 2012 when it

11524-634: The infrastructure was owned and operated by Railtrack , a privately-owned company. A spate of accidents, including the Southall rail crash in 1997 and the Ladbroke Grove rail crash in 1999 called into question the negative consequences that the fragmentation of the railway network had introduced to both safety and maintenance procedures. Railtrack was severely criticised for both its performance for infrastructure improvement and for its safety record. The Hatfield train crash on 17 October 2000

11658-431: The infrastructure work to private maintenance companies, such as Carillion and First Engineering ; other sub-contractors perform specialist work or additional labour, such as Prima Services Group, Sky Blue, Balfour Beatty, Laboursite, BCL, Atkins (Atkins Rail) and McGinleys. In October 2003, Network Rail announced that it would take over all infrastructure maintenance work from private contractors, following concerns about

11792-554: The latter is a brand rather than an organisation, used to inform and promote a nationwide network of passenger railway services. The majority of Network Rail lines also carry freight traffic; some lines are freight only. A few lines that carry passenger traffic are not part of the National Rail network (such as the Tyne and Wear Metro and the London Underground ). Conversely, a few National Rail services operate over track which

11926-462: The media concerning the knighthood awarded to John Armitt in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to engineering and construction. Armitt was Chief Executive of Network Rail at the time of the 2007 Grayrigg derailment and the family of a victim of the accident criticised the award, which coincidentally was conferred on the same day that Network Rail were prosecuted for the accident. In 2023, one of Network Rail's managing directors resigned after

12060-447: The multiple units and locomotives, Network Rail own and operate a large stock of rolling stock for particular testing duties and track maintenance. Network Rail also hire freight locomotives from various freight operators including DB Cargo UK , Freightliner , Colas Rail and GB Railfreight amongst others to operate engineers' trains in support of maintenance and renewal work. Network Rail's Infrastructure Monitoring fleet of test trains

12194-447: The name was not used by Arriva when holding the franchise. Despite this, Merseytravel continued the Merseyrail branding at stations, allowing the name to be adopted colloquially. With acquisition by Arriva, the train operating company was rebranded Arriva Trains Merseyside from 27 April 2001. Merseyrail is referred to as "Merseyrail Electrics" by National Rail Enquiries , and as "Serco/Abellio Merseyrail" by Merseytravel. The City Line

12328-568: The network, including beyond the Liverpool City Region area. Liverpool City Region Combined Authority announced in August 2019 that it was planning to use part of a £172   million funding package to reopen St James Station in Liverpool City Centre, officially confirmed as Liverpool Baltic station following a public vote in April 2022. Point-to-point or return tickets are purchased from staffed offices or ticket machines, but

12462-973: The northern region of Peninsular Malaysia. In Thailand, the Greater Bangkok Commuter rail and the Airport Rail Link serve the Bangkok Metropolitan Region . The SRT Red Lines , a new commuter line in Bangkok, started construction in 2009. It opened in 2021. Another commuter rail system in Southeast Asia is the Yangon Circular Railway in Myanmar . In India, commuter rail systems are present in major cities and form an important part of people's daily lives. Mumbai Suburban Railway ,

12596-1017: The number expected to rise even higher upon full completion of the Acharnes Railway Center . Eskişehir-Ankara and Konya-Ankara high speed train routes serve as high speed commuter trains in Turkey. Commuter/suburban trains are usually optimized for maximum passenger volume, in most cases without sacrificing too much comfort and luggage space, though they seldom have all the amenities of long-distance trains. Cars may be single- or double-level , and aim to provide seating for all. Compared to intercity trains, they have less space, fewer amenities and limited baggage areas. Commuter rail trains are usually composed of multiple units , which are self-propelled, bidirectional, articulated passenger rail cars with driving motors on each (or every other) bogie . Depending on local circumstances and tradition they may be powered either by diesel engines located below

12730-533: The oldest suburban rail system in Asia, carries more than 7.24 million commuters on a daily basis which constitutes more than half of the total daily passenger capacity of the Indian Railways itself. Kolkata Suburban Railway , one of the largest suburban railway networks in the world, consists of more than 450 stations and carries more than 3.5 million commuters per day. The Chennai Suburban Railway along with

12864-543: The ongoing modernisation of the railway network by replacing track and signalling, continues to be carried out by private engineering firms under contract. The biggest renewals projects include the multibillion-pound upgrade of the London – Glasgow West Coast Main Line , which was completed in 2008, the Thameslink Programme to upgrade the north–south railway through London and work on the part of Crossrail which

12998-464: The operation of its maintenance depot at Kirkdale to Stadler Rail Service. The transfer of Kirkdale depot and Merseyrail engineering personnel took place in October 2017, as construction work to modernise the depot, which is the planned maintenance hub for the Class 777s, commenced. The first Class 777 unit entered into service on the Northern Line on 23 January 2023. Initially they were being used on

13132-572: The other, the Northern line continues out of the city centre to a mainline rail interchange, while the Wirral line has a city-centre loop. Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain . Network Rail

13266-700: The outer reaches of Greater Tokyo through operating into these lines to form a high frequency corridor though central Tokyo. Other commuter rail routes in Japan include: Commuter rail systems have been inaugurated in several cities in China such as Beijing , Shanghai , Zhengzhou , Wuhan , Changsha and the Pearl River Delta . With plans for large systems in northeastern Zhejiang , Jingjinji , and Yangtze River Delta areas. The level of service varies considerably from line to line ranging high to near high speeds. More developed and established lines such as

13400-423: The passenger compartment ( diesel multiple units ) or by electricity picked up from third rails or overhead lines ( electric multiple units ). Multiple units are almost invariably equipped with control cabs at both ends, which is why such units are so frequently used to provide commuter services, due to the associated short turn-around time. Locomotive hauled services are used in some countries or locations. This

13534-641: The position for six years. He noted that as Network Rail moved to a "new phase in its development" it was appropriate for a new chairman to lead it there. Network Rail also has a 15-year lease on Square One in Manchester with 800 staff in one of Manchester's largest refurbished office spaces. During June 2012, work was completed on the company's new national centre, known as the Quadrant:MK . Based in Milton Keynes about five minutes' walk from Milton Keynes Central , it comprises four buildings connected to

13668-725: The possibility of the trains serving routes to destinations such as Wrexham, Preston, Wigan and Warrington. The original service on the Merseyrail lines was provided by Class 502s on the Northern Line and Class 503s on the Wirral Line. The former was withdrawn by 1980 and the latter by 1985. Introduced from 1978 and 1979 respectively were 33 Class 507 and 43 Class 508 trains. Since the 1990s, fifteen Class 508s have been withdrawn as surplus and have later transferred to other operators with 12 units being transferred to Connex South Eastern and 3 units being transferred to Silverlink, with three Class 507 and 508 units, including unit 507006 after

13802-546: The previous three-car units, with a significantly increased overall capacity and faster acceleration and deceleration, which gives reduced journey times. A combination of reduced weight of 99   tonnes, representing a 5.5   tonne weight reduction, and more efficient electrical systems will give a 20% reduction in energy use. The trains are flexible, being capable of operating on a combination of any of 750 V DC   third rail , 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead wires, or full battery operation using

13936-576: The process of reorganising its operational structure into nine semi-autonomous regional entities, each with their own managing director; the first two units to be created were Scotland and Wessex regions. The reorganisation has been interpreted as a move back towards vertical integration of track and train operations. In December 2016, the Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling announced that Network Rail would lose sole control of track maintenance and repairs, and instead would share this with

14070-408: The public through telephones located at level crossings. GAI-Tronics provides many of the telephones sited on trackside and at level crossings. They also provide Public Access Help Points on platforms and stations to provide passengers with easy access to Information and Emergency control centres. GSM-R radio systems are being introduced across Europe under EU legislation for interoperability. In

14204-500: The quality of work carried out by certain private firms and spiralling costs. In 2007, it was announced that the number of track renewal contractors would be reduced from six to four; Amey / SECO , Balfour Beatty , Babcock First Engineering and Jarvis plc . Network Rail has expanded its in-house engineering skills, including funding of apprenticeship and foundation degree schemes, and has reported significant savings from transferring work away from contracting companies. Additional work

14338-491: The rail network, £2.1 billion and freight £58 million. In 2019, it spent £3.1 billion on renewals (restoring existing infrastructure back to how it was when new) and £3.2 billion on enhancements, with the rest spent on maintenance and other costs. Network Rail covers 20,000 miles of track, and 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts. They claim to run the world's largest third rail network. In February 2004, an operations centre at Waterloo station in London

14472-445: The railway tracks, signals, overhead wires, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and most stations, but not the passenger or commercial freight rolling stock, other than its limited departmental stock . While it owns over 2,500 railway stations, it manages only 20 of the biggest and busiest of them as all the other stations are managed by the various train operating companies (TOCs). Network Rail should not be confused with National Rail ,

14606-481: The rest of the National Rail network with no through passenger services to or from outside the third-rail Merseyrail network. A decision was to transfer the network into exclusive Merseytravel control, being removed from the national franchising system. The Secretary of State exempted the two lines from being designated as a national railway franchise under the 1993 Act. When the Mersey Rail Electrics franchise

14740-552: The rest of the day, with regional rail being used to refer to systems that offer all-day service. Most commuter (or suburban) trains are built to main line rail standards, differing from light rail or rapid transit (metro rail) systems by: Compared to rapid transit (or metro rail), commuter/suburban rail often has lower frequency , following a schedule rather than fixed intervals, and fewer stations spaced further apart. They primarily serve lower density suburban areas (non inner-city), generally only having one or two stops in

14874-488: The same right-of-way can drastically reduce system construction costs. However, frequently they are built with dedicated tracks within that right-of-way to prevent delays, especially where service densities have converged in the inner parts of the network. Most such trains run on the local standard gauge track. Some systems may run on a narrower or broader gauge. Examples of narrow gauge systems are found in Japan, Indonesia , Malaysia , Thailand , Taiwan, Switzerland, in

15008-966: The second and third years. Network Rail bought a residential centre from Cable and Wireless in the Westwood Business Centre near Coventry for leadership development. The company and other industry partners such as VolkerRail and Balfour Beatty also operate a Foundation Degree in conjunction with Sheffield Hallam University . In 2008, Network Rail piloted its first qualification in "track engineering". It has been given permission to develop courses equivalent to GCSE and A-levels. Network Rail operates various essential telecommunication circuits for signalling and electrification control systems, train radio systems, lineside communications, level crossing CCTV, station information and security systems as well as more general IT and business telephony needs. The fixed bearer network infrastructure comprises transmission systems and telephone exchanges linked by

15142-544: The system is tightly integrated with Merseytravel's City Region-wide pass system, which also encompasses the Mersey Ferries and city and regional bus networks. Merseytravel's smart ticketing is via the local MetroCard smartcard system, including Merseyrail travel. Typical weekday off-peak service on the Merseyrail-run Northern and Wirral Lines, as of May 2023, is as follows: Services on

15276-661: The terminus stations runs through Birkenhead Hamilton Square underground station in Birkenhead , then through the Mersey Railway Tunnel, continuing around the single track underground loop tunnel under Liverpool's city centre. Trains head back into the Mersey Railway Tunnel to return to one of the four terminus stations. Monday-Saturday services are every 15   minutes to/from Liverpool to Chester, New Brighton and West Kirby, and every 30   minutes to/from Ellesmere Port (Monday–Sunday). These combine to give

15410-461: The towns closer to Kowloon. They use rolling stocks with a faster maximum speed and have longer stop spacing compared to other lines which only run in the inner urban area, but in order to maximise capacity and throughput, these rolling stocks have longitudinal seatings, 5 pairs of doors in each carriage with large standing spaces like the urban lines, and run as frequent as well. Most of the sections of these four lines are overground and some sections of

15544-529: The track number, which can be any number from 00 to 99 inclusive, and are usually numbered sequentially. In 2006, Network Rail made public a high-tech plan to combat the effects of slippery rail . This plan involves the use of satellites for tracking trouble areas, water-jetting trains and crews using railhead scrubbers, sand sticks and a substance called Natrusolve, which dissolves leaf mulch. Network Rail owns more than 2,500 railway stations, divided into six categories . Management and operation of most of them

15678-515: The train from either end. The motive power for locomotive-hauled commuter trains may be either electric or diesel–electric , although some countries, such as Germany and some of the former Soviet-bloc countries, also use diesel–hydraulic locomotives. In the US and some other countries, a three-and-two seat plan is used. Middle seats on these trains are often less popular because passengers feel crowded and uncomfortable. In Japan, South Korea and Indonesia, longitudinal (sideways window-lining) seating

15812-553: The trains can be full with commuters standing. The Athens Suburban Railway in Greece consists of five lines, 4 of which are electrified. The Kiato – Piraeus line and the Aigio – Airport lines reach speeds of up to 180 km/h (112 mph). The Athens – Chalcis line is also expected to attain speeds of up to 200 km/h (124 mph) upon upgrading of the SKA–Oinoi railway sector. These lines also have many daily commuters, with

15946-521: The trains run between two or several cities (e.g. S-Bahn in the Ruhr area of Germany). Distances between stations may vary, but are usually much longer than those of urban rail systems. In city centres the train either has a terminal station or passes through the city centre with notably fewer station stops than those of urban rail systems. Toilets are often available on-board trains and in stations. Their ability to coexist with freight or intercity services in

16080-469: The travel time to distant locations, often using station passing loops instead of dedicated express tracks. It is notable that the larger Japanese commuter rail systems are owned and operated by for-profit private railway companies, without public subsidy. East Japan Railway Company operates a large suburban train network in Tokyo with various lines connecting the suburban areas to the city center. While

16214-574: The type of train, amenities offered, and stopping pattern, usually tell the services apart. Russian commuter trains , on the other hand, frequently cover areas larger than Belgium itself, although these are still short distances by Russian standards. They have a different ticketing system from long-distance trains, and in major cities they often operate from a separate section of the train station. Some consider "inter-city" service to be that which operates as an express service between two main city stations, bypassing intermediate stations. However, this term

16348-470: The way inter-city rail does. Regional rail operates outside major cities. Unlike Inter-city, it stops at most or all stations between cities. It provides a service between smaller communities along the line that are often byproducts of ribbon developments , and also connects with long-distance services at interchange stations located at junctions, terminals, or larger towns along the line. Alternative names are "local train" or "stopping train". Examples include

16482-511: The world's largest solar-powered bridge, adjacent to the remains of the old Blackfriars Railway Bridge , across the River Thames . The roof of the new railway bridge is covered with 4,400 photovoltaic panels, providing up to half of the energy requirement for London Blackfriars station . Solar panels are used at various locations across Network Rail's property portfolio, including stations and depots. In August 2022, an agreement between

16616-458: Was a defining moment in the collapse of Railtrack. The immediate major repairs undertaken across the whole British railway network were estimated to have cost in the order of £ 580 million and Railtrack had no idea how many more 'Hatfields' were waiting to happen because it had lost considerable in-house engineering skill following the sale or closure of many of the engineering and maintenance functions of British Rail to external companies; nor did

16750-442: Was also accused of financial impropriety involving unspecified payments to his business partner Victoria Pender during his tenure at Network Rail. An internal investigation held by Network Rail in 2010, vetted by its auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers , uncovered no evidence of wrongdoing. An independent enquiry headed by Anthony White QC in 2011 further examined the claims, but also exonerated Coucher. Critical commentary appeared in

16884-515: Was also privatised under the 1993 Act, but as part of a different, much larger North West Regional Railways (NWRR) franchise. Upon sale on 2 March 1997, the first train operating company awarded the NWRR franchise contract was North Western Trains (owned by Great Western Holdings ). The train operating company was later bought by FirstGroup and rebranded First North Western . The third-rail electric Northern and Wirral Lines were largely isolated from

17018-497: Was announced that this process would be delayed. Britain's railway system was built by private companies, but it was nationalised by the Transport Act 1947 and run by British Railways until re-privatisation which was begun in 1994 and completed in 1997. As a part of the privatisation process, the railway infrastructure, passenger and freight services were separated into separate organisations. Between 1994 and 2002,

17152-587: Was developed specifically for the operational railway; it provides radio coverage for 98% of the rail network through 500 base stations and 21 radio exchanges. The Radio Electronic Token Block RETB system is based on similar technology as the NRN and ORN but provides data communication for signalling token exchange as well as voice communication. Fixed communication at trackside is provided by telephone. These are primarily provided for signallers to communicate with train crew, via telephones mounted on signal posts, and with

17286-432: Was due for renewal, coming into force on 20 July 2003, Merseytravel contracted the operation of the two lines with a concession extending for up to 25   years. The first successful bidder was Merseyrail Electrics (2002) Ltd, a joint venture between Serco and NedRailways (renamed Abellio in 2009) . Commuter rail The term can refer to systems with a wide variety of different features and service frequencies, but

17420-573: Was opened, which was operated jointly by Network Rail and South West Trains . This was the first full collaboration of its kind since privatisation, and it is regarded as a model for other areas of the network, with a further six integrated Network Rail + TOC Control Centres having opened since then, at Blackfriars , Croydon (Leading Control for Thameslink), Swindon , Birmingham New Street , Glasgow and, most recently, Liverpool Street and South Wales based in Cardiff Canton. Track renewal,

17554-422: Was taken back in-house after the serious accident at Potters Bar and other accidents at Rotherham and King's Cross led to Jarvis's collapse into administration in March 2010. The company moved its headquarters to Kings Place, 90 York Way, from 40 Melton Street, Euston, in August 2008. Two months later, Sir Ian McAllister announced that he would not stand for re-election as chairman of Network Rail after holding

17688-417: Was then renamed and reconstituted as Network Rail Infrastructure Limited . The transaction was completed on 3 October 2002. The former company had thus never ceased to exist but continued under another name: for this reason Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd was the defendant in later prosecutions in respect of events which had occurred in the days of Railtrack. Network Rail owns the infrastructure, including

17822-516: Was transferred to Southern , and Fenchurch Street until November 2014 when it was transferred to c2c . Network Rail took over management of Bristol Temple Meads and Reading in April 2014. A DfT franchise report in 2014 stated Network Rail's intention to subsume more major stations into Network Rail's directly operated portfolio. The report earmarked York for Network Rail management, as well as Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Victoria which are currently undergoing major rebuilding as part of

17956-521: Was unveiled to the public, it was also announced that the original order of 52 units was increased to 53 to allow for some units to undergo battery trials. Following on from the trial, it was announced in July 2021 that the units tested had been able to travel up to 20 miles (32 km) without the need for recharging. The battery-powered trains run to Headbolt Lane station in Kirkby. The technology opens up

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