Past
84-800: Abellio ( Dutch pronunciation: [aːˈbɛlijoː] ) is a Dutch public transport company that operates bus and rail services in Germany, and formerly also in Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. It is wholly owned by the Dutch national railway company, Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS). Created in 2004 by EVAG, the city council-owned public transit company of Essen , the company initially operated as NedRailways . It promptly expanded into both railway and bus operations in
168-593: 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
252-819: A train with a toilet is used, every newly ordered train has a toilet and in 2025 every train has to have a toilet. The last trains on the hoofdrailnet without a toilet were the NS SGMm (the so-called classical "Sprinter", retired 2018–21) and the Sprinter Lighttrain (SLT, these trains have since had on-board toilets retrofitted ). NS provides three kinds of train service: There are also two former train categories, which are now used only by private operators: You can travel using contactless payments on all Dutch public transport: on all domestic trains, metros, trams and busses, nationwide. Using contactless payments, you travel 2nd class, regular full price. The price
336-756: A 50% shareholding in Serco-Abellio that has bid for a number of rail franchises. Since July 2003, the joint venture has operated the Merseyrail franchise; its 25-year contract expires in 2028, at which point it has been reported that the Liverpool City Region government intend to bring the network and its infrastructure under local public ownership. Serco-Abellio also operated the Northern Rail franchise between December 2004 and March 2016. Serco-Abellio also lodged unsuccessful bids for
420-622: A 59% shareholding in Serco-Abellio and later operating various bus and rail operations in its own right. In August 2022, Abellio agreed terms to sell its UK operations to the Transport UK Group , a management buyout led by managing director Dominic Booth, subject to approval by the Office of Rail and Road and partner organisations Merseytravel and Transport for London . The deal was completed in February 2023. Abellio purchased
504-530: A consequence of personnel shortages. NS has been involved in various controversies. The NS covers most of the country, with almost all cities connected, mostly with a service frequency of two trains an hour or more and at least four trains per hour between all of the largest five cities ( Amsterdam , Rotterdam , The Hague , Utrecht and Eindhoven ) as well as some smaller cities ( Nijmegen , Amersfoort , Arnhem , 's-Hertogenbosch , Dordrecht and Leiden ). From December 2008 train frequencies were increased on
588-463: 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
672-453: 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
756-416: A different organ in the company The freight business, NS Cargo, merged with Deutsche Bahn ; the resulting company operated as Railion in 2000 and then as DB Cargo . Performance deteriorated after the reforms, and the company suffered multiple unorganized strikes. The entire board of directors resigned in late-2001. Another change in strategy followed. Karel Noordzij became CEO in 2002 and reversed many of
840-465: 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
924-584: A fleet of 278 trains. It wholly owns WestfalenBahn , having increased its share in July 2017 from the initial 25%. Abellio Deutschland formerly also operated bus services through three companies, VM, Werner and KVG. It announced its intention to focus on rail transport in April 2013, and in November 2013, sold VM and Werner with 220 buses to Transport Capital. The remaining KVG business was sold to Rhenus Veniro and
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#17327905135941008-403: 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
1092-406: A pivotal role in the post-war reconstruction of the Netherlands; it provided the required logistical services in a time when there was little alternative to rail transport. The company declined in the 1960s – like many other railways – and operated at a loss. There was increased competition from other modes of transport. In addition, national coal distribution from Limburg became less profitable;
1176-747: 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
1260-421: 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
1344-499: 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
1428-465: A smartphone with a timetable , fares information, and a separate card reader to read the OV-chipkaart . Train drivers use a tablet with an app called "TimTim" to save energy and keep up with the timetable. The train driver can also see other trains in front or behind their train. In 2018, NS saw its number of passengers increase by nearly 3 percent. On average, 1.3 million people took the train on
1512-564: A surcharge of €1. They are a disposable use-once only. It is possible to buy e-tickets online on the Dutch Railways website. E-tickets can also be purchased on the Belgian NMBS/SNCB B -Europe website. For long-term use, season tickets are available. Travelling with these cards and tickets, one has to register starting a journey ( check-in ) and ending it ( check out ) at the destination. One always has to travel away from
1596-631: 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
1680-574: A weekday, 100.000 more than in 2016 and the over 250 NS train stations are becoming increasingly crowded. Also see List of busiest railway stations in The Netherlands Merseyrail 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 –
1764-432: Is a widened letter 'N' and a sideways (reversed) 'S'-shape. The two arrows in the logo represent the train's movement, and the two lines in the middle represent the track. In dealing with the general public, these distinctions are not made and the terms Nederlandse Spoorwegen and NS are used. NS has contracts with Connexxion and BBA, now Veolia Transport for the provision of bus services to replace train services in
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#17327905135941848-528: Is also a partner (along with Stena Line and British railway company Greater Anglia ) in the Dutchflyer service. NS has also entered into a partnership with KLM to operate services on the new HSL-Zuid under the name Intercity Direct towards Breda and Brussels. Intercity Direct is part of NS International ; other services such as Eurostar to France and Intercity-Express to Germany and Switzerland are also part of NS International. The hoofdrailnet
1932-600: 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
2016-847: 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
2100-564: 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
2184-437: 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 ),
2268-484: Is the official core internal passenger rail network of the Netherlands. Currently, NS has a concession until 1 January 2034 to provide all passenger services on this network, except that on some stretches there is an overlap with lines for which other operators have a concession. Some of the most notable of these stretches are those from Elst railway station to Arnhem Centraal railway station , where NS shares tracks with Arriva , and further on to Arnhem Velperpoort . Here
2352-448: Is the same as using the anonymous ov-chipcard (see below). You do not need an app or ticket, nor do you have to register or signup to use this. Apple Pay, Google Pay and many contactless debit and credit cards can directly be used. Travelling using contactless works as following: At the start of your journey, place your smartphone or bank card in front of the reader to check-in. At the end of your journey, or if you transfer, check-out at
2436-460: 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
2520-405: 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
2604-596: The District of Bautzen in October 2014 with 84 buses. Abellio bought Probo Bus in 2009 and ran its network in the Czech Republic. It consisted of regional bus transport in the Beroun District and surroundings and some long-distance bus lines between Prague and South and West Bohemia . During July 2011, Abellio CZ was founded. In spring 2012, Abellio CZ lodged an extensive complaint about wrong assignment of
Abellio (transport company) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2688-535: The East Anglia franchise . In 2016, Abellio successfully bid to retain the renamed East Anglia franchise until 2025. In January 2017, Abellio sold a 40% stake in the business to Mitsui . During 2021, following the COVID-19 emergency measures, Greater Anglia was given a direct award contract, replacing its franchise agreement, expiring on 20 September 2026. In April 2015, Abellio ScotRail commenced operating
2772-529: 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 the Class 507 and 508 trains and introducing 53 new Class 777 trains. The network carried 28.3 million passengers in
2856-472: 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
2940-481: The ScotRail franchise . In December 2019, Transport Scotland enacted a break clause to end the 10 year franchise agreement three years early, in 2022 rather than 2025. Ministers cited value for money and the need for financial sustainability as factors in the decision. In December 2017, West Midlands Trains , a joint venture with East Japan Railway Company and Mitsui in which Abellio owned 70%, commenced operating
3024-521: The Travel London and Travel Surrey businesses from National Express during May 2009. Five months later, they were rebranded as Abellio London and Abellio Surrey . The latter closed in September 2018. Abellio London operated six garages; Armstrong Way , Battersea , Beddington Cross , Dawley Road , Fulwell and Walworth . By March 2022, the fleet consisted of 756 buses. Abellio had
3108-559: The Wales & Borders , West Midlands and Tyne & Wear Metro franchises. Abellio also bid for a number of franchises in its own right, lodging bids for the South Western franchise (in partnership with FirstGroup ), London Overground , South Central , InterCity West Coast , Essex Thameside , Thameslink, Southern & Great Northern and Northern franchises. In February 2012, Abellio Greater Anglia commenced operating
3192-529: 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
3276-414: 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
3360-417: The 1991 EU Directive 91/440 ; the latter required railway infrastructure and transport activities to be managed independently. Although the state called the process " corporatization " ( verzelfstandiging ), it really only meant the withdrawal of subsidies. The changes were carried out by Rob den Besten, who became chief executive officer of NS after the retirement of Leo Ploeger. NS' infrastructure division
3444-546: 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 , the passenger transport executive which co-ordinates public transport across the Liverpool City Region . Merseyrail branding and ticketing
Abellio (transport company) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3528-548: 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
3612-635: 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
3696-591: 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
3780-412: 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
3864-455: 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
3948-604: 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
4032-437: The Netherlands that caused the two largest Dutch railway companies, Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij (HSM) and Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen (SS), to become unprofitable. The companies avoided bankruptcy by integrating their operations, which was complete by 1917. The cooperation was for both economic and ideological reasons, and the state provided support by buying shares in both companies. In 1938,
4116-692: The West Midlands franchise. During September 2021, following emergency measures to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the DfT awarded WMT a direct contract until 20 September 2026, replacing its existing franchise agreement. In October 2016, it was announced that Abellio, along with several other competing companies, had been shortlisted to bid for the Wales & Borders franchise . This bid had been undertaken in partnership with Carillion . However, during February 2018, Abellio withdrew its bid for
4200-530: The case of planned and unplanned cancellations. On 23 July 2010 NS sold Strukton to the construction company Oranjewoud N.V.. This concluded a long history of planning, designing and executing track development done by the NS. There is a delay refund scheme entitling passengers to a partial or full refund of the ticket price if a journey is delayed by half an hour or more. The scheme does not apply on short-distance journeys (tickets less than €2.30) and cases in which
4284-471: The centre and the east, Veolia on the 'Maaslijn' and 'Heuvellandlijn' in the southeast, Arriva in the north and most of the east of the country and on the ' Merwede-Lingelijn ' (from Dordrecht to Geldermalsen). The OV-chipkaart is also used on buses and trams, where hourly tickets are for sale for those who have too little credit to travel but enough cash. NS defines off-peak hours as weekdays from 09:00–16:00 and 18:30–06:30, and on Saturdays and Sundays
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#17327905135944368-424: The company's CEO is former minister Wouter Koolmees , after Marjan Rintel left to become CEO of KLM . NS was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic , which caused massive drops in passenger numbers. The company received significant financial support from the national government in order to keep the company solvent. In 2022, the company made significant cuts in its timetable, running fewer and shorter trains, as
4452-528: The cost of the scheme is paid by ProRail, since they are responsible for part of the delays. Tobacco smoking is prohibited both on trains and in stations. Smoking on trains has been prohibited since 2004, with smoking in stations permitted in designated smoking zones, until this too was disallowed in October 2020. Since June 2003, the sale of coffee , soft drinks , beer , sandwiches , candy , etc., has ceased aboard domestic trains. The increasing number of Servex convenience stores at railway stations and
4536-505: The delay is the result of planned cancellations that were announced some days in advance. Refunds are, in general, half the ticket price of a one-way trip after a delay of over 30 minutes, and the full ticket price after a delay of one hour or more. That applies to nearly all kinds of tickets. The refund is not considered monetary compensation for lost time but rather as a reduction in charges where poor service has been provided. The system has been improved for holders of some rail passes. Part of
4620-457: The discovery of a gas field near Slochteren led to coal losing market share to natural gas in power plants and homes. NS' response, the Spoorslag '70 plan which increased service and introduced intercity service, failed to restore profitability. The company was deemed nationally important and received state subsidies . NS was reorganized following the neoliberal reforms of the 1980s and
4704-544: 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
4788-419: 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
4872-617: The following services: Arnhem–Nijmegen (8 trains per hour) and The Hague–Rotterdam (12 trains per hour), Amsterdam Centraal–Hoofddorp (16 trains per hour). A night train service was added between Utrecht, Gouda and Rotterdam. Trains usually run between 5:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. although there is also a nightline which connects major cities in the Randstad throughout the night, as well as in weekends also some major cities in North Brabant . In addition to its domestic services, NS
4956-537: The franchise as the liquidation of Carillion left it without an infrastructure partner. In August 2019, Abellio commenced operating the East Midlands Railway franchise. The company has reorganised the franchise's services into three branded segments: EMR InterCity for long-distance services from London St Pancras , EMR Regional for services across the East Midlands, and EMR Electrics for
5040-575: The graphic design company Tel Design. Introduced in that same year, it replaced an earlier design which had been used since 1946. The logo, pervasive within trains and railway stations in the Netherlands, plays a significant part in Nederlandse Spoorwegen 's signage, promotions, advertising, and graphic design. The logo usually appears in blue or black on a dark yellow or white background. Since its introduction, NS livery has also had this same distinct dark yellow or white colour. The logo
5124-412: The main stations have to be served at least twice an hour per direction from 6 a.m. to midnight and the other stations at least once an hour. Exceptions are possible until the start of the next concession. The next concession period is 2025–2035. For the 2015–2025 concession, requirements include: for every train service where on average more than one-third of the passengers travel longer than 30 minutes,
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#17327905135945208-447: 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
5292-570: 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
5376-413: 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
5460-539: The outer suburban London St Pancras to Corby service . Nederlandse Spoorwegen Nederlandse Spoorwegen ( Dutch: [ˈneːdərlɑntsə ˈspoːrˌʋeːɣə(n)] ; English: "Dutch Railways" ; NS ) is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands . It is a Dutch state-owned company founded in 1938. The Dutch rail network is the busiest in the European Union , and
5544-453: The point of one's latest check-in. Thus, in the case of a voluntary detour, one has to check out and check in to register starting a new journey. Travellers need to be aware of the various companies other than the Nederlandse Spoorwegen . One needs to check out with one company and check in with another on some stations. There is common tariff system with four smaller passenger train operating companies: Keolis Nederland and Connexxion in
5628-666: 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
5712-546: 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
5796-535: The reforms to restore confidence in the company. The state no longer considered competitive passenger service to be viable, and began granting concessions with the goal of one concession per line. NS received a concession to run main line routes until 2025. The timetable change on 10 December 2006 saw the most routes to approximate the symmetry minute in clock-face schedules to the one used in most other European countries. The previous symmetry minute 46 led to problems with cross-border trains. As of December 2022
5880-654: The region. British investment company Star Capital Partners purchased a 75% share in Abellio from the City of Essen in December 2005. In December 2008, both parties sold their stakes in the venture to the Dutch national railway company, Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS). It adopted the current Abellio branding in January 2010. As of April 2020, Abellio Deutschland operates 50 railway lines in nine states amounting to 5,518 km with
5964-548: The relatively short duration of most train journeys in the Netherlands have lowered the demand for on-train services. In 2005, a much reduced in-train service of drinks and small snacks has been reintroduced on longer journeys. Now, the RailTender service primarily operates in the intercity trains on the trajectory between Utrecht and Zwolle/Eindhoven, Zwolle and Almere, 's-Hertogenbosch and Nijmegen, Apeldoorn and Amersfoort, Rotterdam and Breda/Roosendaal/Antwerp. Conductors have
6048-482: 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
6132-447: The same way. If you use a bank card, be sure to remove it from your wallet, to ensure that the system uses the right card. The costs will be shown in your bank transfer statement the next day, along with a website link and code to get your travel itinerary. The OV-chipkaart is another common form of fare payment. Single or return tickets, used by incidental travellers and tourists, are available at ticket machines and service counters at
6216-512: The state bought the remaining shares and merged the companies to create NS; NS was not nationalised . During World War II , NS was forced by the Germans to construct railways to Westerbork transit camp and transport almost a hundred thousand Jews to extermination camps . The company's only wartime strike was during the Dutch famine of 1944–45 ; NS opted not to strike a year earlier. NS played
6300-546: 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
6384-439: The tender to running of fast train line Ostrava – Krnov – Olomouc; the complaint was completely rejected. In November 2013, Abellio sold Abellio CZ and Probo Bus to Arriva with 110 buses. Qbuzz was founded in 2008 by two former Connexxion directors; Abellio initially held a 49% shareholding in the venture. During April 2013, Abellio purchased the outstanding 51%, making Qbuzz a wholly-owned subsidiary. In March 2015, Qbuzz
6468-661: 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
6552-553: The third busiest in the world after Switzerland and Japan . The rail infrastructure is maintained by network manager ProRail , which was split off from NS in 2003. Freight operator NS Cargo merged with DB Cargo in 2000. NS runs 4,800 scheduled domestic trains a day, serving 1.1 million passengers. The NS also provides international rail services from the Netherlands to other European destinations and carries out concessions on some foreign rail markets through its subsidiary Abellio . World War I caused an economic downturn in
6636-453: The tracks are shared by three operators, as Breng, ultimately part of Transdev , operates there in addition to the two previously mentioned operators. Officially the overlaps do not constitute competition on the same lines. The concession was free of charge until 2009, and costs an increasing amount since then, up to €30 million for the year 2014. The concession distinguishes the main stations and other stations. Except on New Year's Eve ,
6720-413: The whole day. Therefore, the full fare is required on weekdays 06:30–09:00 and 16:00–18:30. With an OV-chipkaart that allows for a discount or free travel, one is automatically granted the discount or free travel at the time of checking in. There are several season tickets available that suit individual preferences. The NS corporate logo was designed in 1968 by Gert Dumbar and Gert-Jan Leuvelink, both of
6804-515: 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
6888-430: Was awarded a 15-year concession to operate services in the province of Limburg from December 2016. However, after the discovery of irregularities during the tender process, the contract was awarded to Arriva . In July 2016, NS announced its intention to sell Qbuzz. In July 2017, it was sold to Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane subsidiary Busitalia. Abellio began operations in the United Kingdom in 2003, initially through
6972-425: Was split off into NS Railinfratrust . Plans to split the remainder of NS met with limited success due to trade union opposition; the new companies created were NS Reizigers and locomotive maintenance company NedTrain . Passenger transport was to be conducted on a commercial basis, but the state continued to subsidize non-viable routes. Internally, route managers assumed de facto control, but they were dependent on
7056-419: 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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