Past
37-712: Transport UK Group ( TUK ) is a British transport operator which operates services in England. It commenced operations in February 2023 when it purchased the British assets of Abellio via a management buyout . In August 2022, Abellio agreed terms to sell its United Kingdom subsidiaries in 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 (TfL). The deal
74-500: A 25-year contract on 20 July 2003. Unlike most rolling stock that is owned by private sector rolling stock companies , Merseytravel will outright own the Class 777 fleet, operated by Merseyrail. The current Class 507 and Class 508 fleets are owned by Angel Trains and leased to Merseyrail. A third line, the City line , also historically branded as Merseyrail under British Rail ,
111-759: 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
148-519: 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
185-698: A best value tendering system. Fares are presently subsidised at levels lower than local commercial services. Merseytravel owns and operates the Mersey Ferry service between Liverpool Pier Head , Seacombe in Wallasey and Woodside in Birkenhead. The fleet consists of two vessels: Royal Iris of the Mersey and Snowdrop . There are three transport tunnels under the River Mersey . Merseytravel
222-524: A connected network across the six areas that form the city region. The actual date of the rename has not been confirmed. As the responsible passenger transport executive, Merseytravel is responsible for the co-ordination of local rail services which operate within Liverpool City Region under the direction of the combined authority. Merseytravel is the owner of Merseyrail which operates services across Merseyside, Cheshire, and Lancashire under
259-561: A franchise model. As a result of the privatisation of British Rail , the Northern and Wirral lines of the local Merseyrail rail network were brought together as the Merseyrail Electrics passenger franchise , that was privatised on 19 January 1997. Under the original privatisation legislation of 1993, PTEs were co-signatories of franchise agreements covering their areas. The first train operating company (TOC) awarded
296-405: A hot-bed of intense competition with less lucrative services ignored and, in some cases, disappearing. Ultimately, things settled down in the mid-1990s, with Merseybus parent company MTL took over a number of the new entrants, some disappearing and North Western – now owned by Arriva – the remainder. In 2000 MTL was bought by Arriva and is now part of an enlarged Arriva North West . However, Arriva
333-564: A museum dedicated to The Beatles located on Royal Albert Dock . Neil Scales , the former chief executive and director general of Merseytravel, in his 2011 presentation "Growing the Railways on Merseyside," outlined future projects that Merseytravel may be involved in: Merseytravel have also stated their support to linking Liverpool to the High Speed 2 network with a directly connected, brand new, twin-track line. In September 2017,
370-489: A report was compiled into the reopening of Liverpool St James railway station which concluded that the reopening of the station would be highly beneficial. Liverpool City Region Combined Authority announced in August 2019 that they were planning on using £172 million of funding on several major transport projects. These included: In 2023, new ferry was commissioned. Making the announcement, Mayor Rotheram said that
407-754: Is extended to include the whole of the Liverpool City Region , which comprises Merseyside and the Borough of Halton . In May 2021, mayor Steve Rotherham set out a plan for all trains, buses and ferries to become an integrated transport system under Merseytravel, owned by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority . On 19 July 2024, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority announced Merseytravel would be renamed to Transport for Liverpool City Region (TfLCR) to help fall in line with Transport for London and Transport for Greater Manchester , as part of efforts to promote
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#1732797384912444-573: Is responsible for the two road tunnels , Kingsway and Queensway , under the River Mersey and also controls the Mersey Tunnels Police . Merseyrail also runs through a railway tunnel under the river connecting central Liverpool and Birkenhead which was the first transport tunnel under the Mersey to be built, in the nineteenth century. Merseytravel, through Mersey Ferries, owns the Liverpool tourist attraction The Beatles Story ,
481-540: 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
518-486: 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
555-622: The Transport Act 1985 , which nationally mandated the deregulation and privatisation of bus services in 1986 throughout England (except in Greater London ), it operated a large proportion of the bus services on Merseyside, under the Merseyside Transport brand. It had taken over the municipally provided bus operations of Liverpool, Birkenhead and Wallasey county borough corporations in 1970, and expanded to cover
592-524: 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
629-562: 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
666-495: The metropolitan county of Merseyside to also include the Borough of Halton . In July 2024, it was announced it is to be rebranded as Transport for Liverpool City Region ( TfLCR ) in the future. The Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority and Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive were established as a result of the Transport Act 1968 . The authority, which was responsible for transport strategy and policy, included representatives from 18 different councils. The executive
703-663: 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 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
740-795: The Merseyrail network, the decision was taken to remove it from the national framework and bring it into local control. As a result, using the Merseyrail Electrics Network Order 2002 the Secretary of State for Transport exempted the system from being designated as a railway franchise under the privatisation legislation (the Railways Act 1993 ). This allowed the PTE to contract out the lines themselves, which it did with Merseyrail operated by Serco-Abellio commencing
777-696: 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
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#1732797384912814-988: The Wirral only. The PTE also had significant involvement in the operation of Crosville and Ribble garages on Merseyside too. Similar arrangements also existed with Lancashire United Transport / Greater Manchester Transport and Warrington Borough Transport from services connecting Merseyside with Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Lancashire. After deregulation, the Merseyside Transport operations were branded as Merseybus , and were subsequently privatised as MTL . The previous co-ordination of Merseyside's bus network disappeared as Crosville, Ribble, now known as North Western and Greater Manchester's GM Buses , became competitors of Merseybus, along with new entrants like CMT Buses, Fareway, Halton Transport , Liverbus, Liverline, PMT's Red Rider , Village Group, and other smaller operators. Merseyside's popular bus corridors became
851-478: The county borough municipal corporation areas and bus services of St Helens and Southport in 1974. The PTE also extensively coordinated and joint operated bus services on Merseyside with National Bus Company subsidiaries Crosville and Ribble . These were both longer distance services coming into Merseyside from Cheshire and Lancashire along with Crosville and Ribble services operated in Sefton, Liverpool and
888-540: 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
925-543: The franchise contract was MTL , originally the operating arm of the PTE, but privatised itself in 1985. It traded under the Merseyrail Electrics brand, but after MTL was sold to Arriva , the company was rebranded Arriva Trains Merseyside from 27 April 2001. When the franchise came up for renewal, reflecting the exclusive nature of the two lines - being largely isolated from the rest of the National Rail network and with no through passenger services to/from outside
962-468: The government-administered rail franchise system, although the role of PTEs in the franchising process has altered due by the 2005 Railways Act. From 11 December 2004, the NWRR franchise was merged into a new Northern franchise and operated by Northern Rail . The Merseyrail Class 142 units were repainted into Northern Rail livery. On 1 April 2016, the franchise was taken over by Arriva Rail North . Prior to
999-540: The multimillion project will “ensure that the iconic Ferry Cross the Mersey will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come.” The new ferry will be designed and constructed by Birkenhead shipbuilder Cammell Laird and is due to launch in 2026. Merseytravel are responsible for the management of local, reduced cost, integrated ticketing systems, and as part of this issue the ITSO -compatible MetroCard smartcard, on to which certain local travel passes are loaded. They are also
1036-627: The outer suburban London St Pancras to Corby service . Merseytravel Merseytravel is the passenger transport executive responsible for the coordination of public transport in the Liverpool City Region in North West England . It was established on 1 December 1969 as the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive . From 1 April 2014, with the creation of the Liverpool City Region, Merseytravel expanded its area of operation from
1073-445: 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
1110-867: 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 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
1147-476: Was also privatised under the 1993 Act, but as part of the much larger North West Regional Railways (NWRR) franchise. On 2 March 1997, North Western Trains, later rebranded First North Western , commenced operating the franchise. Some Class 142 units were repainted in Merseytravel's yellow livery. This line was not included in the 2003 exemption given to the other two lines, and so it has continued as part of
Transport UK Group - Misplaced Pages Continue
1184-499: 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
1221-588: Was completed when final approvals were received in February 2023. Transport UK Group operates the following subsidiaries: Abellio (transport company) 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
1258-583: Was created. It was later renamed the Merseyside Integrated Transport Authority and composed 18 councillors assembled from Merseyside's five districts: Liverpool , Knowsley , St Helens , Sefton and Wirral . On 1 April 2014, the Merseyside Integrated Transport Authority was abolished and reformed as the Merseytravel Committee of Liverpool City Region Combined Authority . The transport authority area
1295-488: Was required by the Monopolies & Mergers Commission to divest some of its Liverpool operations, which are now operated by Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire . There are also smaller Merseyside operators like Cumfybus and HTL Buses . Today, Merseytravel is also responsible for providing bus services which are considered socially necessary but are not profitable; these are operated by other operators, using
1332-613: Was responsible for day-to-day operation of transport services. In 1974, when the transport organisation's boundaries were made co-extensive with the new metropolitan county of Merseyside which was formally created by the Local Government Act 1972 , the authority was composed of 23 councillors of the new Merseyside County Council . When the metropolitan county councils were abolished by the Local Government Act 1985 , new structures had to be created. A new joint board - again called The Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority -
1369-629: Was sold to Rhenus Veniro and 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
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