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Silverlink

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Silverlink
Overview
Franchise(s)North London Railways
2 March 1997 – 10 November 2007
Main region(s)Greater London
Other region(s)Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire,
Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire
Fleet size67
Stations called at88
Parent companyNational Express
Reporting markSS
Successors
Other
WebsiteArchived website
Route map

Bedford National Rail
Bedford St Johns
Kempston Hardwick
National Rail Birmingham New Street
Stewartby
Airport interchange National Rail
Birmingham
International
Millbrook
National Rail Coventry
Lidlington
National Rail Rugby
Ridgmont
Long Buckby
Aspley Guise
National Rail Northampton
Woburn Sands
Wolverton
Bow Brickhill
National Rail Milton Keynes Central
Fenny Stratford
Bletchley
Leighton Buzzard
Cheddington
St Albans Abbey
Tring
Park Street
Berkhamsted
How Wood
Hemel Hempstead
Bricket Wood
Apsley
Garston
Kings Langley
Watford North
National Rail Watford Junction
Watford High Street
Bushey
Carpenders Park
Hatch End
Headstone Lane
Bakerloo Line National Rail Harrow & Wealdstone
(Bakerloo Line) Kenton
(Bakerloo Line) South Kenton
(Bakerloo Line) North Wembley
(Bakerloo Line) National Rail Wembley Central
Stonebridge Park (Bakerloo Line)
Harlesden (Bakerloo Line)
Willesden Junction (Bakerloo Line)
London Underground National Rail Kensington (Olympia)
Kensal Green(Bakerloo Line)
London Underground National Rail West Brompton
Queen's Park Bakerloo Line
National Rail Clapham Junction
Kilburn High Road
Acton Central
South Hampstead
South Acton
Euston National Rail London Underground
London Underground Gunnersbury
Kensal Rise
London Underground Kew Gardens
Brondesbury Park
London Underground National Rail Richmond
Brondesbury
West Hampstead National Rail London Underground
Finchley Road
& Frognal
Hampstead Heath
Gospel Oak
Kentish Town West
Upper Holloway
Camden Road
Crouch Hill
Caledonian Road
& Barnsbury
Harringay Green Lanes
London Underground National Rail Highbury & Islington
South Tottenham
Canonbury
Blackhorse Road London Underground
Dalston Kingsland
Walthamstow
Queen's Road
Hackney Central
Leyton Midland Road
Homerton
Leytonstone High Road
Hackney Wick
Wanstead Park
Docklands Light Railway London Underground National Rail Stratford
Woodgrange Park
London Underground National Rail West Ham
Barking National Rail London Underground
Docklands Light Railway London Underground Canning Town
Docklands Light Railway Custom House
Silvertown
London River Services North Woolwich
National Rail
Bakerloo Line
Shared route
with Bakerloo line
Silverlink County
London Underground
Other Underground lines
transferred to
Central Trains 2004
Docklands Light Railway
Silverlink Metro
Airport interchange
service withdrawn 2006
London River Services

Silverlink[1] was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by National Express that operated the North London Railways franchise from March 1997 until November 2007. At the end of 2007 Silverlink Metro services were taken over by London Overground and Silverlink County services were taken over by London Midland.

History

[edit]

The North London Railways franchise was awarded to National Express on 7 February 1997.[2] National Express commenced operating the franchise on 3 March 1997.

After initially trading as North London Railways, in September 1997 the franchise was rebranded as Silverlink.[3]

The franchise was due to finish on 15 October 2006, but on 11 August 2006 the Department for Transport granted an extension until 10 November 2007.[4] Upon its closure, its London metro services were taken over by London Overground and the remainder were merged with Central Trains' western services to form London Midland.

Branding

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Silverlink had two sub-brands:

Silverlink Metro was used for services primarily within Greater London:

Silverlink County was used for services beyond Greater London:

[edit]

Silverlink Metro operated these services.

Note: Changes during the franchise period are noted but changes to the lines before and after the franchise are not.

North London line

[edit]

These services ran on the North London line:

  Richmond (interchange for District line)
  Kew Gardens (interchange for District line)
  Gunnersbury (interchange for District line)
  South Acton
  Acton Central
  Willesden Junction (interchange for Bakerloo line, West London line and Watford DC Line)
  Kensal Rise
  Brondesbury Park
  Brondesbury
  West Hampstead (interchange for Jubilee line and First Capital Connect)
  Finchley Road & Frognal
  Hampstead Heath
  Gospel Oak (interchange for Gospel Oak to Barking line)
  Kentish Town West
  Camden Road
  Caledonian Road & Barnsbury
  Highbury & Islington (interchange for Victoria line)
  Canonbury
  Dalston Kingsland
  Hackney Central
  Homerton
  Hackney Wick
  Stratford (interchange for Central line, Jubilee line, Docklands Light Railway, c2c (limited services - early morning, late night and during engineering works only) and National Express East Anglia)
  West Ham
  Canning Town
  Custom House
  Silvertown
  North Woolwich

† At the end of service on Saturday 9 December 2006 the line between Stratford and North Woolwich closed, as much of the route was duplicated by the Docklands Light Railway and the Jubilee line, leaving Stratford as the eastern terminus of the North London Line.[5]

West London line

[edit]

These services ran via the West London line:

  Willesden Junction (interchange for North London Line, Watford DC Line and Bakerloo line)
  Kensington (Olympia) (interchange for District line and Southern)
  West Brompton (interchange for District line and Southern)
  Clapham Junction (interchange for South West Trains and Southern)

Shepherd's Bush on the West London Line was due to open under the franchise (with signage in Silverlink colours installed), but platform widening work meant that it finally opened in September 2008 under London Overground management, the signage being replaced with the London Overground roundels by that time.

Watford DC line

[edit]

These services ran on the Watford DC line:

  London Euston (interchange for Northern line, Victoria line and Virgin (West Coast Main Line)
  South Hampstead
  Kilburn High Road
  Queen's Park
  Kensal Green
  Willesden Junction † (interchange for North London Line and West London Line)
  Harlesden
  Stonebridge Park
  Wembley Central † (interchange for Southern during the peaks)
  North Wembley
  South Kenton
  Kenton
  Harrow & Wealdstone † (interchange for Northampton Line and Southern)
  Headstone Lane
  Hatch End
  Carpenders Park
  Bushey
  Watford High Street
  Watford Junction (interchange for Northampton Line, St Albans Abbey Line, Virgin (West Coast Main Line), Southern)

† = also served by the Bakerloo line.

Gospel Oak to Barking line

[edit]

These services ran on the Gospel Oak to Barking line:

  Gospel Oak (interchange for North London Line)
  Upper Holloway
  Crouch Hill
  Harringay Green Lanes
  South Tottenham
  Blackhorse Road (interchange for Victoria line)
  Walthamstow Queens Road
  Leyton Midland Road
  Leytonstone High Road
  Wanstead Park
  Woodgrange Park
  Barking (interchange for District line, Hammersmith & City line and c2c)
[edit]

Birmingham/Northampton

[edit]

Birmingham Line services ran on the slow lines of the West Coast Main Line. The service was cut back to Northampton in September 2004, with services north of Northampton being transferred to partner operator Central Trains,[6] and some through services remained. (Central Trains, like Silverlink, was a subsidiary of National Express and the operations shared rolling stock.)

  London Euston (interchange for Watford DC Line and Virgin Trains West Coast and First Scotrail sleeper service)
  Harrow & Wealdstone (interchange for Watford DC Line and Southern (via West London Line) )
  Bushey
  Watford Junction (interchange for Watford DC Line, St Albans Abbey Line, Virgin Trains and Southern)
  Kings Langley
  Apsley
  Hemel Hempstead
  Berkhamsted
  Tring
  Cheddington
  Leighton Buzzard
  Bletchley (interchange for Marston Vale Line)
  Milton Keynes Central (interchange/terminus for Southern, interchange with Virgin Trains)
  Wolverton
  Northampton

Prior to 2004 the service also continued to Birmingham, calling at the following stations:

  Long Buckby
  Rugby
  Coventry
  Birmingham International
  Birmingham New Street

Abbey Line

[edit]

These services ran on the Abbey Line

  Watford Junction (interchange for Northampton/Birmingham services, Virgin West Coast, Watford DC Line and Southern)
  Watford North
  Garston
  Bricket Wood
  How Wood
  Park Street
  St Albans Abbey

Marston Vale line

[edit]

These services ran on the Marston Vale line between Bedford and Bletchley:

  Bletchley (interchange for Northampton Line)
  Fenny Stratford
  Bow Brickhill
  Woburn Sands
  Aspley Guise
  Ridgmont
  Lidlington
  Millbrook
  Stewartby
  Kempston Hardwick
  Bedford St Johns
  Bedford (interchange for First Capital Connect and Midland Mainline)

Performance

[edit]

Silverlink was categorised as a London and South East operator by the Office for Rail Regulation (ORR) and was one of the best performing TOCs in this sector with a PPM (Public Performance Measure) of 90.8% for the last quarter of the financial year 2006/7.[7] Despite these figures,[8] the Silverlink Metro franchise on the North London Line was regarded by frequent travellers as offering a poor service,[9] with extremely congested trains and an unreliable service[10] with some trains cancelled shortly before they were due to arrive. A London Assembly report said passengers found the service "shabby, unreliable, unsafe and overcrowded".[11]

Rolling stock

[edit]

Silverlink inherited a fleet of Class 117 and Class 121 diesel multiple units, and Class 313 and Class 321 electric multiple units, from British Rail.

To replace the elderly Class 117s and 121s, which operated the Gospel Oak - Barking and Bletchley - Bedford services, seven Class 150 Sprinters were transferred from Central Trains in summer 1999; an eighth followed in 2006.[12][full citation needed] Pending the Sprinters' arrival, Silverlink hired Class 31 locomotives from Fragonset to top and tail Mark 2 carriages on Bletchley - Bedford services in 1998/99.

The Class 313s operated Metro services on the electrified routes; they were joined on the Euston - Watford Junction service in 2003 by three Class 508s transferred from Merseyrail. The Class 321s operated County services to Northampton and Birmingham; they were joined in 2005 by new Class 350s. The Watford Junction - St Albans Abbey service was operated for many years by Class 313s, but later was usually operated by Class 321s with Silverlink Metro drivers and Silverlink County guards.

On 16 July 2004, Virgin Trains announced that it was withdrawing most of its stops at Milton Keynes Central, which were used by up to 6,000 passengers a day. Commuters became unhappy at the prospect of switching to older Silverlink trains, and a longer journey. Silverlink countered this with the temporary usage of ex-Virgin stock, still in Virgin colours.[13]

The Strategic Rail Authority decided to divert thirty four-carriage Siemens Desiro trains from an order placed by South West Trains to provide stock with faster acceleration for the West Coast Main Line operators. These trains, the Class 350s, were not allocated to a specific operator, but were instead used jointly by Silverlink and Central Trains, both owned by National Express.

Pending the arrival of these trains, from September 2004 Silverlink introduced two sets of Mark 3 carriages, formerly of Virgin Trains, hauled by Virgin Class 87 and EWS Class 90 electric locomotives on peak-hour Northampton services.[14][15] Additionally, five Class 321s were hired from One, another National Express-owned operator.

Fleet

[edit]
Class Image Type Top speed Number Routes operated Built Period used Notes
mph km/h
121 Bubble Car DMU 70 112 4 Gospel Oak to Barking Line
Marston Vale Line
1960 1997–2001 Replaced by Class 150s.
150/1 Sprinter 75 120 8 1984–1987 1999–2007
313/1 EMU 23 Silverlink Metro:
North London Line
West London Line
Watford DC Line
1976–1977 1997–2007 Refurbished between 1997 and 2001.
321/4 100 160 37 Silverlink County:
Northampton Line
St Albans Abbey Line
1989–1990 1997–2007
350/1 Desiro 30 Silverlink County:
Northampton Line
2004–2005 2004–2007 Shared use by Central Trains and Silverlink on the southern section of the West Coast Main Line.
508/3 75 120 3 Silverlink Metro:
Watford DC Line
1979–1980 2003–2007 Refurbished 2003.
Class 313 at North Woolwich in 2001, closed in 2006.

Depots

[edit]

Silverlink's fleet was maintained at Bletchley Depot. Following Virgin Trains ceasing to operate electric locomotives, Silverlink's Metro fleet moved to Willesden Depot.

In 2006 Alstom proposed closing Willesden. The depot's closure would have meant the Class 508s would have had to relocate to another depot, and the Class 313s having to return to Bletchley Depot (which was also due to close). On 12 May 2007, Silverlink took over direct running of the depot and its staff for the final six months of its franchise.

Demise

[edit]

As part of a wider redrawing of the rail franchise map by the Department for Transport, the Silverlink network was to be broken up when it was renewed in November 2007.

The Silverlink Metro services were moved to the control of Transport for London under the banner of the London Overground. On 19 June 2007 Transport for London announced it had awarded the London Overground concession to a Laing Rail/MTR joint venture.[16]

The Silverlink County services were merged with the Central Trains services around Birmingham to create a new West Midlands franchise. On 22 June 2007 the Department for Transport announced it had awarded the West Midlands franchise to Govia.[17]

Silverlink's services transferred to London Overground Rail Operations and London Midland on 11 November 2007.

References

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  1. ^ Companies House extract company no 3007935 Archived 15 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine Silverlink Train Services Limited
  2. ^ "NX Awarded North London Railways Franchise". National Express. 7 February 1997. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
  3. ^ "UK Activity Report - National Express". 30 September 1997. Archived from the original on 22 February 2008.
  4. ^ "Silverlink franchise extended to November 2007" (PDF). 11 August 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2006.
  5. ^ "Stratford-North Woolwich service to be withdrawn". Silverlink. 8 December 2006. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2007.
  6. ^ ""Slow" trains between cities cut". BBC News. 8 September 2004. Archived from the original on 22 April 2008. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  7. ^ "National Rail Trends 2006-2007 Q4" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2007.
  8. ^ "Silverlink rises to second position in the national performance league". 18 September 2006. Archived from the original on 3 December 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2007. Association of Train Operating Companies [1] Archived 15 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine Press Releases
  9. ^ Sharp, Rachel (24 October 2007). "TfL to take on rail network". Ealing Times. Archived from the original on 13 January 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2007.
  10. ^ "Braced for rail strikes". Hackney Gazette. 26 October 2007. Archived from the original on 28 November 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2007.
  11. ^ "London's Forgotten Railway". Greater London Authority. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  12. ^ Today's Railways UK. No. 63. March 2006. p. 37. {{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. ^ "Commuters angry over train switch". BBC News. 16 July 2004. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
  14. ^ "Loco-hauled Cobblers to return from September". The Railway Magazine. No. 1240. August 2004. p. 6.
  15. ^ "The end for loco-hauled Cobbler services". Entrain. No. 45. September 2005. p. 15.
  16. ^ MTRLaing appointed to run London Overground[usurped] TheRailwayCentre.Com 19 June 2007
  17. ^ Govia wins franchise for West Midlands rail Archived 15 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine The Telegraph 22 June 2007
[edit]


Preceded by Operator of North London Railways franchise
1997–2007
Succeeded by
London Midland
West Midlands franchise
Succeeded by
London Overground
London Overground concession