List of Train Companies Operating Trains in the United KingdomList of Companies Operating Trains in the United Kingdom Passenger Operators in Great Britain Operator Type, Franchise Parent(s), Passenger satisfaction, Start date, Replaced Code Arriva Rail London (Trading as: London Overground) TfL concession London Overground Arriva UK Trains 87% 13 November 2016 London Overground Rail Operations LO Avanti West Coast Franchise West Coast Partnership FirstGroup (70%) Trenitalia (30%) 84% 8 December 2019 Virgin Trains West Coast VT c2c Essex Thameside Trenitalia 84% 26 May 1996 Network SouthEast (London, Tilbury & Southend Division) CC Caledonian Sleeper Caledonian Sleeper Scottish Government — 25 June 2023 First ScotRail CS Chiltern Railways Chiltern Railways Arriva UK Trains 88% 21 July 1996 Network SouthEast (Chiltern Division) CH CrossCountry New CrossCountry 85% 11 November 2007 Central Trains (Birmingham – Stansted), (Cardiff – Nottingham) Virgin CrossCountry XC East Midlands Railway East Midlands Abellio 83% 18 August 2019 East Midlands Trains Northern Trains (Barton-on-Humber – Cleethorpes) EM Elizabeth line TfL concession Crossrail MTR Elizabeth line 89% 31 May 2015 (as TfL Rail) Greater Anglia (Liverpool Street – Shenfield) Heathrow Connect Heathrow Express (Heathrow Central – Heathrow T4 shuttle) TfL Rail (Liverpool Street – Shenfield), (Paddington – Heathrow T4/T5) XR Eurostar Open access — Eurostar International — 14 November 1994 — ES Govia Thameslink Railway (Trading as: Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink) Franchise Thameslink, Southern & Great Northern Govia 80% 14 September 2014 First Capital Connect Southern SN, TL, GN, GX Grand Central Open access — Arriva UK Trains 95% 18 December 2007 — GC Greater Anglia (also operating Stansted Express) Franchise East Anglia Abellio (60%) Mitsui (40%) 77% 16 October 2016 National Express East Anglia LE Great Western Railway Greater Western FirstGroup 86% 1 April 2006 First Great Western First Great Western Link Wessex Trains GW Heathrow Express Open access — Heathrow Airport Holdings 94% 23 June 1998 — HX Hull Trains — FirstGroup 92% 25 September 2002 — HT London North Eastern Railway Franchise InterCity East Coast DfT OLR Holdings 91% 24 June 2018 Virgin Trains East Coast GR Lumo Open access — FirstGroup — 25 October 2021 — LD Merseyrail Merseytravel contract Merseyrail Serco-Abellio 90% 20 July 2003 Arriva Trains Merseyside ME Northern Trains (Trading as Northern) Franchise Northern DfT OLR Holdings 77% 1 March 2020 Arriva Rail North NT ScotRail ScotRail Scottish Government — 1 April 2022 Abellio ScotRail SR Southeastern South Eastern DfT OLR Holdings — 17 October 2021 Southeastern (Govia) SE South Western Railway (also operating Island Line) South Western FirstGroup (70%) MTR Corporation (30%) 75% 20 August 2017 South West Trains SW, IL TransPennine Trains (Trading as TransPennine Express) TransPennine Express DfT OLR Holdings – 28 May 2023 TransPennine Express (2016–2023) TP Transport for Wales Rail Wales & Borders Transport for Wales — 7 February 2021 KeolisAmey Wales AW West Midlands Trains (Trading as: West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway) West Midlands Abellio (70%) JR East (15%) Mitsui (15%) 79% 10 December 2017 London Midland LM There are also a number of light rail systems. Defunct Operating Companies Operating companies have ceased to exist for various reasons, including withdrawal of the franchise, the term of the franchise has expired, bankruptcy or merger. Operator Type Franchise Parent(s) Date started Date ceased Replaced by Code Abellio ScotRail Franchise ScotRail Abellio 1 April 2015 31 March 2022 ScotRail (Scottish Government) SR Anglia Railways Anglia GB Railways 5 January 1997 31 March 2004 One AR Arriva Trains Wales Wales & Borders Arriva UK Trains 8 December 2003 13 October 2018 KeolisAmey Wales AW Arriva Trains Merseyside Merseytravel contract Merseyrail February 2000 20 July 2003 Merseyrail ME Arriva Trains Northern Franchise Regional Railways North East 2 March 1997 12 December 2004 First TransPennine Express Northern Rail AN Arriva Rail North Northern 1 April 2016 29 February 2020 Northern Trains NT Central Trains Central National Express 2 March 1997 10 November 2007 CrossCountry East Midlands Trains London Midland CT Connex South Central Network SouthCentral Connex 13 October 1996 16 June 2001 Southern CX Connex South Eastern South Eastern 26 May 1996 9 November 2003 South Eastern Trains East Coast InterCity East Coast Directly Operated Railways 14 November 2009 28 February 2015 Virgin Trains East Coast GR East Midlands Trains East Midlands Stagecoach 11 November 2007 17 August 2019 East Midlands Railway EM First Capital Connect Thameslink Great Northern FirstGroup 1 April 2006 13 September 2014 Govia Thameslink Railway FC First Great Eastern Great Eastern FirstGroup 5 January 1997 31 March 2004 National Express East Anglia GE First Great Western Link Thames FirstGroup 1 April 2004 31 March 2006 First Great Western FK First North Western North West Regional Railways FirstGroup 2 March 1997 12 December 2004 Arriva Trains Wales First TransPennine Express Northern Rail NW First ScotRail Scotrail FirstGroup 17 October 2004 31 March 2015 Abellio ScotRail SR First TransPennine Express TransPennine Express FirstGroup (55%) Keolis (45%) 1 February 2004 31 March 2016 TransPennine Express TP Gatwick Express Gatwick Express National Express 28 April 1996 22 June 2008 Southern GX Great North Eastern Railway InterCity East Coast Sea Containers 28 April 1996 8 December 2007 National Express East Coast GR Great Western Trains Great Western Great Western Holdings 4 February 1996 March 1998 First Great Western GW Heathrow Connect Open Access — Heathrow Airport Holdings, FirstGroup 12 June 2005 19 May 2018 TfL Rail HC Island Line Franchise Island Line Stagecoach 13 October 1996 3 February 2007 South West Trains IL London Midland West Midlands Govia 11 November 2007 9 December 2017 West Midlands Trains LM London Overground Rail Operations TfL concession London Overground Arriva UK Trains (50%) MTR Corporation (50%) 11 November 2007 12 November 2016 Arriva Rail London LO Merseyrail Electrics Merseytravel contract Merseyrail MTL 19 January 1997 February 2000 Arriva Trains Merseyside ME Midland Mainline Franchise Midland Main Line National Express 28 February 1996 10 November 2007 East Midlands Trains ML National Express East Anglia Greater Anglia 1 April 2004 5 February 2012 Greater Anglia LE National Express East Coast InterCity East Coast 9 December 2007 13 November 2009 East Coast GR Northern Rail Northern Rail Serco-Abellio 12 December 2004 31 March 2016 Arriva Rail North NT Northern Spirit Regional Railways North East MTL 2 March 1997 February 2000 Arriva Trains Northern NS North Western Trains North West Regional Railways Great Western Holdings 2 March 1997 March 1998 First North Western NW ScotRail ScotRail National Express 31 March 1997 17 October 2004 First ScotRail SR Silverlink North London Railways 2 March 1997 10 November 2007 London Midland London Overground Rail Operations SS Southeastern Integrated Kent Govia 1 April 2006 16 October 2021 SE Trains (trading as Southeastern) SE South Eastern Trains South Eastern Strategic Rail Authority 9 November 2003 31 March 2006 Southeastern SE South West Trains South Western Stagecoach 4 February 2007 19 August 2017 South Western Railway SW Southern South Central Govia 26 August 2001 25 July 2015 Govia Thameslink Railway SN Thames Trains Thames Go-Ahead Group 13 October 1996 31 March 2004 First Great Western Link TT Thameslink Thameslink Govia 2 March 1997 31 March 2006 First Capital Connect TR TransPennine Express TransPennine Express FirstGroup 1 April 2016 28 May 2023 TransPennine Trains (trading as TransPennine Express) TP KeolisAmey Wales Wales & Borders Keolis/Amey 14 October 2018 6 February 2021 Transport for Wales Rail AW Valley Lines Valley Lines National Express 13 October 1996 13 October 2001 Wales & Borders VL Virgin Trains East Coast InterCity East Coast Virgin Group (10%) Stagecoach (90%) 1 March 2015 23 June 2018 London North Eastern Railway GR Virgin CrossCountry CrossCountry Virgin Rail Group 5 January 1997 10 November 2007 CrossCountry First Trans Pennine Express Virgin Trains West Coast VXC Virgin Trains West Coast InterCity West Coast 9 March 1997 7 December 2019 Avanti West Coast VT West Anglia Great Northern (West Anglia Main Line and Lea Valley Lines) West Anglia Great Northern National Express 5 January 1997 31 March 2004 One WN West Anglia Great Northern (Great Northern and Fenline routes) West Anglia Great Northern National Express 5 January 1997 31 March 2006 First Capital Connect Wales & Borders Wales & Borders National Express 14 October 2001 7 December 2003 Arriva Trains Wales WB Wales & West Wales & West National Express 13 October 1996 13 October 2001 Wales & Borders Wales & Borders National Express 14 October 2001 7 December 2003 Arriva Trains Wales WB Wessex Trains WW Wessex Trains Wessex National Express 14 October 2001 31 March 2006 First Great Western WE Wrexham & Shropshire Open access Wrexham to London DB Regio 28 April 2008 28 January 2011 Ceased due to lack of profitability WS Passenger operators in Northern Ireland In Northern Ireland, passenger trains are NI/Ireland government-owned by Translink or the National Transport Authority. The following brands are used: Northern Ireland Railways Iarnród Éireann, who operates the Enterprise service from Dublin Connolly to Belfast Lanyon Place on the Belfast-Dublin line with Northern Ireland Railways and also 2 Northern Commuter services a day to/from Newry. UK Railtour Operators
Luxury Railtours
In Northern Ireland
Freight Operators
Franchised Passenger Operator Structure in Great Britain Sector of British Rail Franchise Pre-grouping company Original privatised operator Current operator(s)
InterCity InterCity East Coast Great Northern Railway Great North Eastern Railway London North Eastern Railway New CrossCountry N/A Virgin CrossCountry CrossCountry West Coast Partnership London & North Western Railway Virgin Trains West Coast Avanti West Coast Network SouthEast Chiltern Great Central Railway Chiltern Railways East Anglia Great Eastern Railway Anglia Railways Greater Anglia Essex Thameside London, Tilbury & Southend Railway LTS Rail c2c South Eastern South Eastern & Chatham Railway Connex South Eastern Southeastern South Western London & South Western Railway South West Trains South Western Railway Thameslink Thameslink Connex South Central Southern Network SouthEast Thameslink, Southern & Great Northern London, Brighton & South Coast Railway West Anglia Great Northern Great Northern (Great Northern and Fenline routes) (Govia Thameslink Railway) Connex South Central Southern West Midlands Railway West Midlands N/A Central Trains London Northwestern Railway (West Midlands Trains) Regional Railways Wales & Borders Wales & Borders Transport for Wales Rail TransPennine Express Predominantly London & North Western Railway North Western Trains TransPennine Express Northern Northern Spirit Northern Trains ScotRail Caledonian Railway, Glasgow & South Western Railway, Great North of Scotland Railway, Highland Railway and North British Railway ScotRail ScotRail | |||||
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