West Midlands Trains
West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a British train operating company based in Birmingham, England. It operates passenger trains on the West Midlands franchise between London and the West Midlands under two trade names: West Midlands Railway (WMR) (within the West Midlands region) and London Northwestern Railway (LNR) (outside the West Midlands region). The company took over from London Midland on 10 December 2017.[1]
It is owned by a consortium of three companies: Abellio, JR East and Mitsui Group.
The company provides direct LNWR trains mainly between London and Birmingham, with some trains going to Watford, Tring, Milton Keynes, Crewe and Liverpool. WMR provide direct trains between Birmingham and towns such as Shrewsbury, Rugeley, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Stratford-upon-Avon, Nuneaton, Redditch and Hereford.
West Midlands Trains Media
A pair of WMT Class 172/3 diesel units departing Birmingham Moor Street heading south, coupled to make a 6 car formation.
Crewe Heritage Centre is a mecca for railway fans everywhere. Commanding excellent views of the West coast Mainline and the Chester/North Wales route and with a good selection of preserved rolling stock, it is a must-see. And in August 2023 it was open free of charge on Wednesdays thanks to support from Crewe Town Council.
Route map of West Midlands trains showing the lines of both London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway services in central England, UK
Passenger journeys on the West Midlands rail franchise from 2010–11 to 2018–19
The shared West Midlands branding, here orange for rail
Map of the Birmingham & West Midlands rail network (2017)
08616, carrying nameplates to celebrate one hundred years of the Tyseley Locomotive depot, Birmingham.
Class 139 approaches Stourbridge Town 2023
The 1Z10 July Jaunt took us to the Midlands on the 25/26th July - immediately before a strike by RMT workers which would paralyze the network. Many more freight trains were slotted in ahead of the strike in order to move as much strategic freight as possible, making for a very enjoyable 2 days on and around the Leamington-Banbury-Bicester/Oxford routes.
172101 passes Kidderminster 200523
References
- ↑ West Midlands Trains announced as winning bidder for West Midlands franchise Archived 10 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine Abellio 10 August 2017
