West Midlands Trains facts for kids

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West Midlands Trains

Top/left: Class 172

in WMR livery at Birmingham Moor Street
Bottom/right: Class 350

in LNR livery near Crewe

Overview

Franchise(s)

West Midlands
10 December 2017 – 1 February 2026

Main region(s)

Other region(s)

Fleet size

West Midlands Railway

Class 139
Class 172
Class 196
Class 730

London Northwestern Railway

Class 150
Class 350
Class 730

Stations called at

178

Stations operated

146

Parent company

Transport UK Group (85%)
Mitsui & Co (15%)

Headquarters

Birmingham

Reporting mark

Predecessor

London Midland

Technical

Length

539 mi (867 km)

Other

Website

Route map

West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a British company that runs passenger trains. It operates services between London and the English Midlands. WMT uses two different names for its services: West Midlands Railway (WMR) for trains within the West Midlands region, and London Northwestern Railway (LNR) for trains outside this area.

West Midlands Trains started as a partnership of three companies: Abellio, JR East, and Mitsui & Co. They joined forces to bid for the West Midlands train operating contract. They won the contract in August 2017. JR East sold its share to Abellio in September 2021. Then, in February 2023, Abellio sold its part of the company to Transport UK Group.

WMT works with the Department for Transport (DfT) and also with the West Midlands Rail Executive. The West Midlands Rail Executive helps manage services that stay completely within the West Midlands region. West Midlands Trains took over from the previous operator, London Midland, on December 10, 2017. The current contract is set to end on February 1, 2026, when the services will become publicly owned under DfT Operator Limited.

How West Midlands Trains Started

Passenger journeys on the West Midlands rail franchise from 2010–11 to 2018–19

In April 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the companies that were competing for the West Midlands train contract. These included the company already running the services, Govia, along with MTR Corporation, and West Midlands Trains. West Midlands Trains was a group made up of Abellio (70%), JR East (15%), and Mitsui & Co (15%). MTR Corporation later decided not to continue with their bid in July 2016.

In August 2017, the West Midlands Trains group was chosen to run the services. They officially started operating on December 10, 2017, taking over from London Midland. The contract was originally planned to last until March 2026.

Unlike the previous London Midland contract, West Midlands Trains also works with the West Midlands Rail Executive. This group includes 16 local councils and helps manage services that run only within the West Midlands region. However, the DfT still needs to approve any big changes the West Midlands Rail Executive wants to make.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, West Midlands Trains reduced its services because fewer people were traveling. From June 15, 2020, passengers and staff on public transport in England, including WMT trains, had to wear face coverings.

In September 2021, after the financial effects of the pandemic, the DfT gave WMT a direct contract. This new contract replaced the old one and runs until September 20, 2026.

West Midlands Trains was one of several train companies affected by railway strikes in the UK. These strikes, which started in 2022, were the first national rail strikes in three decades. Because many staff members were involved, West Midlands Trains could only run a very limited number of trains on strike days.

In February 2023, Abellio's share in West Midlands Trains was sold to Transport UK Group.

Buying Tickets and Fares

As of 2024, West Midlands Trains has a rule about penalty fares. This means passengers must buy a ticket before they get on the train. If it's not possible to buy a ticket beforehand, passengers need to tell the conductor right away when they board the train.

Future Public Ownership

In July 2025, it was announced that all West Midlands Trains services will become publicly owned. This change will happen on February 1, 2026, under DfT Operator.

Train Names and Colours

The shared West Midlands branding, here orange for rail

West Midlands Trains uses two main names for its services. Trains running on the West Coast Main Line, including those going to London Euston, Liverpool Lime Street, and Crewe, are called London Northwestern Railway. This name honours the old London & North Western Railway (LNWR) company, which ran trains on this route a long time ago (between 1846 and 1922). These trains and their signs use a green colour scheme with a logo made of the letters L, N, and W.

Trains running in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands area are called West Midlands Railway. These services used to be known as London Midland City. WMT runs these services as a separate part of the company. This is to make it easier for the local West Midlands Combined Authority to take over these services in the future. These trains use orange and purple colours. They have a special hexagonal "WM" logo. This logo is part of a shared branding plan for different types of transport in the West Midlands County. This helps show that all transport in the area works together. Each type of transport has a different colour for its "WM" logo: buses use red, trams (West Midlands Metro) use blue, cycling uses green, West Midlands Railway uses orange, and the West Midlands Rail Executive uses a turquoise logo.

London Northwestern Railway Routes

London Northwestern Railway runs services along the West Coast Main Line. These services include:

Trains starting from London Euston.
Trains on smaller lines that connect to the south of the West Coast main line.

As of December 2024, here are some typical London Northwestern Railway services during off-peak times (not rush hour) on Mondays to Saturdays. The numbers show how many trains run per hour (tph):

West Coast Main Line
Route	tph	Stopping at
London Euston – Tring	2	Harrow & Wealdstone, Watford Junction, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted
London Euston – Milton Keynes Central	2	Harrow & Wealdstone, Bushey, Watford Junction, Kings Langley, Apsley, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring, Cheddington, Leighton Buzzard, Bletchley
London Euston – Birmingham New Street	2	Watford Junction (1tph), Leighton Buzzard, Bletchley, Milton Keynes Central, Wolverton, Northampton, Long Buckby, Rugby, Coventry, Canley, Tile Hill, Berkswell, Hampton-in-Arden, Birmingham International
London Euston – Crewe	1	Milton Keynes Central, Rugby, Nuneaton, Atherstone, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Rugeley Trent Valley, Stafford
Stafford – Crewe	1	Stone, Stoke-on-Trent, Longport, Kidsgrove, Alsager
Birmingham New Street – Liverpool Lime Street	1	Smethwick Galton Bridge, Wolverhampton, Penkridge, Stafford, Crewe, Winsford, Hartford, Acton Bridge, Runcorn, Liverpool South Parkway
Birmingham New Street – Liverpool Lime Street	1	Coseley Wolverhampton Penkridge Stafford Crewe Runcorn Liverpool South Parkway Mossley Hill
Abbey Line
Route	tph	Stopping at
Watford Junction – St Albans Abbey	1	Watford North, Garston, Bricket Wood, How Wood, Park Street
Marston Vale Line
Route	tph	Stopping at
Bletchley – Bedford	1	Fenny Stratford, Bow Brickhill, Woburn Sands, Aspley Guise, Ridgmont, Lidlington, Millbrook, Stewartby, Kempston Hardwick, Bedford St Johns

West Midlands Railway Routes

In the West Midlands region, WMT's train services run under the West Midlands Railway name. These services include:

Trains that go through Birmingham.
Branch lines like the Coventry to Leamington and Coventry to Nuneaton routes.

Trains on the short Stourbridge Town branch line are operated by Pre Metro Operations for WMT, also under the West Midlands Railway name.

As of December 2024, here are some typical West Midlands Railway services during off-peak times on Mondays to Saturdays. The numbers show how many trains run per hour (tph):

Birmingham – Shrewsbury
Route	tph	Stopping at
Birmingham New Street – Shrewsbury	1	Tame Bridge Parkway, Wolverhampton, Bilbrook, Codsall, Albrighton, Cosford, Shifnal, Telford Central, Oakengates, Wellington
Birmingham New Street – Shrewsbury	1	Smethwick Galton Bridge, Wolverhampton, Shifnal, Telford Central, Wellington
Malvern Line
Route	tph	Stopping at
Birmingham New Street – Hereford	1	University, Bromsgrove, Droitwich Spa, Worcester Foregate Street, Malvern Link, Great Malvern, Colwall, Ledbury
Cross-City Line
Route	tph	Stopping at
Lichfield Trent Valley – Bromsgrove	2	Lichfield City, Shenstone, Blake Street, Butlers Lane, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, Wylde Green, Chester Road, Erdington, Gravelly Hill, Aston, Birmingham New Street, Five Ways, University, Selly Oak, Bournville, Kings Norton, Northfield, Longbridge, Barnt Green (1tph)
Four Oaks – Redditch	2	Sutton Coldfield, Wylde Green, Chester Road, Erdington, Gravelly Hill, Aston, Duddeston, Birmingham New Street, Five Ways, University, Selly Oak, Bournville, Kings Norton, Northfield, Longbridge, Barnt Green, Alvechurch
Chase Line
Route	tph	Stopping at
Wolverhampton – Walsall	2	Coseley, Tipton, Dudley Port, Sandwell & Dudley, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Smethwick Rolfe Street, Birmingham New Street, Duddeston, Aston, Witton, Perry Barr, Hamstead, Tame Bridge Parkway, Bescot Stadium
Birmingham International – Rugeley Trent Valley	2	Marston Green, Lea Hall, Stechford, Adderley Park, Birmingham New Street, Tame Bridge Parkway, Walsall, Bloxwich, Bloxwich North, Landywood, Cannock, Hednesford, Rugeley Town
Snow Hill lines
Route	tph	Stopping at
Stratford-upon-Avon – Worcester Foregate Street via Dorridge	1	Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway, Lapworth, Dorridge, Widney Manor, Solihull, Olton, Acocks Green, Small Heath, Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Snow Hill, Jewellery Quarter, The Hawthorns, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Rowley Regis, Cradley Heath, Stourbridge Junction, Hagley, Blakedown, Kidderminster, Droitwich Spa, Worcester Shrub Hill
Stratford-upon-Avon – Kidderminster via Whitlocks End	1	Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway, Wilmcote, Wootton Wawen, Henley-in-Arden, Danzey, Wood End, The Lakes, Earlswood, Wythall, Whitlocks End, Shirley, Yardley Wood, Hall Green, Spring Road, Tyseley, Small Heath, Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Snow Hill, Jewellery Quarter, The Hawthorns, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Langley Green, Rowley Regis, Old Hill, Cradley Heath, Lye, Stourbridge Junction
Whitlocks End – Kidderminster	1	Shirley, Yardley Wood, Hall Green, Spring Road, Tyseley, Small Heath, Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Snow Hill, Jewellery Quarter, The Hawthorns, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Langley Green, Rowley Regis, Old Hill, Cradley Heath, Lye, Stourbridge Junction
Dorridge – Worcester Foregate Street	1	Widney Manor, Solihull, Olton, Acocks Green, Tyseley, Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Snow Hill, Jewellery Quarter, The Hawthorns, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Rowley Regis, Cradley Heath, Stourbridge Junction, Hagley, Blakedown, Kidderminster, Hartlebury, Droitwich Spa
Branch lines
Route	tph	Stopping at
Stourbridge Junction – Stourbridge Town	6	Shuttle service
Leamington Spa – Nuneaton	1	Kenilworth, Coventry, Coventry Arena, Bedworth, Bermuda Park

On Sundays, most routes have trains running once an hour. However:

On the Malvern Line, trains between Birmingham New Street and Hereford run every two hours.
Two trains per hour run on the Cross-City line between Lichfield Trent Valley and Redditch. Both trains stop at Duddeston. An hourly service runs between Birmingham New Street and Bromsgrove.
Local stations between Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International are served by extra stops on London Northwestern Railway trains going to Northampton or Euston.
On the Snow Hill lines, trains run hourly from Stratford-upon-Avon to Worcester Foregate Street via Shirley. These trains do not stop at Wood End, Danzey, Small Heath, Langley Green, Old Hill, or Lye, but they do stop at Tyseley in both directions. An hourly service also runs between Dorridge and Stourbridge Junction during the day. This service stops at Langley Green, Old Hill, and Lye, and runs non-stop between Birmingham Moor Street and Acocks Green.
Services between Stourbridge Junction and Stourbridge Town are reduced to 4 trains per hour.

Future Route Changes

Map of the Birmingham & West Midlands rail network (2017)

There are plans to reopen three stations on the Camp Hill line. This will bring back a train service (2 trains per hour) from Kings Norton to Birmingham New Street. The platforms for this service will be shared with the Cross-City Line. This change was originally planned for 2023 but is now hoped to open by the end of 2025.

Train Fleet

West Midlands Trains took over a variety of train types from London Midland. As newer trains join the fleet, some of the older ones are being returned to the companies that lease them.

Current Train Types

Class 139 Parry People Movers

These are small, lightweight trains used on the Stourbridge Town branch line. The idea for these trains started with a trial in 2006. Because the trial was successful, more of these trains were ordered. West Midlands Trains now operates two of these units, 139 001 and 139 002. They officially started service in 2009.

Class 150 Sprinter

In July 2023, three Class 150/1 trains (150137, 150139, and 150141) were moved from Northern Trains to London Northwestern Railway. They are used on the Marston Vale line. These trains replaced the Class 230 that were previously used on the line. The Class 150s started service with LNR on November 20, 2023.

Class 172 Turbostar

West Midlands Trains has 39 Class 172 units, which can have two or three carriages. Many of these were ordered by the previous operator, London Midland. These trains started running on the Snow Hill Lines in September 2011. They also do some weekend work between Birmingham and Hereford.

Between late 2018 and early 2019, West Midlands Railway also received Class 172/0 trains from London Overground. These replaced older Class 150s and Class 153s on routes like Coventry to Leamington, Coventry to Nuneaton, and Birmingham to Hereford. All of them were in service by May 2019.

In May 2021, four Class 172/1 trains from Chiltern Railways also moved to West Midlands Trains. This means WMT now operates all Class 172 units.

Class 196 Civity

West Midlands Trains has replaced its older Class 170/5 and 170/6 Turbostar and Class 153 trains with 26 new Class 196 units. The Class 153 trains left WMT at the end of 2020. The Class 170 trains moved to East Midlands Railway, except for some middle carriages that went to CrossCountry. The first of these new Class 196 trains started service on the Shrewsbury line on October 17, 2022.

Class 350 Desiro

West Midlands Trains took over all 77 of London Midland's Class 350 trains on December 9, 2017. An additional 10 trains were transferred from TransPennine Express in 2019–2020. These trains are kept at the Kings Heath depot in Kingsthorpe, which opened in June 2006. In May 2021, they started running services on the Abbey line, replacing older Class 319 trains. Some Class 350/2 units are being replaced by new Class 730 trains. The first Class 350/2s were returned to their leasing companies in October 2024.

Current Train Fleet Summary

Family	Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number	Carriages	Routes operated	Built
Family	Class	Image	Type	mph	km/h	Number	Carriages	Routes operated	Built
Shunting locomotive
	08		Shunter	15	24	2	N/A	Stock movements	1952–1962
West Midlands Railway
Parry People Mover	139		Railcar	40	64	2	1	Stourbridge Town branch line	2009
Bombardier Turbostar	172		DMU	100	161	8	2	Birmingham–Hereford Snow Hill lines Leamington Spa to Nuneaton	2010
						4			2011
						12
						15	3

CAF Civity	196					12	2	Snow Hill lines Birmingham–Shrewsbury Birmingham–Hereford Leamington Spa to Nuneaton	2019–20
						14	4		2019–20

Bombardier Aventra	Class 730		EMU	90	145	48 (40 in service)	3	West Midlands Railway Wolverhampton – Walsall via Birmingham New Street Cross-City Line Chase Line	2021–2023
London Northwestern Railway
Sprinter	150		DMU	75	121	3	2	Marston Vale line	1985–1986
Siemens Desiro	350		EMU	110	177	70	4	London Northwestern Railway Abbey Line Birmingham New Street–Northampton Stafford–Crewe Euston–Tring/Milton Keynes Central London Euston–Northampton Euston–Crewe via Trent Valley Line London Euston–Birmingham New Street Birmingham New Street–Liverpool Lime Street West Midlands Railway Chase Line	2004–2014
Siemens Desiro	350			110	177
Bombardier Aventra	Class 730			90	145	48 (40 in service)	3	London Northwestern Railway Euston – Tring/Milton Keynes Central London Euston – Northampton	2021–2023
	Class 730			90	145
	Class 730/2			110	177	36	5	LNR suburban services Long distance LNR services	2021-2024

Future Train Types

In October 2017, West Midlands Trains announced plans for new trains. They ordered 26 new CAF Civity diesel trains (80 carriages) and 81 electric trains based on Bombardier Transportation's Aventra design (333 carriages). This was a total of 107 new trains. The order for electric trains was later changed to 84 units with 324 carriages.

Class 730 Aventra

A total of 81 units were ordered in 2017, including 36 three-car and 45 five-car trains. This order was later changed to 48 three-car trains and 36 five-car trains, making 84 units in total. These trains are being built at Derby Litchurch Lane Works.

Past Train Types

Class 153 "Super Sprinter"

West Midlands Trains used eight Class 153 trains on local lines in the West Midlands. These included the Leamington Spa to Nuneaton line and the Marston Vale line. After newer Class 172 and Class 230 trains were introduced, the Class 153s were used on the Birmingham-Hereford and Snow Hill Lines. All Class 153 units left West Midlands Trains by the end of 2020.

Class 170 Turbostar

West Midlands Trains operated 23 Class 170 Turbostar trains. They inherited these from London Midland in 2017. These trains ran services on the Birmingham to Hereford via Bromsgrove Line and Birmingham to Shrewsbury via Telford Central. WMT replaced all its Class 170s with new Class 196 Civity trains starting in late 2022. However, these Class 170s began moving to East Midlands Railway (EMR) in 2021. The last four ex-WMT Class 170s joined EMR in May 2023.

Class 230 D-Train

West Midlands Trains was the first company to operate the Class 230 trains. These were new trains made by reusing parts from old London Underground D78 Stock. The company planned to use three two-car D-Train units on the Marston Vale line. The first Class 230 started regular service in April 2019. In December 2022, these trains were removed from service after the company that made and maintained them went out of business.

Class 319

West Midlands Trains operated 7 Class 319 units. They inherited these from London Midland. These trains were used on the Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey service and some busy West Coast Main Line services from London Euston. West Midlands Trains also leased more Class 319 units to allow their Class 350 trains to be updated. All Class 319 units used by London Northwestern Railway were removed from service on November 27, 2023, as they were replaced by Class 730 units.

Class 323

West Midlands Trains operated 26 Class 323 units on the Birmingham Cross-City Line. A special farewell tour was held on September 29, 2024, to mark these trains leaving service. The West Midlands Class 323 fleet was replaced by the Class 730 trains.

Past Train Fleet Summary

Family	Class	Type	Number	Carriages	Built	Routes operated	Withdrawn
Sprinter	150/1	DMU	3	2	1985–86	London Northwestern Railway Marston Vale Line West Midlands Railway Birmingham–Hereford	2019
Sprinter	153		8	1	1987–88	West Midlands Railway Birmingham–Hereford Snow Hill Lines	2020
Bombardier Turbostar	170		17	2	1999–2000	West Midlands Railway Birmingham–Hereford Birmingham–Shrewsbury Snow Hill Lines Shrewsbury-Walsall via Birmingham New Street Chase Line	2021–2023
Bombardier Turbostar	170		6	3	1999–2000		2021–2023
Vivarail D-Train	230	DEMU	3	2	2016–2018	London Northwestern Railway Bedford-Bletchley	1 December 2022
BR Second Generation (Mark 3)	319	EMU	15	4	1987–1988	London Northwestern Railway London Euston–Tring/Milton Keynes Central London Euston–Northampton	2022-2023
Hunslet Transportation Projects/Holec	323		26	3	1992-1995	West Midlands Railway Birmingham to Worcester via Bromsgrove line Cross-City Line	2023-2024
Siemens Desiro	350		17	4	2008-2009	London Northwestern Railway Abbey Line Birmingham New Street–Northampton Stafford–Crewe Euston–Tring/Milton Keynes Central London Euston–Northampton Euston–Crewe via Trent Valley Line London Euston–Birmingham New Street Birmingham New Street–Liverpool Lime Street	2024-present

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