Central Citylink is the brand name used since 2003 by Central Trains for their long distance services across the Midlands rail network. Citylink services are clearly distinguished in station announcements and timetables. Citylink also has a separate logo (right) and had section of the Central Trains website, although this was removed during 2007 in preparation for the ending of the Central Trains franchise in November 2007. Citylink may refer to: CityLink, a system of tolled freeways, tunnels and bridges in Melbourne, Australia. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 645 KB)BR Class 170, no. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... North West England is one of the nine regions of England. ... Norfolk and Suffolk, the core area of East Anglia. ... Central Trains rolling stock at Liverpool Lime Street railway station Central Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running local and long-distance services in central England. ... Central Trains rolling stock at Liverpool Lime Street railway station Central Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running local and long-distance services in central England. ...

A map of the Citylink routes

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...

Routes

The four Central Citylink routes ^[1]are:

1. Birmingham - Liverpool*
2. Liverpool - Norwich
3. Birmingham - Stansted Airport
4. Nottingham - Cardiff

 *There is also one evening peak Birmingham to Preston service- there is no return service. 

The tracks at the eastern end of Birmingham New Street station Class 390 no. ... The main entrance to Liverpool Lime Street Station Liverpool Lime Street railway station on Lime Street is the mainline railway station serving Liverpool, England. ... The main entrance to Liverpool Lime Street Station Liverpool Lime Street railway station on Lime Street is the mainline railway station serving Liverpool, England. ... A DBSO approaching Norwich station Norwich railway station is a railway station serving the city of Norwich in Norfolk. ... The tracks at the eastern end of Birmingham New Street station Class 390 no. ... Stansted Airport railway station serves London Stansted Airport in Essex, England. ... History Nottingham station is the principal railway station in the city of Nottingham and the Greater Nottingham area. ... Cardiff Central (Welsh: Caerdydd Canolog) is the largest train station in Wales, having 7 platforms. ... The tracks at the eastern end of Birmingham New Street station Class 390 no. ... Preston Railway Station in Preston, Lancashire is on the West Coast Main Line. ...

The Start...

Central Trains long distance services were re-branded as "Central Citylink" services in 2003. This was part of the re-franchising agreement that extended the Central franchise from 2003 to 2006. The plan was to operate fast and frequent express services operated by air-conditioned, modern trains, as opposed to the local commuter trains in the Birmingham area- these would remain just as "Central Trains" services. To give the service more of an "Intercity" feel it was decided that seats would be reservable in advance, and most services would offer at-seat catering. ^{[2] [3][4]} Central created a logo, unique adverts and a section of the Central Trains website for the brand. Announcements started distinguishing Citylink services soon after. Central Trains' Guide 1 was designated for all Citylink services. ^[5] Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Connex commuter train stands by the platform in Melbourne, Australia Regional rail systems, or commuter rail systems, usually provide a rail service through a central business district area into suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a daily basis. ... A Romanian InterCity train, run by Romanian Railways, at Arad station in May 2003 InterCity is a name for the inter-city rail services in Europe. ...

...the End

It was announced that the Central franchise would end in November 2007, as part of a programme to reduce the number of franchises in the Midlands. The Central Trains franchise was to be split into three parts, with each amalgamated with another existing franchise. The Citylink services were affected in the following way:

• Cross Country Franchise - this will take the Nottingham / Cardiff and the Birmingham / Stansted Central Citylink services. It has been announced that Arriva will take over the franchise under the name "CrossCountry."

• East Midlands Franchise - this will take the Norwich / Liverpool service. It has been announced that Stagecoach will take over operation of the services under the name "East Midlands Trains."

• West Midlands Franchise - this will take the Liverpool / Birmingham service. It has been announced that Govia will take over operation of these services under the name "London Midland."

The full transition will take place in November 2007. After this, Central Citylink will become a Defunct UK Train Operating Company (sub brand). An Arriva train in Denmark Arriva plc is a UK-based international public transport operator and vehicle rental company, headquartered in Sunderland. ... CrossCountry is a new train operating company that will operate the Cross-Country rail franchise from November 2007. ... Stagecoach Group plc (LSE: SGC) is a leading international transport group operating bus, train, tram, express coach and ferry operations. ... East Midlands Trains is a train operating company, based in Derby, that will operate railway services in the East Midlands and surrounding areas. ... Govia is a joint venture between Go-Ahead (65 per cent) and Keolis SA (35 per cent). ... London Midland is the brand name of the train operating company who will operate the new West Midlands railway franchise in England. ...

A Class 350 Desiro of the type used by Central Citylink

A Class 158 of the type used by Central Citylink, seen at Cambridge

Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2304 × 1728 pixel, file size: 914 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) class 350 Desiro, number 350120 passing Kingsthorpe, just North of Northampton station, on a Birmingham bound service 220407 Author: Daniel Adkins (user:llamafish) I, the creator... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2304 × 1728 pixel, file size: 914 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) class 350 Desiro, number 350120 passing Kingsthorpe, just North of Northampton station, on a Birmingham bound service 220407 Author: Daniel Adkins (user:llamafish) I, the creator... 350120 passing Kingsthorpe, just north of Northampton station, on the 22nd April 2007, with a Birmingham bound service 350110 at Stafford departing for Birmingham, 29 October 2005 The British Rail Class 350 Desiro electrical multiple units were built by Siemens AG from 2004-2005. ... Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 643 KB)BR Class 158, no. ... Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 643 KB)BR Class 158, no. ... A British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple unit, built from 1989-92 by BREL at Derby Works. ...

Reliability

Due to the length of many of the routes (Liverpool to Norwich = 5 hours), services are prone to delays later on in the day, when delays have built up . This is not helped by the fact that Central Citylink operates on certain East-West lines, which are slow and poorly maintained. They also compete with other rail companies on some routes.

Current fleet

On the electrified route (Birmingham to Liverpool) Class 350 Desiro units are used. On the other, non- electrified routes, Class 170 Turbostar units and Class 158 Express Sprinter units are used. All these units are used in conjunction with Central Trains other services. 350120 passing Kingsthorpe, just north of Northampton station, on the 22nd April 2007, with a Birmingham bound service 350110 at Stafford departing for Birmingham, 29 October 2005 The British Rail Class 350 Desiro electrical multiple units were built by Siemens AG from 2004-2005. ... The Class 170 Turbostar is a diesel multiple unit (DMU) built by Bombardier Transportation (previously ADtranz) at their Derby Litchurch Lane Works, England. ... A British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple unit, built from 1989-92 by BREL at Derby Works. ...

The Class 170 Turbostar is a diesel multiple unit (DMU) built by Bombardier Transportation (previously ADtranz) at their Derby Litchurch Lane Works, England. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixels, file size: 955 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Please see User:Thryduulf/Relicensing if you wish to use this image under a different license. ... DMU, type SA108 of Great Poland Voivodship in Poznań, Poland The Transwa Prospector DEMU capable of up to 200 km/h provides a passenger service between Perth, Western Australia and the mining town of Kalgoorlie A Diesel Multiple Unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages... A British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple unit, built from 1989-92 by BREL at Derby Works. ... Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 643 KB)BR Class 158, no. ... DMU, type SA108 of Great Poland Voivodship in Poznań, Poland The Transwa Prospector DEMU capable of up to 200 km/h provides a passenger service between Perth, Western Australia and the mining town of Kalgoorlie A Diesel Multiple Unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages... 350120 passing Kingsthorpe, just north of Northampton station, on the 22nd April 2007, with a Birmingham bound service 350110 at Stafford departing for Birmingham, 29 October 2005 The British Rail Class 350 Desiro electrical multiple units were built by Siemens AG from 2004-2005. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 166 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Author: Andrew Maycock 29th October 2005 at Stafford departing for Brimingham source: http://midlandrailpics. ... A classic Belgian multiple unit of type 74 A multiple unit is a passenger train whose carriages have their own motors, either diesel (DMUs) or electric (EMUs), and do not need to be hauled by a locomotive. ... Regional Railways was one of the three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1981 that existed until 1996 a year before Privatisation. ... This article is about the defunct entity British Railways, which later traded as British Rail. The History of rail transport in Great Britain is covered in its own article. ... CrossCountry is a new train operating company that will operate the Cross-Country rail franchise from November 2007. ... London Midland is the brand name of the train operating company who will operate the new West Midlands railway franchise in England. ... East Midlands Trains is a train operating company, based in Derby, that will operate railway services in the East Midlands and surrounding areas. ...

References

1. ^ A guide to Central Citylink
2. ^ National Express Group
3. ^ BBC News
4. ^ A guide to Central Citylink
5. ^ Central Trains' timetables

External links

A guide to Central Citylink