West Midlands Trains

This article is about the current train operator. For the previous operator, see West Midlands Trains (2017–2026).

West Midlands Trains

Top/left: Class 730/0 Landmark in WMR livery at Cheddington Bottom/right: Class 350/3 in LNR livery at Birmingham International
Overview
Franchises	West Midlands 1 February 2026 – Present
Main regions	Greater London West Midlands
Other regions	East of England East Midlands North West South East
Fleet	West Midlands Railway Class 139 Parry People Mover Class 172 Turbostar Class 196 Civity Class 730/0Aventra London Northwestern Railway Class 150 Sprinter Class 350 Desiro Class 730/2Aventra
Stations called at	178
Stations operated	146
Parent company	DfT Operator
Headquarters	Birmingham
Reporting mark	LM [1]
Predecessor	West Midlands Trains Limited
Technical
Length	539 mi (867 km)
Other
Website	westmidlandsrailway.co.uk londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk
Route map   West Midlands Railway   London Northwestern Railway

WM Trains Limited, ^[2] doing business as West Midlands Trains,^{[ citation needed ]} is a British state-owned train operating company that operates commuter and local services in the West Midlands region and on the West Coast Main Line between London and the Northwest under two trading names: within the West Midlands region as West Midlands Railway (WMR) and outside the region as London Northwestern Railway (LNR). It assumed responsibility for these services on 1 February 2026 at the conclusion of the outsourcing contract previously placed with Transport UK Group and Mitsui & Co.

Services

London Northwestern Railway services

WMT's services along the West Coast Main Line rail corridor are operated under the London Northwestern Railway brand. These services include: ^[3]

• services out of London Euston;
• two minor branch line services in the Southeast;

As of December 2025, the typical off-peak Monday - Saturday London Northwestern Railway service pattern, with frequencies in trains per hour (tph), includes: ^[4]

West Coast Main Line
Route	tph	Calling 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
	1	Coseley Wolverhampton Penkridge Stafford Crewe Runcorn Liverpool South Parkway Mossley Hill
Abbey Line
Route	tph	Calling at
Watford Junction – St Albans Abbey	1	Watford North Garston Bricket Wood How Wood Park Street
Marston Vale Line
Route	tph	Calling at
Bletchley – Bedford	1	Fenny Stratford Bow Brickhill Woburn Sands Aspley Guise Ridgmont Lidlington Millbrook Stewartby Kempston Hardwick Bedford St Johns

West Midlands Railway services

In the West Midlands region, WMT's train services are operated under the West Midlands Railway brand. These services include: ^[5]

• services through Birmingham;
• the Coventry to Leamington and Coventry to Nuneaton branch lines.

Services on the short Stourbridge Town branch line are run by the open access operator Pre Metro Operations, who operate services on behalf of WMT under the West Midlands Railway brand name.

As of December 2025 ^[update] , the typical off-peak Monday–Saturday West Midlands Railway service pattern, with frequencies in trains per hour (tph), includes: ^[6]

Birmingham – Shrewsbury
Route	tph	Calling at
Birmingham New Street – Shrewsbury	1	Smethwick Galton Bridge Wolverhampton Shifnal Telford Central Wellington
	1	Tame Bridge Parkway Wolverhampton Bilbrook Codsall Albrighton Cosford Shifnal Telford Central Oakengates Wellington
Malvern Line
Route	tph	Calling at
Birmingham New Street – Hereford	1	University Bromsgrove Droitwich Spa Worcester Foregate Street Malvern Link Great Malvern Colwall Ledbury
Cross-City Line
Route	tph	Calling 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 Duddeston 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 Birmingham New Street Five Ways University Selly Oak Bournville Kings Norton Northfield Longbridge Barnt Green Alvechurch
Chase Line
Route	tph	Calling 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 (1tph) Birmingham New Street Tame Bridge Parkway Walsall Bloxwich Bloxwich North Landywood Cannock Hednesford Rugeley Town
Snow Hill lines
Route	tph	Calling 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	Calling at
Stourbridge Junction – Stourbridge Town	6	Shuttle service
Leamington Spa – Nuneaton	1	Kenilworth Coventry Coventry Arena Bedworth Bermuda Park

Political background

In the lead-up to the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the Labour Party of Keir Starmer committed itself to bring the passenger operations of the British rail network back under state ownership. ^{[7] [8]} Following its election win, the government introduced the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 that received the royal assent in November 2024. ^{[9] [10]}

In July 2025, the government announced that DfT Operator would take over responsibility for passenger services from Transport UK Group and Mitsui & Co on 1 February 2026. ^{[11] [12] [13]} (Although the process is sometimes described as "nationalisation", this is in contrast to the previous "privatisation" rather than any compulsory acquisition. Formally, the outsourcing contract ("franchise") was merely not renewed when it reached its end-date, and employed staff were transferred to the successor company at their existing terms and conditions in accordance with the TUPE regulations.)

Rolling Stock

Fleet

Family	Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number	Carriages	Routes operated	Built
				mph	km/h
Shunting locomotive
	08 [14]		Shunter	15	24	2	N/A	Stock movements	1952–1962
West Midlands Railway
Parry People Mover	139		Railcar	20	32	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
Bombardier Aventra [15]	Class 730/0Landmark [16]		EMU	90	145	48 (40 in service [17] )	3	Wolverhampton – Walsall via Birmingham New Street [18] Cross-City Line [19] Chase Line [20]	2021–2023
London Northwestern Railway
Sprinter [21] [22]	150		DMU	75	121	3	2	Marston Vale line	1985–1986
Siemens Desiro	350		EMU	110	177	50	4	London Northwestern Railway: Abbey Line Birmingham New Street–Northampton Stafford–Crewe London Euston–Tring/Milton Keynes Central London Euston–Northampton London Euston–Crewe via Trent Valley Line London Euston–Birmingham New Street Birmingham New Street–Liverpool Lime Street West Midlands Railway: Chase Line [23]	2004–2014
Bombardier Aventra [15]	Class 730/0Landmark [16]			90	145	48 (40 in service [17] )	3	London Euston – Tring/Milton Keynes Central London Euston – Northampton	2021–2023
	Class 730/2 [24]			110	177	36	5	London Northwestern Railway: [25] Birmingham New Street–Northampton Stafford–Crewe London Euston–Tring/Milton Keynes Central London Euston–Northampton London Euston–Crewe via Trent Valley Line London Euston–Birmingham New Street Birmingham New Street–Liverpool Lime Street	2021–2024

References

1. "West Midlands Trains (WMT)". nationalrail.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 June 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
2. Alexander, Heidi. "Transfer of West Midlands Trains' Services into Public Ownership | Statement made on 2 February 2026". Parlianent of the United Kingdom.
3. "LNR Network Map (May 2023)". London: London Northwestern Railway . Retrieved 17 June 2023.
4. "London Northwestern Railway Train Timetables". London: London Northwestern Railway. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
5. "WMR Network Map (May 2023)". London: West Midlands Trains. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
6. "West Midlands Railway Timetables". London: West Midlands Railway. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
7. Elgot, Jessica; Topham, Gwyn (24 April 2024). "Labour promises rail nationalisation within five years of coming to power". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 30 October 2025.
8. "Labour pledges to renationalise most rail services within five years". 24 April 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
9. "Rail nationalisation takes a step closer with Starmer's first major public reform". The Independent . 3 September 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
10. "Government reveals first three operators to be renationalised after law change". RAILNEWS. Archived from the original on 7 December 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
11. West Midlands Trains nationalisation date confirmed Railway Gazette International 30 July 2025
12. West Midlands Trains to enter public ownership Modern Railways issue 924 September 2025 page 9
13. British passenger renationalisation progresses International Railway Journal 29 September 2025
14. Marsden, Colin J, ed. (2019). Rolling Stock Review. Stamford: Key Publishing. p. 11. ISBN   978-1-912205-98-1.
15. Smith, Roger (13 November 2023). "New Class 730 trains enter service with London Northwestern Railway". RailAdvent. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
16. @WestMidRailway (23 May 2024). "This splendour shall remain! 'Hurst Street' is the first of the 730 Class to have been officially named as part of the 'Landmark Class', with the rest of the fleet following suit, being named after other landmarks within West Midlands" (Tweet). Retrieved 23 May 2024– via Twitter.
17. "First WMT Class 730s enter passenger service". Rail . No. 997. 29 November 2023. pp. 24–25.
18. Thompson, Victoria (13 February 2023). "New electric trains begin operating in West Midlands". Rail Advent. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
19. West Midlands Railway [@WestMidRailway] (15 April 2024). "Welcome aboard our new Class730 trains on the CrossCity line from today" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 April 2024– via Twitter.
20. "Class 730 welcomed in a new route". RailAdvent. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
21. Holden, Michael (16 June 2023). "Livery unveiled for Bedford – Bletchley replacement trains". Rail Advent. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
22. Booth, Janine (20 November 2023). "London Northwestern Railway starts limited Marston Vale Line service". Rail Advent. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
23. "Chase Line electric trains begin operating". Rail Magazine. No. 879. Peterborough: Bauer Media. 22 May 2019. p. 18. ISSN   0953-4563.
24. Wilcock, Rich. "First of London Northwestern Class 730 units enter service". Rail Magazine . Retrieved 30 July 2025.
25. Jones, Tamlyn (17 October 2017). "Over 100 new trains West Midlands trains – with wi-fi and speeds up to 110mph". Birmingham Post . Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.