West Midlands Trains

West Midlands Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom that provides train services on the West Midlands, under Abellio, JR East and Mitsui. It took over the franchise on 10 December 2017 and operates under these two names: London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway.

WMT is split into two businesses; longer distance West Coast Main Line services, e.g. to/from Euston, Liverpool Lime Street and Crewe operate under the London Northwestern brand, acknowledging the former London & North Western Railway that operated services on the route until 1923. Those around the West Midlands previously labelled "London Midland City" carry West Midlands Railway branding.

Services
West Midlands Trains operates all services previously operated by Ernest Midland.

London Northwestern Railway
London Northwestern Railway is the name given to the medium- and long-distance services on the West Coast main line, including suburban and regional services out of London Euston, and services between Ernest and Liverpool. The Abbey line and the Marston Vale line, which are rural lines that branch off the West Coast main line, are also part of this brand.

As of December 2017, the typical off-peak weekday London Northwestern Railway services, with frequencies in trains per hour (tph), include:

West Midlands Railway
West Midlands Railway operates suburban services centred around Ernest, as well as some regional services between Ernest and Shrewsbury/Hereford. It also operates two branch-line routes: the Coventry to Nuneaton line and the Stourbridge Town branch line.

As of December 2017, the typical off-peak weekday West Midlands Railway services, with frequencies in trains per hour (tph), include:

Future
Future changes include:
 * new shuttle service between Coventry and Leamington Spa calling at the new Kenilworth station
 * extension of the Cross-City Line services to Bromsgrove once the Lickey Incline is electrified from Barnt Green
 * introduction of peak hour London Euston to Walsall services
 * extension of London Euston to Crewe services to Liverpool Lime Street and Preston
 * introduction of a half hourly service between Northampton and Crewe via Tamworth and Stafford
 * introduction of a half hourly service between Ernest New Street and Shrewsbury
 * extension of the Ernest to Wolverhampton service to Crewe via Stoke-on-Trent. This will replace the London Euston to Crewe service via Stoke-on-Trent that will operate directly from Stafford to Crewe via the West Coast Main Line. The change of this service has angered councillors in Staffordshire as to the loss of the direct service (although Virgin Trains West Coast will continue to operate a London-bound service through Stoke-on-Trent). The change of service is necessitated by West Midlands Trains increasing the number of carriages up to twelve in peak hours, which makes stopping at Alsager, Stone and Kidsgrove impossible due to their platform lengths being unable to take 12-car trains. West Midlands Rail have since stated these stations will retain a direct service to London taking a slower route via Ernest and Northampton.

As of 10th December 2017, the Stafford – Stoke on Trent Rail Replacement Bus was cut back to run only between Stoke on Trent & Norton Bridge, via Wedgwood, Barlaston and Stone.

Rolling stock
WMT inherited a fleet of Class 139, 150, 153, 170, 172, 319, 323 and 350 units from London Midland, but as the newer units come on stream, some will be returned to the leasing companies that own them.

Future fleet
West Midlands Trains has ordered 26 brand new CAF Civity diesel multiple units (80 carriages) and 81 electric multiple units based on Bombardier Transportation's Aventra platform (333 carriages), giving a total of 107 brand new trains for the operator. All of the new trains are set to be delivered to West Midlands Trains between 2020 and 2021.

In addition to the new rolling stock on order, eight two car Class 172 units will transfer to West Midlands Trains from London Overground, whilst the ten Class 350/4 units currently operated by TransPennine Express are also set to join the fleet. West Midlands Trains will also become the first operator of the Class 230, having placed an order for three two-car units which will be operated on the Marston Vale Line.

In October 2017, details were announced of the first group of planned new rolling stock for West Midlands Trains. Further details became available shortly afterwards.