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CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a British
train operating company In the railway system of Great Britain, a train operating company (TOC) is a railway undertaking operating passenger trains under the collective National Rail brand. TOCs have existed since the privatisation of the network under the Railways ...
owned by
Arriva UK Trains Arriva UK Trains Limited is the company that oversees Arriva's Train operating company, train operating companies in the United Kingdom. It gained its first Rail franchising in Great Britain, franchises in February 2000. These were later lost, ...
, operating the current CrossCountry franchise. The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the
Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport ...
(DfT) in 2006, incorporating elements of both the
Central Trains Central Trains was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by National Express that operated a variety of local and inter-regional trains from 2 March 1997 until 11 November 2007. Overview Created out of the Central division of ...
and the
Virgin CrossCountry Virgin CrossCountry was a train operating company in the United Kingdom that operated the InterCity CrossCountry passenger franchise from January 1997 until November 2007. Along with the InterCity West Coast franchise held by a separate legal ...
franchises, ahead of its
invitation to tender An invitation to tender (ITT, also known as a call for bids or a request for tenders) is a formal, structured procedure for generating competing offers from different potential suppliers or contractors looking to obtain an award of business activ ...
on October of that year. On 10 July 2007, the DfT announced that Arriva had been awarded the New Cross Country franchise. CrossCountry is one of only two franchised train operating companies that does not manage any stations, the other being
Caledonian Sleeper ''Caledonian Sleeper'' is the collective name for overnight Sleeping car, sleeper train services between London and Scotland, in the United Kingdom. It is one of only two currently operating sleeper services on the railway in the United Kingdom ...
. CrossCountry's services have been periodically disrupted by
industrial action Industrial action (British English) or job action (American English) is a temporary show of dissatisfaction by employees—especially a strike or slowdown or working to rule—to protest against bad working conditions or low pay and to increas ...
amongst its staff, often due to disputes over rostering and pay. While the franchise had been originally due to conclude on 31 March 2016, multiple subsequent agreements have been enacted; in September 2023, the DfT confirmed that the franchise has been extended for a further four years for a finish date of 15 October 2027. At the commencement of operations, CrossCountry's rolling stock consisted of 34 four-car Class 220 ''Voyagers'' and 40 five-car and 4 four-car Class 221 ''Super Voyagers'' from
Virgin CrossCountry Virgin CrossCountry was a train operating company in the United Kingdom that operated the InterCity CrossCountry passenger franchise from January 1997 until November 2007. Along with the InterCity West Coast franchise held by a separate legal ...
as well as 11 two-car and 18 three-car Class 170 ''Turbostars'' from
Central Trains Central Trains was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by National Express that operated a variety of local and inter-regional trains from 2 March 1997 until 11 November 2007. Overview Created out of the Central division of ...
. As per its franchise agreement, it obtained ten Class 43 power cars and forty Mark 3 carriages to operate on services that required greater seating capacity, while some Super Voyagers were transferred to Virgin West Coast. Overhauls of the Voyager & Super Voyager fleets were performed, the removal of the shop to fit more seating and storage being a prominent change; the Mark 3 carriages were also refurbished to provide suitable amenities for modern travellers. Both the Super Voyagers and Turbostar fleets have been extended where possible to provide more capacity. CrossCountry's network is centred around . It operates intercity and other long-distance passenger trains across Great Britain, but does not serve Greater London. It operated the UK's longest direct rail passenger service, from in the north-east of Scotland to in western Cornwall, which had a journey time of 13 hours and 15 minutes. This service ended on 16 May 2025, terminating short in
Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
instead. Some services on the
West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
were promptly discontinued with the introduction of a new timetable on 9 December 2007, with some transferring over to both
Virgin Trains West Coast Virgin Trains (VT) (legal name West Coast Trains Limited) was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Virgin Rail Group, a joint venture between Virgin Group and Stagecoach, which operated the InterCity West Coast franchise fro ...
and to
First TransPennine Express First TransPennine Express was a British train operating company jointly owned by FirstGroup and Keolis which operated the TransPennine Express franchise. First TransPennine Express ran regular Express regional railway services between the maj ...
, new services, such as a daily to service introduced during December 2008, were also implemented. CrossCountry has designated four stations as alternative changeover stations: , , and . Special services have occasionally been run, such as between and in support of the Sailing at the 2012 Olympics & Paralympics. In August 2024, the then
Secretary of State for Transport The secretary of state for transport, also referred to as the transport secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the policies of the Departm ...
,
Louise Haigh Louise Margaret Haigh () is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Transport from July to November 2024. A member of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, she has been the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliam ...
, criticised the company's performance and threatened to take action if it did not improve, following its request to reduce its service levels in the new timetable.


History


Formation

During June 2006, the
Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport ...
(DfT) announced its intention to restructure a number of the existing railway franchises. As a result of these changes, a 'New Cross Country' franchise was produced, which incorporated the existing InterCity Cross Country franchise run by
Virgin CrossCountry Virgin CrossCountry was a train operating company in the United Kingdom that operated the InterCity CrossCountry passenger franchise from January 1997 until November 2007. Along with the InterCity West Coast franchise held by a separate legal ...
, while excluding those services ran on the
West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
(while the Birmingham to Scotland services were transferred to
Virgin Trains West Coast Virgin Trains (VT) (legal name West Coast Trains Limited) was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Virgin Rail Group, a joint venture between Virgin Group and Stagecoach, which operated the InterCity West Coast franchise fro ...
and the Manchester to Scotland services transferring to
First TransPennine Express First TransPennine Express was a British train operating company jointly owned by FirstGroup and Keolis which operated the TransPennine Express franchise. First TransPennine Express ran regular Express regional railway services between the maj ...
). Several services from the
Central Trains Central Trains was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by National Express that operated a variety of local and inter-regional trains from 2 March 1997 until 11 November 2007. Overview Created out of the Central division of ...
franchise were also to be added. In October 2006, the DfT issued the
invitation to tender An invitation to tender (ITT, also known as a call for bids or a request for tenders) is a formal, structured procedure for generating competing offers from different potential suppliers or contractors looking to obtain an award of business activ ...
(ITT) to the four shortlisted bidders:
Arriva Arriva Ltd. is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England. The company was originally established on 24 October 1938 as T Cowie Ltd. Initially focused on the sale of motorcycles, it relaunched shortl ...
,
FirstGroup FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland.National Express Mobico Group, formerly National Express Group, is a British multinational public transport company with headquarters in Birmingham, England. Domestically it currently operates bus and coach services under brands including National Express. Th ...
and
Virgin Rail Group Virgin Rail Group (WCT Group since 2021) is a British rail transport company that was formed by the Virgin Group to bid for rail franchises in the United Kingdom during the privatisation of British Rail in the late 1990s. United Kingdom ope ...
. On 10 July 2007, the DfT announced that Arriva had been awarded the New Cross Country franchise, and that the services operated by Virgin CrossCountry would be transferred to CrossCountry on 11 November 2007, along with the to and to services from Central Trains.


Transfer and withdrawal of services

After taking over the franchise, CrossCountry continued to operate the existing timetable including the
West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
services for four weeks. When the new timetable commenced on 9 December 2007 on 11 November 2007, the to and services were transferred to
Virgin Trains West Coast Virgin Trains (VT) (legal name West Coast Trains Limited) was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Virgin Rail Group, a joint venture between Virgin Group and Stagecoach, which operated the InterCity West Coast franchise fro ...
while the to Edinburgh and Glasgow services transferred to
First TransPennine Express First TransPennine Express was a British train operating company jointly owned by FirstGroup and Keolis which operated the TransPennine Express franchise. First TransPennine Express ran regular Express regional railway services between the maj ...
. The ITT did not require retention of the services beyond after December 2008, so the services to both and soon ceased. As a result of these changes, all CrossCountry services now completely avoid
Greater London Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...
.


Changes to services

Starting in December 2008, a daily to service was introduced. From December 2010, a number of services from were extended from to . From May 2011, a number of services were extended from Edinburgh to Glasgow to replace East Coast services. By mid-2020, CrossCountry had considerably curtailed its services in response to the significant decline of passenger travel amid the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. From 15 June 2020, both passengers and staff on public transport in England, including CrossCountry services, were required to wear face coverings while travelling, and that anyone failing to do so would be liable to be refused travel or fined.


Extension of the franchise

While the franchise had been originally due to conclude on 31 March 2016, during August 2013, it was announced that it had been extended until December 2019. At one point, it had been expected that an ITT would be issued in October 2018 for the next franchise, but in September 2018 it was announced that the competition had been cancelled so that the recommendations from a report into the franchise system could be incorporated. In July 2019, the Direct Award was further extended by one year, moving the expiry date back to October 2020. During September 2020, it was announced that the emergency agreements with train operating companies introduced due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confirm ...
were to be extended for 18months, and that all
passenger rail franchising in Great Britain Passenger rail franchising in Great Britain was the system of contracting the operation of the passenger rail, passenger services on the Rail transport in Great Britain, railways of Great Britain to private companies, which was in effect from 1 ...
was abandoned. In October 2020, the DfT confirmed that the franchise had been extended for three years, putting the finishing date back to 15 October 2023. In September 2023, the DfT announced a franchise extension for a further four years to 15 October 2027 with a chance of extension of an additional four years. The franchise deal includes the refurbishment of the existing fleet, the potential introduction of extra rolling stock, the return of regular services linking and , and by December 2024 the reintroduction of daily services between and .


Industrial action

During November and December 2017, CrossCountry on-board train managers and senior conductors affiliated with the
National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (commonly known as the RMT) is a British trade union covering the transport sector. Its current President is George Welch and its current General Secretary is Eddie Dempsey. The RMT ...
(RMT) staged five 24-hour and two 48-hour strikes in an industrial dispute regarding staff rostering, in particular in relation to working on Sundays. Further strikes had been planned for January 2018, but these were cancelled after CrossCountry and the RMT came to an agreement over staff working conditions on 11 January. Separate strike action was later threatened by the
Transport Salaried Staffs' Association The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) is a trade union for workers in the transport and travel industries in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Its head office is in London, and it has regional offices in Bristol, ...
(TSSA) union later that month, with strikes planned for 26 January. These were in relation to CrossCountry staff being offered a 1% pay rise, compared to a 3.3% pay rise for staff at other
Arriva Arriva Ltd. is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England. The company was originally established on 24 October 1938 as T Cowie Ltd. Initially focused on the sale of motorcycles, it relaunched shortl ...
-owned train operating companies. As a result of an agreement with CrossCountry to match their demands for an equal pay rise, the planned industrial action by the TSSA was cancelled. CrossCountry is one of several train operators affected by the
2022–2024 United Kingdom railway strikes The 2022–2024 United Kingdom railway strikes were an industrial dispute between rail workers and companies, with the latter supported by the UK government. The rail workers were represented by several unions including the National Union of Ra ...
, the first national rail strike in the UK for three decades. Its workers were amongst those who voted in favour of
industrial action Industrial action (British English) or job action (American English) is a temporary show of dissatisfaction by employees—especially a strike or slowdown or working to rule—to protest against bad working conditions or low pay and to increas ...
due to a dispute over pay and working conditions. CrossCountry was capable of operating only a very minimal timetable on any of the planned dates for the strikes due to the number of staff involved.


Performance issues

In August 2024, the
Secretary of State for Transport The secretary of state for transport, also referred to as the transport secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the policies of the Departm ...
,
Louise Haigh Louise Margaret Haigh () is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Transport from July to November 2024. A member of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, she has been the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliam ...
, criticised the company's performance saying she had "serious concerns" and threatened to take action if it did not improve, following its request to reduce its service levels in the new three-month timetable which is due to run from 10 August to 9 November 2024. The company cited a driver training backlog as the reason for the reduced service. In a letter to the company's joint interim managing directors, Haigh said


Services

The company operates medium- and long-distance services that run outside of the London area. The network is centred at . Services can be categorised into two types: * Inter-City: long-distance, fast services between the South of England and the North of England or Scotland via Birmingham, these routes are typically operated by
Voyager Voyager may refer to: Computing and communications * LG Voyager, a mobile phone model manufactured by LG Electronics * NCR Voyager, a computer platform produced by NCR Corporation * Voyager (computer worm), a computer worm affecting Oracle ...
sets. * Regional: medium-distance, stopping or semi-fast services between Birmingham and other cities in the Midlands, as well as some longer runs to Wales and East Anglia (Cambridge & Stansted Airport). These are usually operated by Turbostars. CrossCountry's official website does show a distinction between the two types of services (for example, each has a separate timetable booklet), but does not explicitly call them Inter-City and Regional.


Core

, the Monday-Friday daytime services, with frequencies in trains per hour (tph), include: {, class="wikitable" ! colspan="4" , South West to Manchester and Scotland , - ! Route !! !! Calling at , - , – , , 1 , , {{cslist, {{rws, Totnes, {{rws, Newton Abbot, {{rws, Exeter St Davids, {{rws, Tiverton Parkway, {{rws, Taunton, {{rws, Bristol Temple Meads, {{rws, Bristol Parkway, {{rws, Cheltenham Spa, {{rws, Worcestershire Parkway (northbound only), {{rws, Birmingham New Street, {{rws, Tamworth ({{abbr, 1tp2h, 1 train per 2 hours), {{rws, Burton-on-Trent ({{abbr, 1tp2h, 1 train per 2 hours), {{rws, Derby, {{rws, Chesterfield, {{stn, Sheffield, {{rws, Wakefield Westgate, {{rws, Leeds, {{rws, York, {{rws, Darlington, {{rws, Durham, {{rws, Newcastle, {{rws, Morpeth ({{abbr, 1tp2h, 1 train per 2 hours), {{rws, Alnmouth ({{abbr, 1tp2h, 1 train per 2 hours), {{rws, Berwick-upon-Tweed * Services typically call either at {{rws, Tamworth or {{rws, Burton-on-Trent, and either at {{rws, Morpeth or {{rws, Alnmouth * 3 trains per day additionally call at {{rws, Dunbar * 2 trains per day run to and from {{rws, Penzance, calling at {{rws, St Erth, {{rws, Hayle, {{rws, Camborne, {{rws, Redruth, {{rws, Truro, {{rws, St Austell, {{rws, Par, {{rws, Lostwithiel, {{rws, Bodmin Parkway, {{rws, Liskeard * 2 trains per day runs to and from {{rws, Aberdeen, calling at {{rws, Stonehaven, {{rws, Montrose, {{rws, Arbroath, {{rws, Dundee, {{rws, Leuchars, {{rws, Cupar, {{rws, Ladybank, {{rws, Markinch, {{rws, Kirkcaldy, {{rws, Inverkeithing and {{rws, Haymarket * 2 trains per day extends to and from {{rws, Glasgow Central, calling at Haymarket and {{rws, Motherwell * 2 trains per day run to and from {{rws, Cardiff Central, calling at {{rws, Gloucester, {{rws, Chepstow (northbound only) and
Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay * Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...
, - , {{rws, Bristol Temple Meads – {{rws, Manchester Piccadilly , , 1 , , {{cslist, {{rws, Bristol Parkway, {{rws, Cheltenham Spa, {{rws, Worcestershire Parkway (southbound only), {{rws, Birmingham New Street, {{rws, Wolverhampton, {{rws, Stafford, {{rws, Stoke-on-Trent, {{rws, Macclesfield, {{rws, Stockport * 2 trains per day run to and from {{rws, Paignton, calling at {{rws, Torquay, {{rws, Newton Abbot, {{rws, Teignmouth, {{rws, Dawlish, {{rws, Exeter St Davids, {{rws, Tiverton Parkway, {{rws, Taunton, {{rws, Weston-super-Mare (1tpd) , - , {{rws, Bournemouth – {{rws, Manchester Piccadilly , , 1 , , {{cslist, {{rws, Southampton Central, {{rws, Southampton Airport Parkway, {{rws, Winchester, {{rws, Basingstoke, {{rws, Reading, {{rws, Oxford, {{rws, Banbury, {{rws, Leamington Spa, {{rws, Coventry, {{rws, Birmingham International, {{rws, Birmingham New Street, {{rws, Wolverhampton, {{rws, Stafford, {{rws, Stoke-on-Trent, {{rws, Macclesfield, {{rws, Stockport * 5 services in total per day additionally call at {{rws, Brockenhurst , - , {{rws, Reading – {{rws, Newcastle , , 4{{abbr, tpd, trains per day , , {{cslist, {{rws, Oxford, {{rws, Banbury, {{rws, Leamington Spa, {{rws, Birmingham New Street, {{rws, Derby, {{rws, Sheffield, {{rws, Doncaster, {{rws, York, {{rws, Darlington, {{rws, Durham * One northbound service terminates at York , - , - ! colspan="4" , Cardiff to Stansted and Nottingham , - ! Route !! {{abbr, tph, trains per hour !! Calling at , - , {{rws, Cardiff Central – {{rws, Nottingham , , 1 , , {{cslist, {{rws, Newport, {{rws, Chepstow ({{abbr, 2tp3h, 2 trains per 3 hours), {{rws, Lydney ({{abbr, 1tp3h, 1 train per 3 hours), {{rws, Gloucester, {{rws, Cheltenham Spa, {{rws, Worcestershire Parkway, {{rws, University, Birmingham, {{rws, Birmingham New Street, {{rws, Tamworth, {{rws, Burton-on-Trent, {{rws, Derby, {{rws, Long Eaton, {{rws, Beeston * Services call at either {{rws, Chepstow or {{rws, Lydney * 7 services in total per day additionally call at {{rws, Ashchurch for Tewkesbury , - , {{rws, Birmingham New Street - {{rws, Nottingham , , 1 , , {{cslist, {{rws, Wilnecote, {{rws, Tamworth, {{rws, Burton-on-Trent, {{rws, Willington ({{abbr, 1tp2h, 1 train per 2 hours), {{rws, Derby * 1 southbound train per day continues to
Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...
, calling at Birmingham International,
Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
,
Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply LeamingtonEven more colloquially, also referred to as Lem or Leam (). (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Pri ...
,
Banbury Banbury is an historic market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. The parish had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding ...
,
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
,
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
,
Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is a town in Hampshire, situated in south-central England across a valley at the source of the River Loddon on the western edge of the North Downs. It is the largest settlement in Hampshire without city status in the United King ...
,
Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
, Southampton Airport Parkway and Southampton Central. , - , {{rws, Birmingham New Street – {{rws, Stansted Airport, , 1 , , {{cslist, {{rws, Coleshill Parkway, {{rws, Nuneaton, {{rws, Leicester, {{rws, Melton Mowbray, {{rws, Oakham, {{rws, Stamford, {{rws, Peterborough, {{rws, March, {{rws, Ely, {{rws, Cambridge * 4 trains per day additionally call at {{rws, Manea and {{rws, Audley End , - , {{rws, Birmingham New Street – {{rws, Leicester , , 1 , , {{cslist, {{rws, Water Orton ({{abbr, 1tp2h, 1 train per 2 hours), {{rws, Coleshill Parkway, {{rws, Nuneaton, {{rws, Hinckley, {{rws, Narborough, {{rws, South Wigston These services combine to provide higher frequencies between Birmingham and the following major destinations: * Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield, Stockport and Manchester: two trains per hour * Derby: at least three trains per hour ** Sheffield, York, Darlington and Newcastle: at least one train per hour via Leeds ** Nottingham: two trains per hour * Leicester: two trains per hour * Leamington Spa, Oxford and Reading: two trains per hour (including one via Coventry) * Cheltenham: three trains per hour ** Bristol: two trains per hour The Sunday service pattern is mostly similar to the weekday one, except that services typically do not start until late morning or early afternoon, and often have a slightly different stopping pattern. Several Bristol–Manchester trains start from Birmingham New Street on Sundays.


Extensions

The above table shows the basic service pattern; however, a small number of these services are extended beyond their usual destination: * from Plymouth to {{rws, Penzance * from Bristol Temple Meads to {{rws, Cardiff Central, {{rws, Exeter St Davids, {{rws, Paignton, {{rws, Plymouth and {{rws, Penzance * from Edinburgh Waverley to {{rws, Dundee and {{rws, Aberdeen * from Newcastle to {{rws, Edinburgh Waverley and {{rws, Glasgow Central * travelling via {{rws, Crewe either in lieu of, or in addition to Stoke-on-Trent Until 2019, CrossCountry also extended a limited number of Plymouth services to {{rws, Newquay during the summer timetable to serve additional holiday traffic to the Cornish seaside resort. These services were not restarted after being paused during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
in 2020.


Special services

CrossCountry extended some of its {{rws, Bournemouth services to {{rws, Weymouth for the Sailing at the 2012 Olympics & Paralympics. There were two services Monday to Saturday in each direction with one in each direction on Sundays. These ran express to Weymouth from Bournemouth. One train also operated a Weymouth to Bournemouth return journey, calling at {{stnlnk, Wareham and {{stnlnk, Poole.


Proposed services

During December 2016, CrossCountry published a consultation document for changes to the timetable proposed to be implemented in December 2017. These included: * Extending all hourly Bristol–Manchester services to and from {{rws, Exeter St Davids, providing a total of two trains per hour between Exeter and Birmingham; * Increasing the frequency of services during peak times on several routes; * An additional service to and from {{rws, Aberdeen running in the early afternoon. To allow these changes to take place, all CrossCountry services on some routes (which had a limited service) would be withdrawn and replaced with extra services run by other operators. These included: * between {{rws, Exeter St Davids and {{rws, Paignton (except for one early-morning northbound service), replaced by Great Western Railway services; * between {{rws, Reading and {{rws, Guildford, Surrey, replaced by Great Western Railway services; * between {{rws, Edinburgh Waverley and {{rws, Aberdeen in the morning and evening (Aberdeen would be served during the day instead), replaced by
ScotRail ScotRail Trains Limited, trading as ScotRail (), is a Scottish train operating company that is publicly owned by Scottish Rail Holdings on behalf of the Scottish Government. It has been operating the ScotRail franchise as an operator of las ...
services.{{efn, The proposed withdrawal did not include the morning/evening services that run only between Edinburgh and Dundee. In April 2017, it was announced the proposed changes would not be proceeding.


Stations served only by CrossCountry

CrossCountry does not manage any stations, although there are stations managed by other train operating companies at which it is the only operator: five stations ({{rws, Burton-on-Trent, {{rws, Hinckley, {{rws, Narborough, {{rws, South Wigston and {{rws, Willington) are managed by
East Midlands Railway East Midlands Railway (EMR; legally Transport UK East Midlands Limited) is a British train operating company owned by Transport UK Group, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise. Originally owned by Abellio (transport compan ...
, while three stations ({{rws, Coleshill Parkway, {{rws, Water Orton and {{rws, Wilnecote) are managed by
West Midlands Trains West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a British train operating company. It operates passenger trains on the West Midlands franchise between London and the English Midlands under two trading names: within the West Midlands region as West Midlands Rai ...
. At {{rws, Tamworth station, which has tracks and platforms at two levels, the high-level platforms are served only by CrossCountry, but the entire station is managed by West Midlands Trains, which serves the low-level platforms alongside
Avanti West Coast First Trenitalia West Coast Rail, trading name, trading as Avanti West Coast, is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership. In November 2016, the Department for Tra ...
. Similarly, at {{rws, Worcestershire Parkway, the low-level platforms are served only by CrossCountry, but the station is managed by
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...
, which serves only the high-level platforms.{{Citation needed, date=July 2022 {{rws, Manea was served only by CrossCountry until 2013, when
Abellio Greater Anglia Greater Anglia (legal name Transport UK East Anglia Limited) is a British train operating company owned as a joint venture by Transport UK Group and Mitsui & Co. It operates the East Anglia franchise, providing the commuter and inter-city se ...
started running one train every two hours at the station in addition to the CrossCountry services there.{{Citation needed, date=July 2022


Other route information

To improve the travelling experience, CrossCountry has designated four stations as alternative changeover stations: these are Cheltenham Spa, Derby, Leamington Spa and Wolverhampton. Connection times can be shorter at these smaller stations. For example, passengers travelling from Cardiff to Edinburgh could change at Cheltenham – where both their trains use the same platform – instead of Birmingham New Street, a larger, more complex station.


Rolling stock

CrossCountry services are operated using diesel trains only, since none of the routes it operates are fully electrified.{{Citation needed, date=July 2022 CrossCountry inherited 34 four-car Class 220 ''Voyagers'' and 40 five-car and 4 four-car Class 221 ''Super Voyagers'' from
Virgin CrossCountry Virgin CrossCountry was a train operating company in the United Kingdom that operated the InterCity CrossCountry passenger franchise from January 1997 until November 2007. Along with the InterCity West Coast franchise held by a separate legal ...
as well as 11 two-car and 18 three-car Class 170 ''Turbostars'' from
Central Trains Central Trains was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by National Express that operated a variety of local and inter-regional trains from 2 March 1997 until 11 November 2007. Overview Created out of the Central division of ...
. In December 2007 Class 221 ''Super Voyagers'' 221101 - 113 and 221142 - 144 were transferred to
Virgin Trains West Coast Virgin Trains (VT) (legal name West Coast Trains Limited) was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Virgin Rail Group, a joint venture between Virgin Group and Stagecoach, which operated the InterCity West Coast franchise fro ...
with 221114 - 118 following in December 2008. A franchise commitment was the acquisition of ten Class 43 power cars and forty Mark 3 carriages. Midland Mainline had six Class 43 power cars and fourteen Mark 3 carriages that were off lease from November 2007 that were leased. The remaining four Class 43 power cars were ex Virgin CrossCountry examples in varying states of decay, while the carriages were five ex-Virgin CrossCountry Mark 3 carriages and twenty-one ex-Virgin Trains West Coast loco-hauled Mark 3B carriages. Most had been in store at Long Marston for a few years. After driver training the ex-Midland Mainline sets returned to service in May 2008 on {{rws, Glasgow Central, , Glasgow and {{rws, Edinburgh Waverley, , Edinburgh to {{rws, Plymouth diagrams while the other Class 43 power cars were overhauled at
Brush Traction Brush Traction was a manufacturer and maintainer of railway locomotives in Loughborough, England whose operations have now been merged into the Wabtec company's Doncaster UK operations. History Hughes' Locomotive & Tramway Engine Wor ...
including repowering with MTU engines and the Mark 3 carriages overhauled at
Doncaster Works Doncaster Railway Works is a railway workshop located in Doncaster, England. Also referred to as ''The Plant'', it was established by the Great Northern Railway (England), Great Northern Railway in 1853, replacing the previous works in Boston, ...
to a similar specification as GNER's ''Mallard'' refurbishments. Once these were completed, the ex-Midland Mainline examples were also overhauled. To operate services to {{rws, Paignton and {{rws, Newquay on summer Saturdays, two High Speed Trains were hired from
National Express East Coast National Express East Coast (NXEC) was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, owned by National Express, that operated the InterCity East Coast franchise on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, North East England ...
in 2008. High Speed Trains were hired from East Coast and East Midlands Trains on a number of occasions to operate services from Edinburgh Waverley to Plymouth when HSTs or Voyagers were unavailable.{{Citation needed, date=July 2022 During 2008, the Class 170 ''Turbostar'' fleet was refurbished, during which the three-carriage units repainted at Marcroft Engineering,
Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...
, the two-carriage units at EWS's Toton depot and the interiors renewed by Transys Projects,
Clacton-on-Sea Clacton-on-Sea, often simply called Clacton, is a seaside town and seaside resort, resort in the county of Essex, on the east coast of England. It is located on the Tendring Peninsula and is the largest settlement in the Tendring District, wi ...
, including the fitting of first-class seating to the Class 170/5s and 170/6s. The tilt function on the Class 221 ''Super Voyagers'' was removed in 2008; tilting was not required on the parts of the
West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
that CrossCountry serves. CrossCountry stated this change would improve reliability and reduce maintenance costs. Between 2008 and 2009, both the Class 220 ''Voyagers'' and Class 221 ''Super Voyagers'' underwent refurbishment at
Bombardier Transportation Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, with headquarters in Toronto and Berlin. It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. ...
's
Derby Litchurch Lane Works Derby Litchurch Lane Works, formerly Derby Carriage and Wagon Works, is a railway rolling stock factory in Derby, England. It is presently owned by the multinational transportation manufacturer Alstom. Derby works originally commenced productio ...
. This work involved the removal of the shop, adding 25% extra luggage space and fourteen extra standard-class seats to the Class 220 ''Voyagers'' and 20% extra luggage space and sixteen extra standard-class seats to the Class 221 ''Super Voyagers''. Three years later, a refresh of the interiors was conducted, during which the standard-class seats were re-covered in the existing red and blue moquette and while the first class seats were finished with a maroon moquette. In summer 2014, CrossCountry began removing the quiet coach designation from such vehicles across its ''Voyager'' fleet, believing them to be outdated and to take up an excessive amount of space on a four-car unit; however, it did retain the quiet coaches on its five HST sets. During November 2017, as a part of CrossCountry's franchise extension, two former Virgin Trains Class 221 Super Voyager driving cars of unit 221144 were reactivated, having been stored at Central Rivers TMD for several years. Two of the existing five-car sets released a centre carriage that, when combined with the reactivated pair of driving cars, formed an additional four-car set to be formed. In 2021, six of the existing two-carriage Class 170s were lengthened. This happened as a result of
East Midlands Railway East Midlands Railway (EMR; legally Transport UK East Midlands Limited) is a British train operating company owned by Transport UK Group, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise. Originally owned by Abellio (transport compan ...
only leasing the two-carriage driving vehicles of the West Midlands Railway 170/6 sets, hence six centre cars became available when they were replaced by
West Midlands Trains West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a British train operating company. It operates passenger trains on the West Midlands franchise between London and the English Midlands under two trading names: within the West Midlands region as West Midlands Rai ...
for transfer to CrossCountry.{{Cite magazine , title = Government and CrossCountry work on train capacity plan , url = https://www.railmagazine.com/news/network/government-and-crosscountry-work-on-train-capacity-plan , access-date = 25 June 2021 , magazine = Rail Magazine In September 2023, it was announced that seven Class 221 "Super Voyagers" would be transferred from
Avanti West Coast First Trenitalia West Coast Rail, trading name, trading as Avanti West Coast, is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership. In November 2016, the Department for Tra ...
to CrossCountry, following the withdrawal of its HSTs.{{Cite news , last=Aston , first=Jon , date=19 September 2023 , title=Extra Voyagers in new CrossCountry contract , url= https://www.modernrailways.com/article/extra-voyagers-new-crosscountry-contract , access-date=19 September 2023 , work=Modern Railways In March 2024, it was announced that a further five Class 221 Super Voyagers would be transferred from Avanti West Coast. In addition, all of CrossCountry's Voyager trains will be refurbished, as well as its regional Turbostar fleet.{{cite news , last=May , first=Tiana , date=25 March 2024 , title=UK: CrossCountry Unveils Plans to Transform Fleet by May 2025 , url=https://railway-news.com/uk-crosscountry-unveils-plans-to-transform-fleet-by-may-2025/ , access-date=25 March 2024 , website=Railway News


Current rolling stock

{, class="wikitable" , - style="background:#f9f9f9;" ! rowspan="2" , Family ! rowspan="2" , Class ! rowspan="2" , Image ! rowspan="2" , Type ! colspan="2" , Top speed ! rowspan="2" , Number ! rowspan="2" , Carriages ! rowspan="2" , Built , - style="background:#f9f9f9;" ! mph ! km/h , - , rowspan="3" , Bombardier Turbostar , rowspan="3" ,
170 Year 170 ( CLXX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Clarus and Cornelius (or, less frequently, year 923 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 170 for this yea ...
, rowspan="3" ,

, rowspan="3" , DMU , rowspan="3" , 100 , rowspan="3" , 160 , 7 , 2 , rowspan="2" , 1998{{ndash2002 , - , 22 , 3 , - , colspan="3" ,



, - , rowspan="6" ,
Bombardier Voyager The Bombardier Voyager is a family of high speed train, high-speed 125 mph diesel-electric multiple units built in Belgium by Bombardier Transportation, for service on the railway network of the United Kingdom. Construction of the Voyager famil ...
, rowspan="2" , 220 ''Voyager'' , rowspan="2" , , rowspan="5" ,
DEMU A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...
, rowspan="5" , 125 , rowspan="5" , 200 , 34 , 4 , 2000{{ndash2001 , - , colspan="3" , , - , rowspan="4" , 221 ''Super Voyager'' , rowspan="2" , , 4 , 4 , rowspan="2" , 2001{{ndash2002 , - , 23 , 5 , - , , colspan="3" , , -


Past rolling stock

The last InterCity 125s were withdrawn on 18 September 2023. The last service operated was the 16:27 from {{rws, Plymouth to {{rws, Leeds.{{cite news , url=https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/23797729.end-era-last-hst-service-west-yorkshire-set-arrive/ , title=End of an era as last HST service to West Yorkshire set to arrive , publisher=
Telegraph & Argus The ''Telegraph & Argus'' is the daily newspaper for Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It is published six times each week, from Monday to Saturday inclusive. The newspaper has offices in Newhall Way, Bradford, from where its journalists work ...
, date=20 September 2023
{, class="wikitable" ! rowspan="2" , Family ! rowspan="2" , Class ! rowspan="2" , Image ! rowspan="2" , Type ! colspan="2" , Top speed ! rowspan="2" , Number ! rowspan="2" , Carriages ! rowspan="2" , Built , - style="background:#f9f9f9;" !mph !km/h , - , rowspan="2" ,
InterCity 125 The InterCity 125 (originally Inter-City 125) or High Speed Train (HST) is a diesel-powered High-speed rail, high-speed passenger train built by British Rail Engineering Limited between 1975 and 1982. A total of 95 sets were produced, each com ...
, 43 , ,
Diesel locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover (locomotive), power source is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is con ...
, rowspan="2" , 125 , rowspan="2" , 200 , 12 , rowspan="2" , 2+7 , 1976{{ndash1982 , - ,
Mark 3 Mark 3 is the third chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It relates a conflict over healing on the Sabbath, the commissioning of the Twelve Apostles, a conflict with the Jerusalem scribes and a meeting of ...
, , Passenger carriage , 40 , 1975{{ndash1988


Notes

{{notelist


References

{{reflist


External links

{{Commons category, CrossCountry * {{Official website {{S-start {{S-bef, before=
Central Trains Central Trains was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by National Express that operated a variety of local and inter-regional trains from 2 March 1997 until 11 November 2007. Overview Created out of the Central division of ...

Central Trains franchise {{S-ttl, rows=2, title=Operator of New CrossCountry franchise, years=2007–2027 {{S-inc, rows=2 , - {{S-bef, before=
Virgin CrossCountry Virgin CrossCountry was a train operating company in the United Kingdom that operated the InterCity CrossCountry passenger franchise from January 1997 until November 2007. Along with the InterCity West Coast franchise held by a separate legal ...

InterCity CrossCountry franchise {{s-end {{UK TOCs, current, state=collapsed {{Arriva Group UK {{Deutsche Bahn Arriva Group companies Companies based in Birmingham, West Midlands Railway companies established in 2007 Train operating companies in the United Kingdom 2007 establishments in the United Kingdom