Chiltern Railways

Chiltern Railways
A Class 168 Clubman (left) and a Class 68 locomotive at London Marylebone in 2015
Overview
Franchise(s) Chiltern Railways 21 July 1996 – 2 March 2002
3 March 2002 – 11 December 2021
Main route(s) Chiltern Main Line
Other route(s) London to Aylesbury Line
Princes Risborough to Aylesbury Line
Leamington to Stratford Line
Oxford to Bicester Line
Birmingham-Kidderminster Line (peak only)
Fleet size 6 Class 68 locomotives
31 Mark 3 carriages
39 Class 165 Turbo sets
24 Class 168 Clubman sets
4 Class 172 Turbostar
2 Class 01/5 shunters
Stations called at 62
Stations operated 32
Route km operated 336.4
National Rail abbreviation CH
Parent company Arriva UK Trains
Website www.chilternrailways.co.uk

Chiltern Railways[1] is a British train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains that has operated the Chiltern Railways franchise since July 1996. It operates commuter/regional rail passenger services from its Central London terminus at London Marylebone along the M40 corridor to destinations in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, as well as long-distance services to the West Midlands along two routes. Services on the Chiltern Main Line run from London Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill, Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford, with some peak-hour services to Kidderminster.

Chiltern Railways also runs trains on the London to Aylesbury Line to Aylesbury (with some trains terminating at Aylesbury Vale Parkway instead), on the Princes Risborough to Aylesbury and Oxford to Bicester branch lines.

History

In June 1996 M40 Trains[2] was awarded the Chiltern Railways franchise by the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising for a period of seven years with operations commencing on 21 July 1996.[3] M40 Trains was a management buyout led by some former British Rail managers who held a combined 51% shareholding backed by John Laing (26%) and 3i (23%). A restructure in March 1999 saw John Laing taking an 84% shareholding with the remaining 16% owned by the former British Rail managers.[4][5]

In March 2000 the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority announced M40 Trains and Go-Ahead had been shortlisted to bid for the next Chiltern franchise.[6][7] In August 2000 M40 Trains was awarded a new franchise, to run for 20 years conditional on various investments being made.[8][9][10] The new franchise started on 3 March 2002.

In August 2002 John Laing acquired the remaining 16% of shares in M40 Trains it did not already own.[11] In September 2006 John Laing was purchased by Henderson Equity Partners.[12]

In December 2004 Chiltern Railways took over operation of passenger services on the Leamington Spa to Stratford-upon-Avon branch line from First Great Western Link.

In June 2006 M40 Trains was invited by the Department for Transport to lodge a bid to operate the Snow Hill Lines lines then operated by Central Trains, as part of the letting of the West Midlands franchise. The bid was not successful.[13][14]

In July 2007 Henderson Equity Partners put Laing Rail up for sale.[15] Arriva and Go-Ahead both expressed an interest in acquiring Laing Rail,[16][17] but by December 2007 only Deutsche Bahn of Germany and NedRail of the Netherlands remained in the bidding contest.[18][19] In January 2008 Laing Rail was purchased by Deutsche Bahn and Chiltern became part of the DB Regio group.[20][21]

A restructure in early 2011 saw DB Regio become a subsidiary of Arriva UK Trains.[22]

In May 2011 Chiltern took over operating services on the Oxford to Bicester Line from First Great Western.[23][24]

Services

The main entrance to London Marylebone

Chiltern Railways operates regular services on five routes.

The Chiltern Main Line is the core route for the majority of Chiltern Railways services and is one of two "mainline routes" operated by the company. The route runs between the UK's major cities of London and Birmingham (Marylebone and Snow Hill stations respectively) and also passes through the large towns of High Wycombe, Banbury, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwick and Solihull. Chiltern Railways operates trains along the entire line, with services ranging from stopping suburban trains (e.g. London Marylebone - Gerrards Cross) to high-speed, express trains running the full length of the line between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street. The fastest timetabled journey from Birmingham to London via this route is 99 minutes (compared with 82 minutes using Virgin Trains services between Birmingham New Street and London Euston via the West Coast Main Line).[25] In addition to the Chiltern Railways services, CrossCountry also operates regular services on the line north of Banbury, and West Midlands Trains operates regular services north of Dorridge.

The London to Aylesbury Line is the second "mainline route" operated by the company. The route links London (Marylebone) with the town of Aylesbury via Amersham. All Chiltern Railways on this route run the full length of the line between Marylebone and Aylesbury stations and call at all stations north of Amersham; most trains are extended one station further to Aylesbury Vale Parkway. The line runs alongside London Underground's Metropolitan line between Finchley Road (just north of Marylebone station) and Harrow-on-the-Hill, with each operator running on separate tracks. Beyond Harrow-on-the-Hill, the tracks are shared between Chiltern Railways and Metropolitan line services. This is the only situation where National Rail services use non-Network Rail tracks and it uses a unique unregulated track-access agreement with London Underground.[26] Beyond Amersham (where the Metropolitan line terminates), all services are operated by Chiltern Railways only.

The other three routes regularly served by the company are all branch lines. The Princes Risborough to Aylesbury Line links Princes Risborough, on the Chiltern Main Line, with Aylesbury, on the London to Aylesbury Line. Most trains on the line continue beyond Princes Risborough to London Marylebone, which gives Aylesbury an alternative route to reach central London; however, a few services terminate at Princes Risborough. The Oxford to Bicester Line branches off the Chiltern Main Line just south of Bicester and links the town with Oxford. The line is mostly served by express services to and from Marylebone. Until December 2016, the line terminated a few miles northeast of Oxford, at the nearby Oxford Parkway station; however, the line was since extended to the main Oxford station.[27] The Leamington to Stratford Line branches off the Chiltern Main Line at Hatton (a few miles west of Leamington Spa) and runs to Stratford-upon-Avon. The branch line is also operated by regular West Midlands Trains services.

As of September 2017, its routes off-peak Monday to Friday include:[25][28]

Chiltern Main Line
RoutetphCalling at
London Marylebone to Gerrards Cross1Wembley Stadium, Sudbury & Harrow Road (limited service), Sudbury Hill Harrow, Northolt Park, West Ruislip, Denham, Denham Golf Club (southbound only)
London Marylebone to High Wycombe1Wembley Stadium, South Ruislip, Gerrards Cross, Beaconsfield
London Marylebone to Aylesbury via High Wycombe1Gerrards Cross, Seer Green and Jordans, Beaconsfield, High Wycombe, Saunderton, Princes Risborough, Monks Risborough, Little Kimble (irregular)
Little Kimble is mostly served hourly, but there are two-hour gaps between some services.
London Marylebone to Banbury1Denham Golf Club (northbound only), Gerrards Cross, Beaconsfield, High Wycombe, Princes Risborough, Haddenham & Thame Parkway, Bicester North, Kings Sutton (1tp2h)
London Marylebone to Oxford1High Wycombe (northbound only), Bicester Village, Oxford Parkway
1High Wycombe (southbound only), Haddenham & Thame Parkway, Bicester Village, Islip (limited service), Oxford Parkway
London Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill1Bicester North, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Warwick, Warwick Parkway, Dorridge, Solihull, Birmingham Moor Street
London Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street1High Wycombe, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Warwick Parkway, Solihull
Leamington Spa shuttle
RoutetphCalling at
Leamington Spa to Birmingham Moor Street0.5Warwick, Hatton, Lapworth, Dorridge, Solihull
Leamington Spa to Stratford-upon-Avon0.5Warwick, Hatton, Claverdon (limited service), Bearley (limited service), Wilmcote, Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway
London to Aylesbury Line
RoutetphCalling at
London Marylebone to Aylesbury (and Aylesbury Vale Parkway) via Amersham2Harrow-on-the-Hill, Rickmansworth, Chorleywood, Chalfont & Latimer, Amersham, Great Missenden, Wendover, Stoke Mandeville
1tph extended to Aylesbury Vale Parkway (non-stop from Aylesbury)

Extension to Kidderminster

At peak times on weekdays, some services between London Marylebone and Birmingham are extended beyond the latter, to and from Kidderminster (via Stourbridge Junction). These trains run to Marylebone in the morning peak, and return towards Kidderminster in the evening peak.[25] The trains also call at some stations between Birmingham Moor Street and Kidderminster, although not all services have the same calling pattern.

As of July 2016, there are four trains in each direction between Marylebone and Kidderminster, plus another one which is extended only as far as Stourbridge Junction. On Saturdays, there are also four morning trains from Kidderminster to Marylebone from the December 2017 return services in the evening were introduced. There were no Chiltern Railways service to Kidderminster on Sundays until the December 2017 timetable when 2 trains in each direction were introduced.[25]

Regular trains between Birmingham Moor Street, Stourbridge Junction and Kidderminster are operated by West Midlands Trains as part of its Snow Hill route service.

Parliamentary trains

The booking hall and main entrance to Banbury

Chiltern Railways operates a weekday parliamentary service on the New North Main Line to and from London Paddington, in the late morning. Currently, there is one train per day running from South Ruislip, via the single-track line parallel to the Central line to London Paddington, and a return service to High Wycombe back the same way.[29][30] The New North Main line also offers an alternative route to central London for the Chiltern Main Line and can be used to divert trains away from Marylebone when the station is closed for engineering works.

Buckinghamshire Railway Centre

On certain Bank Holiday Mondays, services are extended from Aylesbury to the Buckinghamshire Railway Heritage Centre facilities at Quainton Road, a short way north of Aylesbury Vale Parkway.

Tickets

Since winning the franchise, Chiltern has introduced "Route: High Wycombe" tickets for the Chiltern route between Birmingham and London that are considerably cheaper than "Route: Any Permitted" tickets, valid on the faster Virgin service to London Euston as well a number of other operators and routes. Chiltern offers only Standard Class, not Standard and First Class as on Virgin services. However, Chiltern does offer a premium economy "Business Zone" cabin on a small number of Birmingham to London peak-time trains. Passengers pay an upgrade of £10 (off-peak) or £25 (peak time) to sit in a larger first-class-style seat;[31] and formerly, this upgrade came with complimentary refreshments, but as of the new timetable in May 2017, refreshment services have been cut on all Chiltern Railways services, meaning the "Business Zone" no longer comes with complimentary refreshments.[32]

Performance

A refurbished Class 165 unit near South Hampstead

Chiltern was considered one of the best operators in Britain, with Public Performance Measure (PPM) regularly over 90%,[33] until the introduction of changes[34] in November 2015 and infrastructure issues saw punctuality fall to 86% in December 2015.[35] Chiltern's PPM is measured on stricter conditions than its long-distance rivals, such as Virgin Trains, as Chiltern has a 5-minute window for performance while others have a 10-minute window.

Performance figures published by Network Rail rate Chiltern Railways sixth in train operating companies in the UK at 89.4% (PPM – period 9) and 94.3% (MAA) for the year to 12 December 2015.[36]

A new timetable introduced on 4 September 2011, combined with significant disruption caused by engineering work, caused a negative reaction from customers. A petition to have the service reviewed was started, and articles highlighting the plight of commuters appeared in the local press.[37]

A new timetable introduced on 10 December 2012 also met with frustration and opposition from some customers, particularly those using Saunderton and Princes Risborough stations.[38]

Chiltern passenger numbers in millions (annual rolling average) 2010/11-2018/19 Q1.[39][40]

Project Evergreen

Evergreen is the name given by Chiltern to the major infrastructure works that the company has committed to over the 20-year duration of its franchise to improve routes and services. This has been divided into three distinct phases.

Evergreen 1

The main focus of phase 1 was the redoubling of the Chiltern Main Line between Princes Risborough and Bicester North in 1998 and Bicester North and Aynho Junction in 2001, together with the reconstruction of Haddenham and Thame Parkway from a single platform to two platforms, the installation of a new platform at Princes Risborough, and the raising of the line speed limit.[41]

Evergreen 2

Phase 2 began after the award of Chiltern's new 20-year franchise. This entailed a realignment of the route through Beaconsfield to allow speeds to be increased to 75 mph, improved signalling between High Wycombe and Bicester and between Princes Risborough and Aylesbury, the construction of two new platforms at London Marylebone on the old carriage sidings, and the construction of a new depot at Wembley.[41]

Evergreen 3

The Department for Transport, Chiltern Railways and Network Rail agreed in January 2010 to a £250m upgrade of the Chiltern Main Line.[42][43]

Phase 1

Phase 1 of the project, now complete, involved upgrading the Marylebone – Birmingham Chiltern Main Line to permit 100 mph (160 km/h) running on an additional 50 miles (80 km) of route. Junctions at Neasden, Northolt and Aynho were remodelled to permit higher speeds.[44] The 'up' through track has been restored at Princes Risborough, the existing 'up' line becoming a platform loop, a new turnback siding has been provided at Gerrards Cross, and a new, straighter 'down' through track built from Northolt Junction (where the original layout favoured the now little-used Paddington route) to Ruislip Gardens. The existing 'down' track continues to serve South Ruislip station. The former speed restrictions through Bicester North have been removed to permit 100 mph running.[44] Two additional terminating platforms at Birmingham Moor Street were reopened in December 2010. Accelerated services were initially planned to start in May 2011, but there were delays and it was not until 5 September 2011 that Chiltern was able to introduce a new timetable to take advantage of the improvements.[45][46]

As a result of the speed increases, journey times have been reduced significantly. From Marylebone, the fastest peak-hour journey time to Birmingham Moor Street is now 90 minutes, instead of 117 minutes previously. The table below outlines the peak timetable improvements.[42]

Fastest Peak Time from London (mins)
Previous Post Phase 1
Gerrards Cross 21 18
High Wycombe 34 23
Princes Risborough 41 32
Bicester 56 44
Banbury 63 50
Leamington Spa 85 67
Solihull 107 84
Birmingham (Moor Street) 117 92

Chiltern Railways former chairman Adrian Shooter said, "This is the biggest passenger rail project for several generations not to call on the taxpayer for support. Working closely with Network Rail, we are going to create a new main-line railway for the people of Oxfordshire and the Midlands. This deal demonstrates that real improvements to rail services can be paid for without public subsidy by attracting people out of their cars and on to trains."

Phase 2

Construction of Oxford Parkway station in April 2015

In October 2012 the Secretary of State for Transport granted permission for work to begin on Phase 2 of the Evergreen 3 project, with services between London Marylebone and Oxford.[47][48] Under Phase 2, a quarter-of-a-mile double track has been constructed joining the Oxford to Bicester Line at Bicester Village to the Chiltern Main Line, allowing a new Oxford to London Marylebone service to operate. A new station, Oxford Parkway, has been constructed at Water Eaton; the service between Oxford Parkway and London started on 26 October 2015, with the link from Oxford Parkway to Oxford becoming operational on 12 December 2016.[27] All signalling on the route (including the new platforms at Oxford) is controlled by Marylebone Signalling Centre.

As part of Phase 2, the Oxford to Bicester Village service transferred from First Great Western to Chiltern in May 2011.[23] Part of the line between Wolvercote Tunnel (on the outskirts of Oxford) and Bicester Village was restored to double track, and the scheme included additional platforms at Oxford, Islip and Bicester Village.

Network Rail provided the capital for the upgrade and will recover this through a facility charge over the subsequent 30 years, initially payable by Chiltern until its franchise expires, and then by the next franchisee. The infrastructure upgrade was carried out by main contractor BAM Nuttall, in partnership with Jarvis and WS Atkins.[42][49][50]

Oxfordshire County Council supported the scheme, but had to be convinced of the benefits of the new Oxford Parkway station at Water Eaton, which is in the Green Belt.[51] There was a further setback to the plan when in November 2011 a planning inspector withheld approval because it was found that bats were roosting in Wolvercote Tunnel. Great crested newts also have a breeding habitat close to the route.[52] The "bat problem" however seems to have been resolved.[53]

Rolling stock

Class 165 Turbos at Chiltern Railways's main London terminus, Marylebone

Chiltern Railways inherited a fleet of 34 Class 165 Turbos from British Rail. In December 2004 a further five Class 165s were transferred from First Great Western Link.[54] All 39 were overhauled by Bombardier at Ilford EMU Depot in 2003 – 2005, including the installation of air-conditioning and removal of the hopper opening windows and first class seating.[55][56][57] As they were designed for suburban rather than InterCity use, they tend to be concentrated on services to Aylesbury and Banbury, although this stock can be found operating the service between Birmingham and Leamington Spa.

Chiltern ordered several batches of Class 168 Clubmans, entering service between 1998 and 2004, and now has nine three-carriage and ten four-carriage sets. These operate across the network.

In April 2003 Chiltern restored a Class 121 Bubble Car for use on the Aylesbury to Princes Risborough shuttles, a second following in May 2011 after overhaul at Tyseley TMD.[58][59][60] In March 2013, a third Class 121 (121032) was acquired from Arriva Trains Wales for use as a spare parts donor. On 19 May 2017 the Chiltern Bubble cars ran for the last time, as their age made spare parts very difficult to obtain.[61]

In January 2008 Chiltern ordered four two-coach Class 172 Turbostars. These entered service in June 2011.[62] Because they cannot be fitted with tripcock safety equipment necessary to operate on London Underground lines, they cannot operate via Amersham unless attached to a Class 165 or 168. Although initially intended for use on all-stations services out of London, they frequently operate to Birmingham.

From December 2010 Chiltern began operating two peak-hour loco-hauled services consisting of a Class 67 hauling Mark 3 coaches and a Driving Van Trailer. One set was hired from fellow DB Regio subsidiary Wrexham & Shropshire to operate a Birmingham Moor Street to London Marylebone service while the other was made up of some DB-Regio-owned Mark 3s painted in British Rail blue/grey and Virgin Trains livery and operated from Banbury to London Marylebone.[63]

After Wrexham & Shropshire ceased operations in January 2011, Chiltern began using a second ex-Wrexham & Shropshire set from May 2011. For the introduction of Chiltern's new timetable in September 2011 they had a Mainline logo and blue stripes added to their silver livery.[64] Motive power was provided by Class 67s, 67010, 67012-015 and 67018, all modified to operate with Driving Van Trailers.

In 2012 the ex-Wrexham & Shropshire Mark 3s were overhauled fitted with sliding plug doors (similar to those fitted to South West Trains' Class 444 Desiros) and toilet retention tanks by Wabtec's Doncaster Works. Once this programme is complete, a further ten Mark 3s were overhauled by Wabtec to create a fifth set and bring the existing sets up to six coaches.[65] In 2012 the DB-Regio-owned Mark 3s used on the peak-hour Banbury service were given a light overhaul at LNWR, Bristol, and the Virgin-liveried examples repainted into British Rail blue/grey.

To allow Class 168s to be cascaded to the new Oxford services as part of Evergreen 3, more Mark 3s are to be returned to service in the future.[66] Class 170 Turbostars with First TransPennine Express were to be transferred to Chiltern Railways.[67] MP Stephen Hammond revealed on 12 March 2014 that all the class 170/3s will remain with First TransPennine Express until the May 2015 timetable change. In January 2015 it was confirmed Chiltern would take five of the First TransPennine Class 170s from May 2015 and the other four from February 2016. The units where originally meant to be cascaded to Chiltern at the end of the TransPennine franchise, but this was later changed to July 2016. Upon delivery, the Class 170s were modified to allow them to be used with Chiltern's existing Class 168s, and reclassified as Class 168/3s.[68] Chiltern received all the units in July 2016, which are numbered 168321-168329.

In early 2014, Chiltern Railways agreed a sub-lease from Direct Rail Services (DRS) for six Class 68 locomotives for use on its London Marylebone to Birmingham service to replace the existing fleet of Class 67s. Maintenance and commissioning for the new fleet is assisted by DRS.[69]

In 2017, Chiltern Railways entered into an agreement with Artemis Intelligent Power and the Rail Safety and Standards Board to provide one of their redundant DVTs as a donor vehicle for conversion into a new type of diesel locomotive.[70]

Current fleet

Class Image Type Top speed Carriages Unit Numbers Total Routes operated Built
mph km/h
Class 165/0
Network Turbo		 DMU 75 120 2 165001-165028 28 All Chiltern Railways services (apart from Mainline services) 1990–92
3 165029-165039 11
Class 168/0
Clubman		 DMU 100 160 4 168001-168005 5 Chiltern Mainline and some local services 1998
Class 168/1
Clubman		 DMU 100 160 3 168108-168113 6 Chiltern Mainline and some local services 2000
4 168106-168107 2
Class 168/2
Clubman		 DMU 100 160 3 168214, 168218-168219 3 Chiltern Mainline and some local services 2004
4 168215-168217 3
Class 168/3
Clubman		 DMU 100 160 2 168321-168329 9 Chiltern Mainline and some local services 2000
Class 172/1 Turbostar[71] DMU 100 160 2 172101-172104 4 All Chiltern Railways services 2011
Class 68[72] Diesel locomotive 100 160 N/A 68008-68015 8 Chiltern Main Line services 2014
Mark 3[73][74] Passenger Carriage 110 175 6 N/A 31 Chiltern Main Line services 1975–88
Driving Van Trailer 110 175 N/A 82301-82305, 82309 6 Chiltern Main Line services 1988

Past fleet

Former units operated by Chiltern Railways include:

Class Image Type Top speed Carriages Unit Numbers Total Routes operated Built Withdrawn
mph km/h
Class 121
Bubble Car		 DMU 70 112 1 121020, 121034 2 Princes Risborough to Aylesbury Line 1959–60 19 May 2017 [75]

Gerrards Cross incident

Tesco proposed building a supermarket over the railway line near Gerrards Cross railway station in 1996,[76] which, following an initial objection by the local council was approved by the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott in July 1998. Due to a lack of space in the area, Tesco had proposed building over the railway line, which would free up a large area of land suitable for the development.[76]

During construction, the partially built tunnel collapsed on 30 June 2005. Nobody was injured but the line was closed for over six weeks, eventually reopening on 20 August 2005. Compensation by Tesco to Chiltern Railways and Network Rail was estimated to be between £200m and the retailer pledged to fund a media campaign to win back passengers lost by the closure of its route. Construction of the tunnel finally resumed in January 2009.[77] The store opened in late November 2010.[78]

Plans

Active

Chiltern Railways refurbished 165001 at London Marylebone
The refurbished interior of a Chiltern Railways Class 165/0
Chiltern Railways 168107 at London Marylebone
The refurbished interior of a Chiltern Railways Class 168/1

In addition to the completed Evergreen initiatives, other potential enhancements for Chiltern's route have been discussed, but had not progressed as at the end of 2017. These include:

Since successful completion of Project Evergreen 3 has fulfilled Chiltern Railways' obligation to invest in infrastructure, there is no clear road to completion for these projects.[96]

See also

References

    1. ↑ Companies House extract company no 3007939 The Chiltern Railway Company Limited
    2. ↑ Companies House extract company no 3005018 M40 Trains Limited
    3. ↑ "M40 to put new stock on Chiltern" The Independent 26 June 1996
    4. ↑ "Fat cat row in Chiltern bid". Accountancy Age 1 March 1999
    5. ↑ "Full steam ahead" Accountancy Age 14 April 1999
    6. ↑ Six Companies Shortlisted for First Franchise Replacement Round Shadow Strategic Rail Authority 14 March 2000
    7. ↑ Go-Ahead shortlisted for Chiltern and South Central rail franchises Go-Ahead Group 14 March 2000
    8. ↑ Laing Rail to Build upon Chiltern Success John Laing 10 August 2000
    9. ↑ "Chiltern Railways to Ride Again" Coventry & Warwickshire News 10 August 2000.
    10. ↑ "Chiltern wins first 20-year franchise" The Guardian 19 February 2002
    11. ↑ "Review (proof 2)" (PDF). Retrieved 23 November 2012.
    12. ↑ "Laing accepts £887m takeover bid" BBC News 19 September 2006
    13. ↑ "Bidders announced for rail franchises" New Civil Engineer 19 September 2006
    14. ↑ Department for Transport Announces Winner of West Coast Franchise Department for Transport 21 June 2007
    15. ↑ "Chiltern Railways is on the market". Railnews. Stevenage. 31 July 2007. Archived from the original on 8 November 2007. Retrieved 10 September 2007.
    16. ↑ Milmo, Dan (7 September 2007). "Arriva poised to bid for Chiltern". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
    17. ↑ "Go-Ahead interested in Chiltern Railways bid – CEO". Reuters. 7 September 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
    18. ↑ O'Connell, Dominic (9 December 2007). "Rail rivals line up Chiltern". The Sunday Times. London. (Subscription required (help)).
    19. ↑ "Deutsche Bahn and NedRail line up Chiltern". business-sale.com. 11 December 2007.
    20. ↑ "Deutsche Bahn announces acquisition of Laing Rail" (Press release). Chiltern Railways. 21 January 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
    21. ↑ "Deutsche Bahn buys Laing Rail" Construction News 21 January 2008
    22. ↑ "Review of the year to 31 December 2010: Strongly positioned for future growth" (Press release). Arriva. 3 May 2011.
    23. 1 2 "Oxford to Bicester Town Service Change of Train Operator". First Great Western. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
    24. ↑ Chiltern Railways takes over Bicester to Oxford services News Chiltern Railways 28 April 2011
    25. 1 2 3 4 May - December 2017 timetable
    26. ↑ Yonge, John (November 2008) [1994]. Jacobs, Gerald, ed. Railway Track Diagrams 5: Southern & TfL (3rd ed.). Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps. maps 41C, 42A, 42B, 43A. ISBN 978-0-9549866-4-3.
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    28. ↑ Route Map
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    34. ↑ "Chiltern Railways admits problems". 16 November 2015.
    35. ↑ "Performance".
    36. ↑ "Rail performance results period 9". Network Rail.
    37. ↑ Dunhill, Lawrence (24 September 2011). "Beaconsfield commuters say new Chiltern line is 'misery'". Bucks Free Press. High Wycombe. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
    38. ↑ Cain, Rebecca (4 January 2011). "Commuters call for a return to a better train service". Bucks Free Press. Princes Risborough. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
    39. ↑ https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/displayreport/report/html/fd00d7e2-f1e1-4e39-be2d-87e22859aaf1
    40. ↑ http://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/displayreport/report/html/2b2e2c38-c822-4e1f-9fb4-b049b3c13899
    41. 1 2 Chiltern Renaissance – The Evergreen Success Rail.co 26 October 2011
    42. 1 2 3 "£250 investment from Chiltern Railways creates new main line" (PDF) (Press release). Chiltern Railways. 15 January 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 March 2012.
    43. ↑ "£250m Rail Investment to Bring Much Faster Journeys for Chiltern Passengers" (Press release). Network Rail. 15 January 2010.
    44. 1 2 "Evergreen 3 progress". Modern Railways. London. December 2010. p. 9.
    45. ↑ "Chiltern Railways plan to make Bicester well connected". Railnews. Stevenage. 29 August 2008. Retrieved 7 September 2008.
    46. ↑ "Project Evergreen 3". Chiltern Railways. 2009. Archived from the original on 28 August 2009. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
    47. ↑ "Chiltern Railways given green light to build new rail line between Oxford and London" (Press release). Chiltern Railways. 18 October 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
    48. ↑ McGregor, Sam (19 October 2012). "New £130m rail link to London approved". Oxford Mail.
    49. ↑ "Chiltern Railways announces £250m improvements and new main line to be built by BAM Nuttall". New Civil Engineer (London). 15 January 2010.
    50. ↑ "BAM Nuttall lands £190 million Evergreen 3 Contract for Chiltern Railways" (Press release). Camberley: BAM Nuttall. January 2010.
    51. ↑ "Rail link plan runs into problems". Oxford Mail. 15 September 2009. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
    52. ↑ Little, Reg (17 November 2011). "Rail line hits buffers amid bat risk fear". The Oxford Times. p. 1.
    53. ↑ "Chiltern Railways: Oxford–London line statement". 8 March 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
    54. ↑ "Thames 165s on their way to Chiltern" Rail issue 487 12 May 2004 page 27
    55. ↑ Our Train Fleet Chiltern Railways
    56. ↑ "Chiltern axes First Class seating" Rail issue 452 8 January 2003 page 57
    57. ↑ "It's one class only on Chiltern" Entrain issue 14 February 2003 page 10
    58. ↑ "Unique revamped Class 121 enters service for Chiltern" Rail issue 460 30 April 2003 page 60
    59. ↑ "BR green 'bubble car' headlines £1million upgrade by Chiltern" Rail Express 27 May 2011
    60. ↑ 55034 Class 121 Driving Motor Brake Second (Returned to Mainline use) The Railcar Association
    61. ↑ "First Generation DMU era ends as Chiltern Bubblecars head for retirement" The Railway Magazine issue 1395 June 2017 page 8
    62. ↑ Angel Trains orders 'Green Trains' for the UK Rail Market Angel Trains 31 January 2008
    63. ↑ "Chiltern commence Birmingham loco-hauled" Archived 16 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine.. Rail Express. 14 December 2010.
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    65. ↑ "Chiltern Railways puts refurbished Mk 111 coaches into service" Railway Gazette International 31 May 2012
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    67. ↑ "Campaigners' fury as nine TransPennine Express trains sent south in 'crazy and scandalous' move". Manchester Evening News. 3 March 2014.
    68. ↑ Wilson, James (9 January 2015). "Train users in Mid Cheshire suffer capacity setback". The Knutsford Guardian. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
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    70. ↑ "RSSB funds powertrain demonstrator". RSSB. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
    71. ↑ "Angel Trains orders 'green trains' for the UK rail market" (Press release). Angel Trains. 31 January 2008.
    72. ↑ "Angel Trains orders 'green trains' for the UK rail market" (Press release). rail technology magazine. 15 April 2014.
    73. ↑ "Passenger Board Annual Report 08/09" (PDF). Chiltern Railways. 24 June 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 December 2009.
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    91. ↑ "Chancellor accepts East West Rail targets and strengthens plans with extra cash". www.railtechnologymagazine.com.
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    95. ↑ "The Croxley Rail Link Order 2013" (PDF). The Stationery Office. Statutory Instruments 2013 No. 1967. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
    96. ↑ "Private Sector Specification and Delivery of Enhancement" (PDF). International Council on Systems Engineering. 22 June 2010.

    Further reading

    • Holley, Mel (11–24 February 1998). "The quiet revolution". Rail. No. 324. EMAP Apex Publications. pp. 26–29. ISSN 0953-4563. OCLC 49953699.
    Preceded by
    Network SouthEast
    As part of British Rail    		 Operator of Chiltern franchise
    1996 – present    		 Incumbent
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