Connex South Central
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| Overview | |
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| Franchise(s): | Network SouthCentral 26 May 1996 – 25 August 2001 |
| Main region(s): | South |
| Other region(s): | London, South East |
| National Rail abbreviation: | CX |
| Parent company: | Connex |
Connex South Central[1] was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Connex that operated the Network SouthCentral franchise from May 1996 until August 2001.
Contents
Services
Connex South Central ran passenger services from London Charing Cross, London Bridge and London Victoria to Beckenham Junction, Epsom Downs, East Grinstead, Uckfield, Caterham, Tattenham Corner, Horsham, Littlehampton, Bognor Regis, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Brighton, Eastbourne and Ore.
It also ran services between Hastings and Ashford, Brighton and Hastings, Brighton, Newhaven Marine and Seaford and Brighton and Southampton as well as South London suburban services serving Crystal Palace, Sutton and West Croydon.
On 1 June 1997 Connex South Central introduced a new service from Gatwick Airport to Rugby via the West London and West Coast lines using Class 319s. In December 2000 it was curtailed to Watford Junction but extended southwards to Brighton.[2]
Rolling stock
Connex South Central inherited a fleet of Class 205, Class 207, Class 319, Class 411, Class 421, Class 423, Class 455 and Class 456s from British Rail. To operate the Connex Express service between London Victoria and Brighton, seven Class 319s were refurbished in 1997.[3] In 1998, all the Class 411 units were transferred to South West Trains.
Depots
Connex South Central's fleet was maintained at Brighton Lovers Walk and Selhurst depots.
Demise
The operator was criticised for poor customer service (on average one in five Connex trains were delayed)[4] and for using old slam-door trains in the South of England, rather than spend any money on buying modern sliding-door rolling stock built to higher safety standards (though Connex ordered new trains for Connex South Eastern). This widespread disgust at filthy trains and widespread delays caused criticism of Connex, but it was poor financial management that ultimately caused Connex to lose the franchise.[4]
In March 2000 the Strategic Rail Authority announced its intention to relet the franchise, with Connex and Govia the shortlisted bidders.[5][6]
On 24 October 2000 the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority announced that Govia had been awarded the franchise and would operate it from 2003.[4] Govia negotiated a deal with Connex to buy out the remainder of its franchise with the transaction completed in August 2001.[7][8][9]
Connex also had the Network SouthEast franchise, Connex South Eastern - but just two years after losing the South Central franchise, the remaining franchise was terminated many years early by the Government. This marked the complete failure of Connex as a train operator across two network rail areas.
See also
- The Navigators, a film by Ken Loach about railway privatisation
Topical imagery
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Connex at redhill 2000 1st.png
A Connex South Central EMU train at Redhill in 2000.
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Connex at Haywards' Heath2002.png
A former Connex South Central train at Haywards Heath in 2002.
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Connex 421747 at Redhill.png
A former Connex South Central train passes through Haywards Heath in 2001.
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205009 east croydon station.jpg
A Class 205 DEMU at East Croydon in Connex colours in 2004.
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A Connex South Central Class 319 EMU passes through Bletchley in 2000. It is operating a service from Gatwick Airport to Rugby which usually called at Redhill, East Croydon, Kensington Olympia, Watford Junction and Milton Keynes Central.
References
- ↑ NEW SOUTHERN RAILWAY LIMITED - 03010919 Companies House
- ↑ Class 319 Kent Rail
- ↑ Class 319 Southern E-Group
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Connex loses rail franchise", BBC News, 24 October 2000.
- ↑ South Central Franchise Shadow Strategic Rail Authority Press Release 10 October 2000
- ↑ Six Companies Shortlisted for First Franchise Replacement Round Shadow Strategic Rail Authority 14 March 2000
- ↑ Acquisition of Connex South Central Limited by Govia Limited Go-Ahead Press Release 30 May 2001
- ↑ Completion of Acquisition of South Central Franchise Go-Ahead Press Release 28 August 2001
- ↑ South Central Limited Annual Accounts 29 June 2002
External links
| Preceded by | Operator of South Central franchise 1996 - 2001 |
Succeeded by Southern |
