National Rail › LNR

London Northwestern Railway

The West Coast Main Line's commuter and regional operator out of London Euston, to Northampton, Birmingham and Crewe, with Birmingham to Liverpool and two branch lines. It's run with West Midlands Railway and has been publicly owned since February 2026.

2026Running since
911 kmRoute km, all of West Midlands Trains
68Stations served
72.8 millionJourneys a year, all of West Midlands Trains, ORR (2025–26)

Facts

Running since
1 February 2026
London terminals
London Euston
Type
Commuter and regional train operator
Depots
Bletchley (Class 730/2s and 150s), Northampton Kings Heath (Siemens, for the Class 350s)
Main routes
Euston to Birmingham New Street via Northampton and Coventry; Euston to Crewe via the Trent Valley; Euston to Northampton, and local trains to Tring; Birmingham to Liverpool Lime Street; Bletchley to Bedford (the Marston Vale line); and Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey (the Abbey Line).
Stations managed
151, for all of West Midlands Trains (LNR and West Midlands Railway)
Operator
WM Trains Ltd, owned by DfT Operator (public ownership since 1 February 2026). It runs LNR alongside West Midlands Railway.

Routes 5 routes · 68 stations

London Euston – Birmingham New Street 28
London Euston – Birmingham New Street: schematic, not to scale London Euston — change for Northern, Victoria, Overground (Lioness)London Euston Harrow & Wealdstone — change for Bakerloo, Overground (Lioness)Harrow & Wealdstone Bushey — change for Overground (Lioness)Bushey Watford Junction — change for Overground (Lioness)Watford Junction Kings LangleyKings Langley ApsleyApsley Hemel HempsteadHemel Hempstead BerkhamstedBerkhamsted TringTring CheddingtonCheddington Leighton BuzzardLeighton Buzzard BletchleyBletchley Milton Keynes CentralMilton Keynes Central WolvertonWolverton NorthamptonNorthampton Long BuckbyLong Buckby RugbyRugby CoventryCoventry CanleyCanley Tile HillTile Hill BerkswellBerkswell Hampton-in-ArdenHampton-in-Arden Birmingham InternationalBirmingham International Marston GreenMarston Green Lea HallLea Hall StechfordStechford Adderley ParkAdderley Park Birmingham New StreetBirmingham New Street
Liverpool Lime Street – Coventry 28
Liverpool Lime Street – Coventry: schematic, not to scale Liverpool Lime StreetLiverpool Lime Street Mossley HillMossley Hill Liverpool South ParkwayLiverpool South Parkway RuncornRuncorn Acton BridgeActon Bridge HartfordHartford WinsfordWinsford CreweCrewe StaffordStafford PenkridgePenkridge WolverhamptonWolverhampton CoseleyCoseley TiptonTipton Dudley PortDudley Port Sandwell & DudleySandwell & Dudley Smethwick Galton BridgeSmethwick Galton Bridge Smethwick Rolfe StreetSmethwick Rolfe Street Birmingham New StreetBirmingham New Street Adderley ParkAdderley Park StechfordStechford Lea HallLea Hall Marston GreenMarston Green Birmingham InternationalBirmingham International Hampton-in-ArdenHampton-in-Arden BerkswellBerkswell Tile HillTile Hill CanleyCanley CoventryCoventry
London Euston – Crewe 25
London Euston – Crewe: schematic, not to scale London Euston — change for Northern, Victoria, Overground (Lioness)London Euston Harrow & Wealdstone — change for Bakerloo, Overground (Lioness)Harrow & Wealdstone Bushey — change for Overground (Lioness)Bushey Watford Junction — change for Overground (Lioness)Watford Junction Kings LangleyKings Langley ApsleyApsley Hemel HempsteadHemel Hempstead BerkhamstedBerkhamsted TringTring CheddingtonCheddington Leighton BuzzardLeighton Buzzard BletchleyBletchley Milton Keynes CentralMilton Keynes Central WolvertonWolverton NorthamptonNorthampton Long BuckbyLong Buckby RugbyRugby NuneatonNuneaton AtherstoneAtherstone PolesworthPolesworth TamworthTamworth Lichfield Trent ValleyLichfield Trent Valley Rugeley Trent ValleyRugeley Trent Valley StaffordStafford CreweCrewe
Bletchley – Bedford 12
Bletchley – Bedford: schematic, not to scale BletchleyBletchley Fenny StratfordFenny Stratford Bow BrickhillBow Brickhill Woburn SandsWoburn Sands Aspley GuiseAspley Guise RidgmontRidgmont LidlingtonLidlington Millbrook (Beds)Millbrook (Beds) StewartbyStewartby Kempston HardwickKempston Hardwick Bedford St JohnsBedford St Johns BedfordBedford
St Albans Abbey – Watford Junction 7
St Albans Abbey – Watford Junction: schematic, not to scale St Albans AbbeySt Albans Abbey Park StreetPark Street How Wood (Herts)How Wood (Herts) Bricket WoodBricket Wood Garston (Herts)Garston (Herts) Watford NorthWatford North Watford Junction — change for Overground (Lioness)Watford Junction

Schematic, not to scale. Ringed stations are interchanges. Each strip is one service route with its stops in order. Where fast and stopping trains share a route, the strip shows the one with most stops, and a route whose stops all lie on a longer one is left out. Station order from TfL open data.

StationZoneInterchanges
London Euston1Northern, Victoria, Overground (Lioness)
Harrow & Wealdstone5Bakerloo, Overground (Lioness)
BusheyOverground (Lioness)
Watford JunctionOverground (Lioness)
Kings LangleyNA
ApsleyNA
Hemel HempsteadNA
BerkhamstedNA
TringNA
CheddingtonNA
Leighton BuzzardNA
BletchleyNA
Milton Keynes Central
Wolverton
Northampton
Long Buckby
Rugby
Coventry
Canley
Tile Hill
Berkswell
Hampton-in-Arden
Birmingham International
Marston Green
Lea Hall
Stechford
Adderley Park
Birmingham New Street
Liverpool Lime Street
Mossley Hill
Liverpool South Parkway
Runcorn
Acton Bridge
Hartford
Winsford
Crewe
Stafford
Penkridge
Wolverhampton
Coseley
Tipton
Dudley Port
Sandwell & Dudley
Smethwick Galton Bridge
Smethwick Rolfe Street
Nuneaton
Atherstone
Polesworth
Tamworth
Lichfield Trent Valley
Rugeley Trent Valley
Fenny Stratford
Bow Brickhill
Woburn Sands
Aspley Guise
Ridgmont
Lidlington
Millbrook (Beds)
Stewartby
Kempston Hardwick
Bedford St Johns
Bedford
St Albans AbbeyNA
Park StreetNA
How Wood (Herts)NA
Bricket WoodNA
Garston (Herts)NA
Watford NorthNA

Stations, zones and interchanges from TfL open data (2026-10-02). National Rail interchanges are listed where TfL groups the stations together.

Fleet

ClassUnitsFormation and notes
Class 730 Aventra365-car (Class 730/2)
Class 350 Desiro504-car: 30 Class 350/1, 10 Class 350/3, 10 Class 350/4
Class 150 Sprinter32-car Class 150/1, Marston Vale line

History 12

  1. West Midlands Trains takes over from London Midland and launches the London Northwestern Railway name.
  2. A £680 million deal is signed for new trains from Bombardier and CAF.
  3. Class 230 trains start running between Bletchley and Bedford.
  4. A National Rail Contract replaces the franchise.
  5. Buses replace the Marston Vale line's trains after the Class 230s' maker, Vivarail, fails.
  6. The first Class 730s carry passengers anywhere, on LNR between Bletchley and Euston.
  7. Trains return to the Marston Vale line, using three Class 150s; the full timetable follows on 19 February 2024.
  8. The five-car Class 730/2s enter service, from Euston to Northampton.
  9. An upgraded Bletchley depot becomes the 730/2s' base.
  10. The 730/2s start running from Euston to Crewe; the last Class 350/2s leave.
  11. LNR passes into public ownership, run by WM Trains Ltd for DfT Operator.
  12. The Class 730/2 rollout is complete with the May timetable.

Sources 25

How we source figures →

unverified the unit used on the Abbey Line (a single Class 350 since May 2021, according to Wikipedia), route strips: Birmingham to Northampton trains, which LNR's own timetables label West Midlands Railway, are left out