21 Facts About Chiltern Railways

1.

Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company that has operated the Chiltern Railways franchise since July 1996.

FactSnippet No. 941,003
2.

Chiltern Railways was founded as M40 Trains Limited by a group of ex-British Rail managers backed by John Laing and 3i; in June 1996, it was announced that M40 Trains had been awarded the Chiltern Railways franchise.

FactSnippet No. 941,004
3.

Chiltern Railways promptly commenced the redoubling of the Chiltern Main Line under the Evergreen initiative and ordered the Class 168 Clubman diesel multiple units to supplement its ex-British Rail fleet.

FactSnippet No. 941,005
4.

Chiltern Railways became a subsidiary of Arriva UK Trains as a result of restructuring during early 2011.

FactSnippet No. 941,006
5.

From December 2010, Chiltern Railways began operating the Chiltern Railways Mainline service of two peak-hour locomotive-hauled services consisting of a Class 67 hauling a rake of modernised Mark 3 coaches and a Driving Van Trailer.

FactSnippet No. 941,007
6.

Chiltern Railways originated with a number of former British Rail managers who sought to conduct a management buyout on one of the soon-to-be-created rail franchises that would be produced as a part of the privatisation of British Rail.

FactSnippet No. 941,008
7.

Chiltern Railways reportedly spent £38 million in its bid for the Chiltern Railways franchise.

FactSnippet No. 941,009
8.

Chiltern Railways was the first railway franchise to order new rolling stock in the post-privatisation era in the form of the Class 168 Clubman diesel multiple units .

FactSnippet No. 941,010
9.

In December 2016, Chiltern Railways started running train services from Oxford to London Marylebone.

FactSnippet No. 941,011
10.

Chiltern Railways was one of several train operators impacted by the 2022 United Kingdom railway strike, which was the first national rail strike in the UK for three decades.

FactSnippet No. 941,012
11.

Since winning the franchise, Chiltern Railways has introduced "Route: High Wycombe" tickets for the Chiltern Railways route between Birmingham and London that are considerably cheaper than "Route: Any Permitted" tickets, valid on the faster Avanti West Coast service to London Euston as well a number of other operators and routes.

FactSnippet No. 941,013
12.

Chiltern Railways offers only standard class, not standard and First Class as on Avanti services.

FactSnippet No. 941,014
13.

However, Chiltern Railways does offer a premium economy "Business Zone" carriage on a small number of peak-time trains between Birmingham or Oxford and London.

FactSnippet No. 941,015
14.

Passengers pay an upgrade fee to sit in a larger first-class-style seat; and formerly, this upgrade came with complimentary refreshments but, since May 2017, refreshment services have been cut on all Chiltern Railways services, meaning the "Business Zone" no longer comes with complimentary refreshments.

FactSnippet No. 941,016
15.

Chiltern Railways's PPM is measured on stricter conditions than its long-distance rivals, such as Avanti West Coast, as Chiltern Railways has a five-minute window for performance while others have a ten-minute window.

FactSnippet No. 941,017
16.

Chiltern Railways inherited a fleet of 34 Class 165 Turbos diesel multiple units from British Rail.

FactSnippet No. 941,018
17.

In January 2008, Chiltern Railways ordered four two-coach Class 172 Turbostars; these entered service during June 2011.

FactSnippet No. 941,019
18.

Chiltern Railways took five of the First TransPennine Class 170s from May 2015 and the remaining four in July 2016.

FactSnippet No. 941,020
19.

In early 2014, Chiltern Railways agreed a sub-lease from Direct Rail Services for six Class 68 locomotives for use on its London Marylebone to Birmingham service to replace the existing fleet of Class 67s.

FactSnippet No. 941,021
20.

In July 2021, Chiltern Railways converted a single Class 168 unit into a Battery Hybrid train, referred to as "HybridFlex"; during February 2022, it was first run on services between London and Aylesbury.

FactSnippet No. 941,022
21.

Chiltern Railways promoted the HybridFlex as increasing acceleration while reducing fuel consumption, vibration, and noise emissions, along with lessening the environmental impact of rail travel.

FactSnippet No. 941,023