Pre Metro Operations
 | This article relies too much on references to primary sources. (December 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) |
.jpg) Class 139 at Stourbridge Junction in September 2019 | |
| Website | {{URL|example.com|optional display text}} |
|---|---|
Pre Metro Operations Ltd[1] is an open-access LRT train operating company in the United Kingdom, based in Stourbridge in the West Midlands. It was founded by Philip Evans 1999 and commenced operations in June 2009 following a trial operation on the Stourbridge branch line in 2005/06.
Pre Metro Operations operate services on the short Stourbridge Town Branch Line on behalf of the West Midlands rail franchise, using two Class 139 railcars. During the current West Midlands franchise period, which is scheduled to run until March 2026, the service is branded as a West Midlands Railway service, operated on behalf of franchise-holder West Midlands Trains. The service is referred to as the Stourbridge Shuttle.
Pre Metro Operations themselves are not subject to franchising as they are an open-access operator.
The company is involved with several planned light rail projects currently seeking approval. The most popular proposed route would see a light rail vehicle introduced between heavy rail operations on the line between Stourbridge Junction, Brierley Hill, and Waterfront. This proposal is featured in Andy Street's twenty-year West Midland's Metro and Rail plan among many others.
History[edit]
Pre Metro Operations was formed in 1999 as an independent train operating company, with the intention of running services on short branch lines across the UK using railcars built by Parry People Movers.[2] The company received depot and operating licences from the ORR. This initiative followed a period where no other rail or tramway operator was prepared to undertake the Stourbridge operation. The company is now looking to expand its operations elsewhere in the UK and is not tied to any one vehicle manufacturer.
Between 2005 and 2006, a prototype Parry People Movers railcar, 999900, entered service on the Stourbridge Town Branch Line in order to test the viability of using PPMs on branch lines. Subsequently, it was decided to make the trial permanent. Two Class 139 railcars were constructed in 2008, and Pre Metro Operations used these to take over full operation of the line from London Midland in June 2009.[2]
The operation introduced was a Very Light Rail (VLR) service; meaning it uses light-weight, energy-efficient rail vehicles that offer low manufacturing and operational costs.
From the introduction of the service in June 2009 until the franchise changed hands on 10 December 2017, the service was branded as the London Midland Stourbridge Shuttle operated on behalf of franchise holder London Midland, with units painted in their standard green, white and grey colours with an interior to match.
The service is now simply referred to as the Stourbridge Shuttle, and is branded as a West Midlands Railway service featuring the company standard purple and yellow colours. The interior of the vehicles were also refurbished.
In 2021, the company launched rebranded in an exercise which saw several changes to their colour scheme, logo, website, and social media accounts.
The Stourbridge Shuttle[edit]
Pre Metro Operations currently operate one route, the Stourbridge Town Branch Line between Stourbridge Junction and Stourbridge Town.
From Monday to Saturday there are six trains per hour in both directions, with services running every ten minutes using a single Class 139 railcar, with the second Class 139 as a spare. An end-to-end journey on the branch line takes three minutes. Weekday services commence at around 0600 and draw to a close shortly after midnight, with Saturday services starting later and ending earlier.
On Sundays, there are four trains per hour operating every fifteen minutes in both directions, with services commencing around 1000 and ending around 2000.
In 2018, the Shuttle had been established as a vital service for the community and Pre Metro Operations celebrated the Shuttle's 5 millionth passenger.
The Stourbridge Shuttle remains to be one of the most frequent and reliable light rail services in the West Midlands that has become popular within Stourbridge and on social media. Despite being on one of the shortest branch-line's in Europe (3/4 mile long), the Shuttle has travelled more than 25,000 miles. The equivalent to just more than one lap of the Earth (24,901 miles).
In light of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the capacity of the Shuttle was capped at 25%, and service frequency was reduced to accommodate for the introduction of cleaning cycles to protect passengers from the virus. Currently, the service is still running at limited capacity.
Performance[edit]
Performance statistics for Pre Metro Operations are not officially released by the Office for Rail Regulation, being included in the total for West Midlands Trains. However, self-published data shows that Pre Metro Operations have a consistently high Public Performance Measure (PPM) that, since records began in 2011, has never fallen below 97.7%.[3] Pre Metro Operations are the only existing train operating company ever to achieve a PPM score of 100.0%, having done so on fourteen separate occasions.[4][3] As of February 2016, Pre Metro Operations' PPM score was 99.54%.[3] If included in the ORR data, this would make Pre Metro Operations the most reliable train operating company in the United Kingdom in terms of PPM, as of 2015/16 Period 13.[4]
To date, Pre Metro Operations still perform incredibly highly, averaging a 99.4% PPM between 2020/21.
Awards[edit]
Pre Metro is the only award-winning VLR operator in the UK, having won the 2016 and 2017 "Highly Commended" at the Global Light Rail Conferences hosted by Mainspring.
They were also awarded the "Most Innovative Light Rail Service in the West Midlands" in the 2017 Transport News Logistics, Warehouse, and Supply awards.
The company most recently won "Best Light Rail Service" at the Business Insight Awards in 2018.
Rolling stock[edit]
The Pre Metro Operations fleet consists of two Class 139 railcars manufactured by Parry People Movers, numbered 139001 and 139002. During normal service, one railcar is used per day, with the other as a spare or undergoing maintenance.
The railcars are maintained at a small purpose-built depot at Stourbridge Junction.
| Class | Image | Type | Top Speed | Number | Routes Operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||
| 139 Parry People Mover |
|
Railcar | 40 | 64 | 2 | Stourbridge Town Branch Line | 2008 |
References[edit]
This article "Pre Metro Operations" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Pre Metro Operations. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
