London Overground Rail Operations
| Company type | Joint venture |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Fate | Franchise ended; succeeded by Arriva Rail London |
| Headquarters | London , United Kingdom |
Area served | Greater London |
| Owner | Arriva UK Trains and MTR Corporation (50/50 partnership) |
London Overground Rail Operations Limited was a train operating company entrusted with managing the London Overground services on the National Rail network under the supervision of Transport for London (TfL). The enterprise was equally owned by Arriva UK Trains and MTR Corporation in a 50/50 partnership.
History
On 20 February 2006, the Department for Transport declared that TfL would assume control of services previously run by Silverlink Metro. By June 2006, TfL had shortlisted contenders for the London Rail Concession, including Govia, a joint bid from MTR and the Laing Rail, National Express, and NedRail. In September 2006, TfL confirmed that the extended East London Line would be incorporated under the new London Overground brand.
In June 2007, the concession was awarded to MTR Laing by TfL, with operations commencing on 11 November 2007. The initial contract spanned six years and four months, featuring an option to extend by two years, which was subsequently activated to prolong the arrangement until 12 November 2016.
In December 2007, Henderson Group sold Laing Rail—co-owner of LOROL—to Deutsche Bahn in April 2008 for around €170 million. Following this acquisition, Laing Rail became part of DB Regio before being reorganized under Arriva UK Trains' management.
TfL issued a call for expressions of interest regarding the upcoming concession in April 2015. On 31 May 2015, LOROL expanded its service portfolio by assuming control of routes from Abellio Greater Anglia, including Liverpool Street to Enfield Town, Cheshunt via Seven Sisters, Chingford services, and Romford to Upminster.
By July 2015, TfL had shortlisted candidates for the subsequent concession: Arriva UK Trains, ComfortDelGro, a joint venture between Keolis and Go-Ahead, and MTR Corporation. In March 2016, Arriva Rail London secured the £1.5 billion contract starting on 13 November 2016.
Services
London Overground managed the following principal routes:
- East London line: connecting Highbury & Islington with West Croydon and Crystal Palace; as well as linking Dalston Junction to both New Cross and Clapham Junction
- Gospel Oak to Barking line: running between Gospel Oak and Barking
- North London line: from Richmond to Stratford
- Watford DC line: connecting Watford Junction with Euston
- West London line: between Clapham Junction and Willesden Junction
- South London line: linking Dalston Junction to Clapham Junction
- Lea Valley line: services from Liverpool Street to both Cheshunt and Enfield Town via Seven Sisters, as well as from Liverpool Street to Chingford through Clapton
- Romford–Upminster line: connecting Romford with Upminster
Rolling stock
At its inception, London Overground inherited a variety of trains from Silverlink, including Class 150 Sprinter diesel multiple units alongside Class 313 and Class 508 electric multiple units. These were gradually phased out between 2009 and 2011, replaced by modern Class 172 Turbostar DMUs and Class 378 Capitalstar EMUs.
When London Overground took control of the Lea Valley lines and the Romford–Upminster line in May 2015, it also incorporated Class 315 and Class 317 electric multiple units previously operated by Abellio Greater Anglia.
Current fleet
| Class | Image | Type | Quantity | Cars per trainset | Seating arrangement | Lines served | Year built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 172/0 Turbostar | DMU | 8 | 2 | 2+2 | Gospel Oak to Barking line | 2010 | |
| 315 | EMU | 19 | 4 | 2+3 | Lea Valley lines Romford–Upminster line |
1980–1981 | |
| 317/7 | 8 | 2+2 | Lea Valley lines | 1981–1982 | |||
| 317/8 | 6 | 2+3 | |||||
| 378/1 Capitalstar | 20 | 5 | Longitudinal seating | East London line South London line |
2008–2011 | ||
| 378/2 Capitalstar | 37 | "North London line" "West London line" "East London line" "South London line" "Watford DC line" |
Former fleet
| Class | Image | Type | Quantity | Cars per trainset | Seating arrangement | Lines served | Year built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150/1 Sprinter | DMU | 8 | 2 | 2+3 seating | Gospel Oak to Barking line | 1984–1987 | |
| 313/1 | EMU | 23 | 3 | North London line West London line Watford DC line |
1976–1977 | ||
| 321/4 | 2 | 4 cars per set | Romford–Upminster line | 1988–1990 | |||
| 508/3 | 3 | 3 cars per set | Watford DC line | 1979–1980 |
Depots
Maintenance for the London Overground rolling stock was carried out at depots located in New Cross and Willesden Traction Maintenance Depot#Willesden.