Today, 10th December 2017 sees the start of a new West Midlands franchise.
Taking over from Govia's London Midland is
West Midlands Trains, operated by a consortium of Dutch company Abellio (70%), and Japanese companies JR East (15%) and Mitsui (15%).
The new operator will run services under two brands - West Midland Railway and London Northwestern Railway.
https://westmidlandsrailway.co.ukhttps://londonnorthwesternrailway.co.ukServices wholly within the West Midlands area will be overseen by a partnership of 16 local authorities know as
West Midlands Rail, although the
DfT» will still have input. The rest of the franchise remains wholly under the auspices of the DfT.