Following on from the thread on how it is decided which train operator manages a station on the present day rail network at https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...d-is-there-any-benefit-in-it-for-them.246803/ I wondered how it was decided which of British Rail's three passenger sectors (Intercity, Network SouthEast or Provincial Services/Regional Railways) managed a station, and when did BR first start designating stations in this way?
As I recall at least in the last few years of BR in the late 1980s and early '90s every station was managed by one of the three sectors, and each station had the standard branding and signage of whichever sector was managing it. All stations in the NSE area were managed by NSE except maybe the London termini that were mainly served by IC. I think NSE signage and branding started to appear at stations earlier than IC or RR branding, though.
I presume it was usually whichever sector was the biggest user (or the sole user) of that station, but in some cases it seemed somewhat arbitrary.
For example, on the Midland Main Line if I remember rightly Leicester, Derby, Chesterfield and Sheffield were Intercity stations and Loughborough and Nottingham were Regional Railways stations. Nottingham was served predominantly by RR trains with the (as I recall) hourly IC service to St Pancras being the only IC presence there, and Loughborough was mainly served by the St Pancras-Nottingham and by RR services but some St Pancras-Sheffields also called there. Likewise Leicester, Derby and Chesterfield were dominated by IC services (including Cross-Countrys in the case of Derby and Chesterfield) but RR also had a significant presence there. Likewise Sheffield had both Midland Main Line and XC IC services but also had a lot of RR trains.
I would guess that if a station was deemed to have a significant IC presence it would often be managed by IC whether IC or RR was the biggest user.
As I recall at least in the last few years of BR in the late 1980s and early '90s every station was managed by one of the three sectors, and each station had the standard branding and signage of whichever sector was managing it. All stations in the NSE area were managed by NSE except maybe the London termini that were mainly served by IC. I think NSE signage and branding started to appear at stations earlier than IC or RR branding, though.
I presume it was usually whichever sector was the biggest user (or the sole user) of that station, but in some cases it seemed somewhat arbitrary.
For example, on the Midland Main Line if I remember rightly Leicester, Derby, Chesterfield and Sheffield were Intercity stations and Loughborough and Nottingham were Regional Railways stations. Nottingham was served predominantly by RR trains with the (as I recall) hourly IC service to St Pancras being the only IC presence there, and Loughborough was mainly served by the St Pancras-Nottingham and by RR services but some St Pancras-Sheffields also called there. Likewise Leicester, Derby and Chesterfield were dominated by IC services (including Cross-Countrys in the case of Derby and Chesterfield) but RR also had a significant presence there. Likewise Sheffield had both Midland Main Line and XC IC services but also had a lot of RR trains.
I would guess that if a station was deemed to have a significant IC presence it would often be managed by IC whether IC or RR was the biggest user.
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