Private company

Wessex Trains

British train operating company, 2001-2006

Wessex Trains was a British train operating company owned by National Express that operated the Wessex Trains franchise from October 2001 until March 2006, when the franchise was merged with the Great Western and Thames Trains franchises to form the Greater Western franchise.2 It is part of Mobico Group.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 20, 2026.

Overview

2001Founded1
  • HeadquartersExeter1

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Wessex Alphaline 158863
Photo: Thryduulf, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons4

Wessex Trains was a British train operating company owned by National Express that operated the Wessex Trains franchise from October 2001 until March 2006, when the franchise was merged with the Great Western and Thames Trains franchises to form the Greater Western franchise.2

Corporate structure

Wessex Trains is part of a group headed by Mobico Group. 38 entities, 8 countries on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0). Each entity in the chart links to its source.

The story

In October 1996, Wales & West commenced operating the South West & Wales franchise in Wales and the West Country. It also operated services to Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Birmingham International, Southampton Central, Brighton and London Waterloo.

In 2001 the Strategic Rail Authority decided to re-organise the Valley Lines and Wales & West franchises, both being operated by National Express. Wales & West became Wessex Trains from October 2001.

Wessex Trains retained the West Country services with the Welsh services transferred to Wales & Borders although Wessex Trains operated services to Cardiff.

From Wikipedia’s article on Wessex Trains, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Products and brands

Wessex Trains ran the majority of local trains in the South West as seen in their route map, including retaining the Alphaline branding.

Services ran from Great Malvern and Cardiff to Brighton, Portsmouth, Weymouth and Penzance and on these secondary lines:

Atlantic Coast Line (Par – Newquay)

Avocet Line (Exeter – Exmouth)

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Golden Valley Line (Swindon – Gloucester)

Heart of Wessex Line (Westbury – Weymouth)

Looe Valley Line (Liskeard – Looe)

Maritime Line (Truro – Falmouth)

Riviera Line (Exeter – Paignton)

Severn Beach Line (Bristol – Avonmouth – Severn Beach)

St Ives Bay Line (St Erth – St Ives)

Tamar Valley Line (Plymouth – Gunnislake)

Tarka Line (Exeter – Barnstaple)

From Wikipedia’s article on Wessex Trains, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Subsidiaries and ownership

Parent company

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. 2006Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 2001Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
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  4. 4