Night Riviera

Night Riviera

Franchise(s)	Part of Great Western franchise
Main route(s)	London - Cornwall
Other route(s)	None
Fleet size	4 Class 57 locomotives 10 Mark 3 Sleeping carriages 8 Mark 3 Seating carriages
Stations called at	15
Parent company	First
Other
Website	www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Your-journey/On-board/Night-Riviera-Sleeper

The Night Riviera is a sleeper train service operated by First Great Western. It is one of only two remaining sleeper services on the railway in the United Kingdom (the other being the Caledonian Sleeper). It runs six nights a week (Sunday - Friday) between London Paddington and Penzance with one train in each direction.

History

The first sleeping car train on the Great Western Railway was introduced at the end of 1877 for a service from London Paddington station to Plymouth. This was provided with a 84 broad gauge carriages with two dormitories, one with seven gentlemen’s berths and the other with four ladies’ berths. These were replaced in 1881 by new carriages with six individual compartments.

An additional service was soon added from London to Penzance, which eventually became known as the Night Riviera. For example, in 1920 the two trains left London at 22:00 for Penzance, and at midnight for Plymouth; by 1947 they had been brought forward to 21:50 and 23:50. Under British Railways sleeping cars were limited to just the Penzance service.

On 6 July 1978 the up train left Penzance at 21:30 but never reached London. Approaching Taunton early the next morning the emergency brake was activated and it came to a stand short of the station with one of the carriages on fire. This had been caused by dirty linen that had been placed near a heater. This had been a standard and safe practice when the train had been steam heated. This tragedy occurred very shortly after the train had switched to an electrical heating system. Twelve people died and thirteen people were injured. At this time the down train left London at 00:05.

On July 11 1983 the London - Penzance sleeper service was relaunched as the Night Riviera, designed to complement the long-established daytime Cornish Riviera. New Mark 3 air-conditioned sleeping cars were introduced on this service which incorporated many new safety features that had been lacking in the Mark 1 carriages that had caught fire at Taunton a few years before. These were the first on the route to feature controlled emission toilets and so discharge facilities had to be provided at Plymouth Laira and Penzance Long Rock depots where the carriages were serviced, although for a time being the carriages were taken from Paddington to Willesden Depot for discharging as Old Oak Common was not initially equipped. A new pricing scheme was also introduced. Instead of paying a sleeping berth supplement on top of the fare for the journey, all-inclusive fares were introduced that were set at competitive rates. The seating carriages that formed part of the train were mainly Mark 2 carriages. The train by now was again leaving London at midnight, actually shown in the timetables as 23:59.

First Great Western green fag packet livery, which was replaced in 2008.

Motive power continued to be provided by Class 47s.

Privatisation saw the service become part of the Great Western Trains franchise and the rolling stock was repainted into their green and white livery. Between 29 May 1995 and 26 September 1998 the service operated from London Waterloo. The business was sold in March 1998 and rebranded First Great Western. From 1999 Motorail carriages were conveyed on certain days, but there proved to be insufficient traffic and so this was withdrawn in 2005.

Following the franchise being re-tendered and retained by First Great Western, the service was revised in December 2006. The carriage that used to be detached at Plymouth was withdrawn as it typically only carried four passengers, the train still calls but passengers need to alight straight away rather than stay in their berths until ready to leave. The stop at Bristol Temple Meads was also withdrawn to introduce flexibility to divert the service during overnight engineering works. The Class 47s were replaced in 2004 by Class 57s. In 2006 former Virgin West Coast Mark 3 carriages replaced the Mark 2 carriages. The carriages were refurbished in 2008 and repainted into First's neon blue livery.

With the Great Western up for renewal in 2013, the service's future was confirmed by the Secretary of State for Transport in June 2012.

Current operations

Route

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† Limited or asymmetric service |} The westbound service operates with headcode 1C99, the return as 1A40.

Unlike the Caledonian Sleeper, the Night Riviera operates along a single route. From London Paddington, the train stops first at Reading then has a long run without advertised stops to Taunton. This allows it to use a variety of different routes depending on engineering work or other blockades each night:

• From Reading along the direct line through Westbury.
• From Reading along the Great Western Main Line and South Wales Main Line to Bristol and then down to Taunton.
• From Reading along the Great Western Railway to Chippenham then through Trowbridge to rejoin the usual route at Fairwood Junction, Westbury.
• Diverging at Heywood Road Junction, Westbury, to travel through Trowbridge to Bristol and then down to Taunton.

Up and Down services pass at Taunton

In exceptional circumstances it can be diverted between Castle Cary and Exeter St Davids via Yeovil Pen Mill, Yeovil Junction and Honiton. This means it cannot call at Taunton and has to reverse at Exeter.

It then continues to Exeter St Davids, Newton Abbot and Plymouth. The train then crosses into Cornwall and calls at Liskeard then most stations down the Cornish Main Line to the terminus at Penzance.

The 2009 timetable serves Totnes, Lostwithiel and Hayle in one direction only with no service stops at Par or Taunton for the eastbound train on Sunday night/Monday morning.

Sleeper passengers have the use of waiting facilities at Paddington that are usually reserved for First Class passengers.

Rolling stock

57605 and Night Riviera carriages at Penzance Long Rock Depot

The service is usually hauled by one of four dedicated Class 57 locomotives. These are rebuilt and re-engined Class 47s delivered in 2004. They follow the tradition of Great Western Railway 4073 Class steam locomotives that once worked the route by carrying the names of Castles in Devon and Cornwall:

• 57602 Restormel Castle (near Lostwithiel)
• 57603 Tintagel Castle (in North Cornwall)
• 57604 Pendennis Castle (near Falmouth)
• 57605 Totnes Castle (which overlooks Totnes station)

All carriges, both sleeping and seated carriages, are air-conditioned Mark 3s. Passengers pay standard fares with a supplementary charge for a sleeping berth (a single berth is more expensive per person than twin bunk berths).

• 
  Mark 3 Sleeper
• 
  Mark 3 Buffet
• 
  Mark 3 Tourist Standard Open
• 
  Mark 3 Brake First Open

External links

• Official website