Mk5s arrive in UK
The first five brand new Caledonian Sleeper coaches arrive in Scotland, with testing immediately under way.
TWO rakes of 16 Mk 5s are expected to enter traffic with Caledonian Sleeper in October, CS Production and Safety Director David Simpson told RAIL on January 23. They will initially be used on the ‘Lowlander’ trains between Glasgow Central/ Edinburgh Waverley and London Euston.
Simpson was speaking a week after the first five CAF Mk 5s arrived in the UK. These are the first locomotive-hauled coaches built for this country since the final Mk 4s were delivered in 1992, and the first Sleeper coaches to be introduced into the UK since the Mk 3s in 1984.
Static testing has been carried out on the first five coaches, which arrived in the UK on January 15 and were then taken to Polmadie the following day. Seventy-five are on order - the remaining 70 will be delivered by ship to Teesport and moved by rail to Polmadie, where they will be commissioned in the Polmadie Downside sidings.
The carriages delivered are seated cars 15001/002, club car 15101 and Standard Sleeper cars 15301/302. The Mk 5s on order are 15001-15011 (seated cars), 15101-15110 (club cars), 1520115214 (Sleeper cars for Persons with Reduced Mobility Technical Specification for Interoperability), and 15301-15340 (Standard Sleeper cars).
CS explained that on the 40 153xx coaches each will have ten berths, of which six will be en suite. The 14 152xx coaches will have two accessible berths and six other berths, including double en suite facilities. The 150xx coaches will have 31 seats while the 151xx coaches will include a galley.
CAF is building the stock in its factories in Beasain and Irun, both in northern Spain. The first five have been tested at the Velim test track in the Czech Republic.
Simpson told RAIL that various problems had been identified with the coaches at the test facility. While these have been rectified, he said it makes sense for them to be introduced into traffic in October after the summer, which is Caledonian Sleeper’s busiest period.
He said that currently the stock is still CAF’s, and that for the
next few weeks the coaches will undergo static tests and further inspections by the manufacturer, before CS and GB Railfreight begin their testing.
Simpson said that a Class 73 was coupled to the five coaches on January 18 to check couplings, air systems and electrical systems, and that the test went well. A Class 92 will be tested in similar fashion - this will likely be 92038, which is the first to be fitted with the Dellner needed to couple to the Mk 5s.
Dynamic testing will take place both on the West Coast Main Line and the West Highland Line, Simpson told RAIL. He said WCML testing would begin at the end of March, using a combination of the five coaches already in the UK, along with sets of eight and eventually 16.
Paths have been booked for the tests to run as far south as Lancaster and Carnforth, while there are also paths for the Mk 5s to run as far along the WHL as Crianlarich.
Because the Mk 5s will be certified for 110mph running during the testing programme, CS confirmed that a Class 90 will be used, along with existing CS Mk 3s that will be used as barrier vehicles.
Simpson added that the new stock would be introduced onto the ‘Highlander’ Sleeper to Aberdeen/Fort William/Inverness from next spring.
Testing must also be carried out across all routes via which Sleepers are usually diverted. This includes the East Coast Main Line, the Joint Line via Spalding, via Northampton and Birmingham, and the Glasgow & South Western route via Dumfries.
Simpson also confirmed more coaches have left Irun bound for the UK, while RAIL sources have confirmed that the first accessible Sleepers have left Spain.