New fleets will transform UK passenger railways…

THERE are currently more than 800 new passenger vehicles undergoing various testing and commissioning in the UK, as new trains continue to be delivered to operators.

These represent 16 different train types, with the biggest single order for Transport for London Class 345s. Thirty-five electric multiple units (34 nine-car trains and one seven-car set) are undergoing various tests.

The newest designs delivered are the Class 710s for London Overground and the ‘717s’ for Govia Thameslink Railway. As this issue of RAIL went to press, neither dual-voltage electric multiple unit had yet ventured onto the main line under their own power. Both fleets are due in traffic this autumn.

Fleets due to enter traffic before the end of the year are: Mk 5s with Caledonian Sleeper (built by CAF); Mk 5As with TransPennine Express (CAF); Class 195s with Northern (CAF); ‘331s’ with Northern (CAF); ‘710s’ with London Overground (Bombardier); ‘717s’ on GTR’s Great Northern services (Siemens); ‘800s’ and ‘801s’ with LNER (Hitachi); and ‘802s’ with Great Western Railway (Hitachi).

They will follow Hitachi-built Class 385s that have finally entered traffic with ScotRail, some seven months late ( RAIL 858).

More new trains are due for delivery before the end of the year, with CAF Class 331 EMUs, CAF Class 397 EMUs, Bombardier Class 720 EMUs, Stadler Class 745 EMUs and ‘755’ bi-mode units due for delivery before the end of the year. Northern will put ‘331s’ into service in December.

At Newton Aycliffe, Hitachi Rail Europe has begun assembling Class 800 Azumas for LNER, with

nine-car 800102 the first bi-mode seen at the site ( RAIL 858).

A further 2,407 are under various stages of construction in the UK and abroad, and will be delivered by mid-2020.

Work on the first Class 777s for Merseyrail begins this autumn, while Bombardier will begin building Class 701 EMUs for South Western Railway when the final ‘345’ is finished.

PHILIP D HAWKINS. Great Western Railway 802001 and 802002 pass Dawlish on June 29, with the 0939 Laira-London Paddington crew training trip. The Class 802s will enter traffic this summer on this route. So far, 12 five-car sets and one nine-car set are in the UK, with the remaining ten five-cars and 13 nine-cars being constructed by Hitachi in Pistoia (Italy).

STEVE WIDDOWSON. On July 17, five more Mk 5As were delivered to Manchester Longsight for testing and commissioning. This takes the number of CAF-built coaches for TransPennine Express in the UK to 20, from an order of 66. With Rail Operations Group 47813 leading 47812, the coaches (Trailer First 11504, Trailer Standards 12710-12712 and Driving Trailer Standard 12804) pass Stoke Weeks Junction (near Bromsgrove) on their way from Portbury Docks.