Passenger milestone recorded on Northern’s new CAF trains

More than two million passenger journeys have been made on Northern’s CAF trains since the first units entered traffic on July 1.

As this issue of RAIL went to press, 33 of the 101 trains were in traffic. More were due into service as crews completed their training, and the trains completed fault-free running trials.

“Our network is busier than it has been for a generation, with more than 100 million passenger journeys set to be made across the franchise this year.

“To meet this demand, we are delivering 101 new trains,” said Northern Managing Director David Brown.

The final diesel multiple unit, delivered from Irun (Spain), has arrived at Edge Hill depot for commissioning, with attention now turning to the trains being built at CAF’s Newport factory.

All the remaining Class 195

DMUs will be built in South Wales, while the ‘331s’ that are still to come will be finished in Zaragoza (Spain). Northern says the entire fleet should be rolled out by May 2020, at which point they will serve 154 stations.

Also at the CAF plant in Wales are the first vehicles for West Midlands Railway’s Class 196

Civity order. There are 12 two-car and 14 four-car DMUs on order, with delivery and entry into traffic planned for next year. So far, four vehicles are at the facility.

CAF is also planning to have its Welsh factory connected to the national network, using the link to the Llanwern steelworks. This will enable trains to be moved by rail, rather than by road at present.

STUART HOOD. Driving vehicles from Northern Class 195/0s stand outside the CAF factory at Newport on October 12. The Spanish manufacturer is building 101 trains for Northern.

STUART HOOD. A West Midlands Railway Class 196 driving vehicle stands alongside a similar vehicle from a Northern ‘195’ at the CAF factory in Newport on October 12. CAF has a deal to build 80 diesel multiple units for WMR, with the first four now at the Welsh site.

STUART HOOD. Five Northern Class 195/0s stand inside the CAF factory at Newport on October 12. There are 25 of these DMUs on order, 19 of which will have been assembled at the site.