First six coaches from EMR HSTs sent for scrapping

SCRAPPING has begun of East Midlands Railways’ original High Speed Train fleet.

However, the COVID-19 outbreak has led to a delay in their replacements (cascaded HSTs from LNER).

The first six coaches from

EMR set NL06 were taken to C F Booth’s, Rotherham, for scrapping on April 2. The coaches moved were Trailer First (TF) 41156, Trailer Standard (TS) 42131-133, 42331 and Trailer Guard Standard (TGS) 44046.

The previous day, the first EMR power cars (43052 and 43066) had left Neville Hill for storage at Long Marston.

On April 7, an EMR spokesman told RAIL regarding the former LNER sets: “We are awaiting clarity from the industry over the timescales for the reduced timetable and when we think things will return to normal. Once this is understood then we will be able to understand where the red HSTs sit in the broader mix.” (The cascaded sets have been branded ‘red trains’ as they will be keeping their LNER livery.)

Coaches remaining from the scrapped NL06 set at Neville Hill were Trailer Kitchen Buffet First (TKFB) 40746 and TF 41041. They have been joined by set NL07, which has also been withdrawn and formed of TFKB 40754, TF 41070, 41111, TS 42135-137, 42339 and TGS 44044.

The start of scrapping marks the conclusion of an almost threeyear saga regarding their future, after then-Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling cancelled Midland Main Line electrification north of Kettering in July 2017.

That decision, combined with the announcement that a fleet of bi-mode trains would enter traffic in 2022, suggested a potential two-year shortfall regarding what trains would operate express services on the MML.

This was because owner Porterbrook was planning to withdraw the HSTs by December 31 2019, owing to their not complying with accessibility regulations. And when Grayling cancelled electrification, it was too late to have the vehicles modified to cover the two-year gap unless Porterbrook spent £50 million ( RAIL 850). Other stop-gap suggestions, such as Mk 4s hauled by HST power cars, were put forward but rejected.

Eventually, the Department for Transport agreed that the existing Porterbrook HSTs, which still feature original IC70 interiors, could have dispensation to continue running until July 31 this year, but that they would be replaced by nine shortened HSTs cascaded from LNER (six owned by Angel Trains, and three by Porterbrook).

However, the latter have yet to enter traffic, although with EMR operating an hourly service from London-Sheffield and LondonNottingham, the additional

HSTs are not currently needed.

@Richard_rail