ORR authorises GA Class 720/5s to carry passengers
Introduction of Greater Anglia’s heavily delayed Class 720 Aventras received a major boost on June 8, when the Office of Rail and Road formally approved their use - albeit with caveats.
GA ordered 111 electric multiple units from Bombardier after
Abellio was awarded the nine-year franchise in 2016 ( RAIL 807).
The first of the EMUs was due to begin main line testing in January 2019, followed by the first passenger introduction in March that year. All 111 trains (89 five-car and 22 ten-car sets) were due in traffic by now, but so far none has carried a fare-paying passenger.
They have been delayed by problems with the Train Control
Management System (TCMS), which has also affected other Aventra orders.
So far, only the five-car Class 720/5s have received approval for passenger use, but they cannot yet run as ten-car formations. ORR also stated that the Guard Door Controls in the saloon adjacent to passenger doors (to control the passenger doors) are to be locked out of use.
GA spokeswoman Lucy Wright told RAIL that the trains are set to enter traffic later this year. However, no specific date has been announced, nor which route they will run on first. RAIL understands that driver training has been hampered by the need for social distancing, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
So far, five have been used for testing and crew training on the GA network (720509/511/515/ 517/536), while a further 19 are in warm storage at Worksop (720505-507/510/512/519/520/ 522-530/532/533/535). A further three are at Old Dalby (720501/503/508). No ten-car ‘720/1’ has been released.
It is hoped that testing the
EMUs on the West Coast Main Line will help speed up their introduction.
While undergoing fault-free running on the WCML, the ‘720s’ will be based at Wolverton Works. The first sets for this testing will move straight from the factory, while those at Worksop will return to Derby for internal fittingout before being dispatched to Wolverton.
Once WCML testing is complete, each ‘720’ will move to Ilford to begin the next phase of testing and staff training, before entering service.
GA plans to use the ‘720s’ on almost all routes from London Liverpool Street, including to Kings Lynn, Cambridge, Southend Victoria, Clacton-onSea and Walton-on-the-Naze, Harwich Town and Ipswich. They will also run through to Norwich on select services.
The Aventras are replacing GA’s entire Class 317, ‘321’ and ‘360’ fleets, as well as West Anglia Main Line duties covered by Class 379s (not including Stansted Express, which will use 12-car Stadler Class 745/1s).