Dawn of a new era as Alstom Class 730s enter service for West Midlands Railway
Railway launched the first of its 48-strong Alstom Class 730/0 Aventra three-coach electric multiple units into service between Wolverhampton and Walsall on February 13.
The operator is preparing for the new trains to replace Class 350s and 323 EMU fleets currently in use on the WMR network, and West Midlands Mayor Andy Street described them as ‘beautiful’ at a preview event a few days ahead of their public launch. The first Class 730/0 to carry passengers in the region was the 22.41 departure from Birmingham New Street to Wolverhampton on February 12, with 730018 being utilised as a positioning move to get the Aventra into place for its use on the Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Walsall route the following morning. Initially, one train will be in use on a full day’s diagram on the route, with more Class 730s expected to enter service over the coming weeks. WMR Class 730/0s previously entered service with sister company London Northwestern Railway out of London Euston in November last year, in order to allow the remaining LNR Class 319s to be withdrawn. However, the WMR trains will be replaced next winter, when LNR’S fleet of 36 five-coach Class 730/2s enter traffic between Liverpool, the West Midlands, and London.
The operator will eventually have 48 of the three-coach trains in service, which are set to replace the Class 350/2s currently in use on the Walsall to Wolverhampton route, while the Class 323 fleet currently in use on the Cross City line, connecting Lichfield, Birmingham, Redditch and Bromsgrove, are also due to be replaced in the spring. The majority of the displaced WMR Class 323s are to be cascaded to Northern, with 323208/212/220 having already moved across to their new operator. The movement of these three trains has created a temporary shortage of trains for the Cross City route, with one of the daily diagrams reduced to the operation of a single Class 323 and the remainder of the diagrams worked by pairs of Class 323s. The Class 350s displaced by the new trains do not currently have a future operator identified for them. WMR managing director Ian Mcconnell said: “These modern electric trains represent a huge upgrade to the experience of travelling by train in the West Midlands.
“Not only are the Class 730s physically longer than the trains they replace, meaning they can carry more people, the carriage interiors have been designed in a metro-style to maximise space.
“With modern features such as digital information screens, power points at every seat and accessible toilets, I am certain they will prove popular, and our teams are looking forward to welcoming customers on board.” The Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, said: “It’s good news that we are seeing this £700 million investment by West Midlands Trains continuing as we work together to make our rail network fit for the future.
“These new trains will make a real difference to passengers right across our region, boosting capacity on some of our busiest routes.
“With new stations under construction and the recent announcement that Pay As You Go technology is coming down the track, the future is looking bright for rail travel in the West Midlands.”
A preview event to showcase the new trains was held by WMR on February 8 for invited guests, with 730018 making a return journey between Wolverhampton and Walsall. The Class 730s are part of a £700 million investment in new train fleets for the West Midlands, featuring a number of passenger and capacity benefits that are currently not available on the fleets they are set to replace.
The trains feature accessible toilets, spacious facilities for wheelchair users, bicycle storage facilities, digital information screens, air conditioning, underfloor heating, and power points at every seat. The seating is provided in a two-by-two arrangement, with a mixture of airline-style seating and table bays.