Vivarail prototype in main line operation this summer
VIVARAIL has confirmed to RAIL that its prototype D-Train 230001 will resume main line testing on the Cotswold Line in May, in order to achieve the safety certification required before its entry into passenger service.
The news follows the completion of repairs to the three-car diesel electric multiple unit (DEMU). A fire broke out in one of its detachable engine units during testing on December 30 2016, forcing staff to evacuate the train near Kenilworth and the cancellation of a scheduled eight-month trial with London Midland ( RAIL 818).
Vivarail quickly established the cause of the fire as an oil leak, and has subsequently made several design changes to the former London Underground D78 vehicles at the company’s Long Marston base. An internal investigation identified other design flaws, such as the train’s on-board fire suppression system, which has also been modified.
Meanwhile, Vivarail says it has carefully reviewed its supply chain and testing procedures, to further eliminate the risk of a repeat incident.
Production facilities are currently being upgraded at Long Marston in order to fulfil confirmed and expected orders for D-Trains, which will be available in diesel, electric, battery-powered or hybrid variants.
Vivarail Chairman Adrian Shooter said he could not disclose any information on the nature of either agreed or potential orders, due to confidentiality clauses, but confirmed that 230001 would be in main line operation by the summer.
He also confirmed to RAIL that the first production train will then be ready by November, marking the start of full-scale production at a rate of two trains a month.
“The train [230001] has been repaired and re-liveried, and we’ve been right through the engine to rectify the cause of the fire,” he said.
“It will stay here for testing until late April, and then go back on the main line in May, which will probably be the Cotswolds Line at night.
“Our customers have stood by us, and have said ‘we appreciate it was a demo vehicle [that caught fire], and we applaud your transparency and honesty’. We’ve also been speaking to a lot of people about forthcoming franchises, which Department for Transport rules state I can’t talk about.
“I am able to say that the public will have an opportunity to ride the D-Train in the summer, though, which we will let everyone know about in due course.”
Preliminary testing of Vivarail’s battery-powered single-car demonstration vehicle also continues on the 1.86-mile test track at Long Marston, so that engineers can gather range and performance data ( RAIL 823). @paul_rail
In RAIL 825 we report exclusively from Long Marston, where RAIL’s Paul Stephen became the first journalist to test ride the battery train.