New trains
Rail Delivery Group looks forward to a bumper year for new trains… but six operators have been affected by delays.
Eleven operators will introduce new trains this year, according to the Rail Delivery Group (RDG).
It highlights that Caledonian Sleeper, Govia Thameslink Railway, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, Hull Trains, London North Eastern Railway, London Overground, Northern, ScotRail, South Western Railway and TransPennine Express will all introduce new vehicles this year. However, it failed to mention that of those 11, six operators had been due to put the new trains into traffic last year.
RDG also reported that ‘refurbished-like-new’ trains were also being introduced. Again, some of these are late, including Porterbrook’s Class 769 FLEX units and ScotRail’s Inter7City High Speed Trains.
CS, GTR, LNER, LO, Northern and TPE should have all brought new fleets into service from last year. Spanish manufacturer CAF built Caledonian Sleeper Mk 5 Sleeper and TPE Mk 5A stock that should have entered traffic in the autumn, while the Spanish company is also delivering Northern’s Class 195 diesel multiple units, the first three of which should have been in traffic by the end of last year.
Meanwhile, GTR delayed the introduction of its Class 717 fleet from Siemens in order to get the similar ‘700s’ operating reliably on an improved timetable.
The Office of Rail and Road and manufacturer Hitachi both confirmed that work is ongoing surrounding the inter-car cable problem that has so far prevented the introduction of Class 800/801 Azumas on the East Coast Main Line, while London Overground’s Class 710 Aventra fleet (built by Bombardier) is heavily delayed due to various problems relating to Traffic Management Systems.
The ScotRail fleet was also delayed, with the first Class 385s due to have entered traffic in 2017.
Announcing the new vehicles, RDG Chief Executive Paul Plummer said: “Passengers across Britain will be able to feel the investment being delivered by rail companies as hundreds of new carriages start running, with more seats, wireless internet and air-conditioning.
“These new and refurbishedlike-new carriages will help rail companies to deliver on their commitment to run at least 6,400 extra services a week, supporting communities and businesses in every corner of the country.”
Mike Cherry, national chairman at the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “In the 21st century you should be able to run your business from a train. As well as ensuring rail services are reliable and wellmaintained, providing decent WiFi connections and proper power points is going to be crucial for a modern business that relies on travel.”
RDG highlighted that 7,000 new vehicles are being introduced up to 2021, with £13.8 billion being invested by the private sector. It said the introduction of these trains means “the retirement of some of the oldest trains on the network, first introduced by British Rail in the 1970s”.
While that is the case for GTR’s ‘313’ fleet, HSTs dating from the late 1970s and Merseyrail’s ‘507/508’ fleets will also continue in service, as will SWR’s 1938-built former Tube stock on the Isle of Wight.