Old and new traction debuts on Welsh Valley Lines
saw the debut of two train types on the Valley Lines out of Cardiff.
Firstly, on the night of January 11/12, a visit by Network Rail’s PLPR (Plain Line Pattern Recognition) test train brought 73951 Malcolm Brinded and 73952 Janis Kong to the area, rather than the Class 37s that are normally employed on the monthly infrastructure monitoring train. It is believed that this is the first time Class 73s have worked on the Cardiff Valley routes.
The PLPR test train has a series of lasers and cameras to detect faulty track components as the train passes over them.
Image analysis software uses an algorithm to compare what the cameras see with an image of how the track should look.
Three days later it was the turn of 231002, one of Transport for Wales recently delivered Stadler-built FLIRT diesel-electric multiple units, to make its debut on a test run from Cardiff Central to Rhymney as part of the testing and commissioning works on the new trains.
Two four-coach Class 231s – 231002 and 231004 – were delivered to Cardiff Canton on November 19, having travelled from Switzerland, and are the first of 11 Class 231 being built by Stadler for TFW. Stadler is building 24 Class 756 tri-mode trains (seven three-coach trains and 17 fourcoach) as part of an £800 million new train order for the operator, which will also see a fleet of Caf-built Class 197s introduced on long-distance services. Vivarail is supplying five Class 230 units for the Wrexham to Bidston line.