20 ‘hybrid’ Class 195s for Northern
to order a further 20 Class 195s to bolster its fleet. Unlike the 58 diesel multiple units currently used by the operator, these new units will be hybrid trains, although the order notice, issued on December 17, makes no mention of what the alternative power will be. The Class 195 were built by CAF, and Northern’s existing fleet consists of 25 two-car (195001-025) and 33 threecar (195101-133) DMUS. The Spanish manufacturer already builds battery-powered trains and has recently acquired the Polyvalent platform from Alstom, which includes hydrogen, electric, and battery trains. CAF had also previously been linked with providing a battery-powered Class 331 EMU for Northern for use on the Windermere branch, but sources say that plan has now been dropped. The operator is currently looking for finance for the trains. The deadline for pre-qualification is February 14, with the Invitation to Negotiate to be issued by February 25. The bid submission deadline is March 28, although there is no date stated for when the order would be placed. CAF built the Class 195s in 20172019, and Northern said at the end of 2020 that it would prefer a standardised fleet of new trains rather than a mixture of old and new traction.
The Class 195s were built predominantly in Spain, although 195007-025, 195131-133 were assembled in CAF’S Newport factory in Wales.
That site is currently finishing the Class 196 DMU order for West Midlands Trains, and is also working on the Class 197 DMU order for Transport for Wales.
Both fleets are due to enter traffic this year.
As well as the Class 195s, Northern has 31 three-car and 12 four-car Class 331 electric multiple units also built by CAF. All the existing Class 195 and Class 331 fleets were funded by Eversholt Rail in a £500 million contract, signed after Arriva took over the Northern franchise in 2016.
The latest order notice has been issued by Northern Trains Limited, which is managed by Directly Operated Railways (DOR); Arriva was stripped of the Northern franchise in 2020.