TPE accepts final CAF train – and completes new train programme
TRANSPENNINE Express accepted its final new train on June 16, as the last of the ‘Nova 3’ CAF Mk5a sets joined the fleet. The sets have been commissioned at the former Manchester International Depot, built for the aborted Regional Eurostar project and used for the acceptance of several train fleets. The handover marks the end of the programme to change the make-up of the TPE fleet, first announced when the new franchise began in 2016 with a focus on long-distance services. The delayed entry into service of the CAF Mk5a will be sped up with full fleet operation expected by May 2022. Currently the sets are restricted to three diagrams between York and Scarborough other than moves across the Pennines for servicing and to rotate the stock.
Changes
Whilst this marks the conclusion of a long drawn-out project, significantly affected by Covid-19, TPE continues to work on plans for the train fleet, particularly in the light of the announced changes to its service pattern which will see the cessation of services between Newcastle and Edinburgh from the end of 2021 and other changes in May 2022. Some of these changes are part of an industry plan to relieve congestion on the Castlefield corridor, Manchester. Following feedback from residents in Scarborough, who objected to the noise of the Class 68 locomotives when stabled overnight at the new £7m depot in the town behind Seamer Road, TPE is now re-evaluating the use of the Nova 3 fleet in particular. The Caterpillar C175-16 power units are slightly noisier as a result of European Stage IIIA emission requirements, but also become significantly louder when the trains’ ETS is enabled due to the idle speed change. Options being explored are understood to include replacement of early morning and late evening services with Class 185 units and the use of the Nova 3 sets on some services from Manchester Airport to Redcar and to Saltburn from May 2022 if an application to run the extra four miles to the end of the line is accepted. A test run of a Nova 3 set to Saltburn operated on June 17 as part of the approval process.
Electrification
With an eye to the future and the possibility, at last, of further electrification over the Pennines, the replacement of the Class 68 diesel locomotives with electric traction is also being evaluated. A TPE source told The RM: “Now we know that the future is not diesel we need to look at whether we redeploy the fleet, in the medium term, onto other routes or we need to look at alternative traction solutions that align with the route upgrade’s objectives. Is there an option in the longer term with electric locomotives and wiring, or are there diesel lines of route we could use them on given we’ve already got the operating capability?” Equally TPE is assessing whether use can be made of any of the 15 Class 185 sets due to go off lease at the end of 2021. With the loss of services north of Newcastle, TPE will also find its fleet of Class 802 Nova 1 bi-mode trains under-utilised and new managing director Mathew Golton has outlined his view that new journey opportunities should be identified for these units. In common with all the Hitachi Class 80x fleets, the 19 trains will need to go through a modification programme to deal with the cracking issues already identified at GWR and LNER.