British Rail Class 397
| British Rail Class 397 Civity | |
|---|---|
 Class 397 at Wigan North Western in April 2019 | |
 Standard-class interior of a Class 397 unit | |
| Stock type | Electric multiple unit |
| In service | 30 November 2019 – present |
| Manufacturer | CAF |
| Built at | Beasain, Spain[1] |
| Family name | Civity |
| Replaced | Class 350/4 |
| Constructed | 2017–2019 |
| Number built | 12 |
| Number in service | 12 |
| Formation | 5 cars per unit: DMFLW-PTS1-MSL-PTS2-DMSL |
| Fleet numbers | 397001–397012 |
| Capacity | 286 seats (22 first-class, 264 standard)[2] |
| Owners | Eversholt Rail Group |
| Operators |
|
| Depots | |
| Lines served | West Coast Main Line |
| Specifications | |
| Train length | 118 m (387 ft 2 in)[3] |
| Car length |
|
| Doors | Single-leaf sliding plug (2 per side per car) |
| Maximum speed | 125 mph (200 km/h) |
| Traction system | CAF Power AC IGBT-VVVF |
| Acceleration | 0.92 m/s2 (3.0 ft/s2) |
| Electric system(s) | 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead |
| Current collector(s) | Pantograph |
| Braking system(s) | Electro-pneumatic (disc) and regenerative |
| Safety system(s) | |
| Coupling system | Dellner |
| Multiple working | Within class, but not yet authorised[note 1] |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Notes/references | |
| Sourced from [5] unless otherwise noted. | |
The British Rail Class 397 Civity[6] is a class of electric multiple unit built by Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF for lease to TransPennine Express by Eversholt Rail Group.[7] A total of twelve five-car units were built to operate services on TransPennine North West services between Liverpool Lime Street/Manchester Airport and Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central.[8][9]
TransPennine Express has branded all of their new fleet under the general name Nova, with the Class 397 units branded as Nova 2.[7] The first unit entered service on 30 November 2019.[10]
History
[edit]The announcement of new trains was made by FirstGroup when it was confirmed that they would become the next operator of the TransPennine Express franchise from 1 April 2016.[11] In May 2016 it was announced by TransPennine Express that they had ordered 12 five-car electric multiple units from CAF to replace the fleet of ten four-car Class 350/4 Desiro units which previously operated TransPennine Express services between Liverpool, Manchester and Scotland.[8]
Testing of the first set began at the Velim railway test circuit in July 2018.[2]
An option for up to 22 extra units was available to TransPennine Express, but it was not exercised.[12]
In May 2023, 397011 received special Eurovision branding to celebrate the event taking place in Liverpool.[13]
Operation
[edit]The Nova 2 was launched officially by TPE at Liverpool Lime Street with other members of the Nova fleet.[14] The first unit entered passenger service on 30 November 2019.
Fleet details
[edit]| Class | Operator | Quantity | Year built | Cars per unit | Unit nos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 397 | TransPennine Express | 12 | 2017–2019 | 5 | 397001–397012 |
The units were designed as an intercity train. This included the addition of single doors at the ends of the coach, a maximum speed of 125 mph (201 km/h) and first class with catering provision from the on-board galley kitchen. Wi-Fi and seat reservations are also available on the train. These trains were also awarded the Golden Spanner Award for maintenance reliability.[5]
Named trains
[edit]| Unit number | Date | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 397011 | 3 May 2023 | Eurovision 2023 / Welcome to Liverpool[15] |
Livery illustration
[edit]
See also
[edit]- British Rail Class 195 - A diesel multiple unit variant of the CAF Civity UK platform built for Northern.
- British Rail Class 196 - A diesel multiple unit variant of the CAF Civity UK platform built for West Midlands Trains.
- British Rail Class 197 - A diesel multiple unit variant of the CAF Civity UK platform built for Transport for Wales Rail.
- British Rail Class 331 - An electric multiple unit variant of the CAF Civity UK platform built for Northern.
- British Rail Class 897 - A tri-mode multiple unit variant of the CAF Civity UK platform to be built for London North Eastern Railway.
Notes
[edit]- ^ The authorisation granted in July 2019 permitted single-unit operation only, until such time as testing of pantograph performance in trains of more than one unit confirmed compliance with the relevant Technical Specifications for Interoperability.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Clinnick, Richard (6 September 2017). "First Picture: TransPennine Express Class 397 takes shape in Spain". Rail Magazine. Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media. Archived from the original on 8 November 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ a b Vosman, Quintus (4 July 2018). "CAF Civity EMU for TransPennine Express on test at Velim". International Railway Journal. Falmouth: Simmons-Boardman Publishing. Archived from the original on 1 September 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ "Civity Regional Train for TransPennine Express". Beasain: Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ a b Prosser, Ian (19 July 2019). "The Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011, as amended – Authorisation of CAF Class 397 electric multiple units fitted with AWS and TPWS, GSM-R voice only, maximum speed of 125 mph, vehicle numbers 397001 to 397012" (PDF). Letter to Paul Simmons (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles). London: Office of Rail and Road. UK/51/2019/0007. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ a b "Class 397". London: Eversholt Rail Group. Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- ^ Haigh, Philip (20 July 2016). "Is it time for the railway to standardise on fewer types of trains, to cut costs?". Rail Magazine. No. 805. Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media.
- ^ a b "Our northern stars". Together. No. 3. London: First TransPennine Express. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 3 January 2020 – via Issuu.
- ^ a b "More New Trains for the North and Scotland". London: First TransPennine Express. 20 May 2016. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ^ "TransPennine Express Class 397 fleet taking shape". Rail UK. Coalville: Rail Media Group. 6 September 2017. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ "Nova 2 enters service at last". Rail Business UK. Sutton: DVV Media International. 2 December 2019. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ^ "New TransPennine Express franchise launches". London: First TransPennine Express. 1 April 2016. Archived from the original on 12 June 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ Eversheds LLP (22 December 2015). Franchise Agreement – TransPennine Express (Execution Copy) (PDF). London: Department for Transport. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
- ^ "TransPennine Express' Eurovision train revealed by singing soprano – RailAdvent". www.railadvent.co.uk. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ "TransPennine Express launches Nova fleet". Rail Business UK. Sutton: DVV Media International. 25 November 2019. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
- ^ "TransPennine Express' Eurovision train revealed by singing soprano". RailAdvent. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
External links
[edit]
Media related to British Rail Class 397 at Wikimedia Commons