LNER announce CAF fleet

[Samzino]

Looks like a fusion of a 390 and iet

 

[gabrielhj07]

I find that going on an 800 near Newark is horrendous.


Wouldn't surprise me and CAF is a logical option for Northern considering the 195s/331s.

Northallerton on the Up and St Neots on the down fast both feel like you need to brace yourself.

 

[Lewisham2221]

Gotta love all the comments re: unproven design/CAF haven't made a tri-mode etc etc. Makes you wonder how we ever progressed from steam...

 

[YorkRailFan]

Which is not a bad thing at all. Government (especially ours) is incapable of doing large infrastructure projects without bilions going to waste. I'm glad it's being spent on proper things like refurbishments and new rolling stock.

Same here, but I'm still disappointed about HS2 obviously.

 

[Bishopstone]

This sounds like unalloyed good news, though you wouldn’t guess so from the early reaction.

 

[800001]

Did I miss that in the press release, or do you have additional information?

What I’ve been told.

 

[YorkRailFan]

Northallerton on the Up and St Neots on the down fast both feel like you need to brace yourself.

Haven't found it too bad there, crossing the Newark Castle-Lincoln line feels much worse.

My prediction is that the units will be completed, sent out on test, the battery technology will be found out to not be working, the units will sit in sidings for 5 years whilst the worlds greatest scientists try to figure it out before the DfT tell them to forget the battery bit and just run them as bi-modes

It's either battery power or the DfT asking CAF to make them 140mph capable, most likely.

 

[gabrielhj07]

Haven't found it too bad there, crossing the Newark Castle-Lincoln line feels much worse.

Most times I use the flat crossing I’m on a 225 anyway.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Looks like a fusion of a 390 and iet

It's a 397. You can see the "angry wasp" nose under the fancy livery

 

[Samzino]

It's a 397. You can see the "angry wasp" nose under the fancy livery

Yeh just the livery makes it look refreshingly new and almost like a mix of the two classes.

 

[YorkRailFan]

Most times I use the flat crossing I’m on a 225 anyway.

I'm always on an Azuma from York.

 

[Goldfish62]

As already pointed out, it's been common knowledge, in the public domain, for over a year that CAF was the preferred bidder for this fleet.

What's changed is that the DfT has now sanctioned the order.

 

[Bletchleyite]

What is the plan for use of these? I did notice that they seem to have a full kitchen - kind of surprised they didn't order them without one and concentrate them on e.g. the York semifast where it isn't as needed?

 

[Iskra]

LNER’s David Horne has confirmed on twitter/x that they will replace the Class 91:

David Horne said on X:

They will replace our InterCity 225 fleet, which are primarily used on our West Yorkshire and York-London services.

https://x.com/davidhorne/status/1722554765060522481?s=46&t=lo2dgPQcj4ppK-VC860FLA

 

[YorkRailFan]

LNER’s David Horne has confirmed on twitter/x that they will replace the Class 91 fleet.

View attachment 146230

Sad, but expected.

 

[gabrielhj07]

What is the plan for use of these? I did notice that they seem to have a full kitchen - kind of surprised they didn't order them without one and concentrate them on e.g. the York semifast where it isn't as needed?

Given their tri mode abilities wouldn’t they be up for going to Aberdeen etc?

 

[YorkRailFan]

What is the plan for use of these? I did notice that they seem to have a full kitchen - kind of surprised they didn't order them without one and concentrate them on e.g. the York semifast where it isn't as needed?

More Sunderland and Bradford services to compete with GC perhaps?

Given their tri mode abilities wouldn’t they be up for going to Aberdeen etc?

@80001 said that the Azumas will still go to Aberdeen.

 

[gabrielhj07]

@80001 said that the Azumas will still go to Aberdeen.

Yeah I hadn’t read David Horne’s post

 

[800001]

LNER’s David Horne has confirmed on twitter/x that they will replace the Class 91 fleet.

View attachment 146230

Well bearing in mind they 225s have to be gone by 224 due to in can signalling, it’s hardly unexpected.

 

[Neptune]

It’s not like CAF have bathed themselves in glory with the 195’s yaw dampers.

Wasn’t there another fleet that experienced the same issues? Oh yes, the Hitachi 80x fleet.

 

[800001]

Given their tri mode abilities wouldn’t they be up for going to Aberdeen etc?

They might, however they replace 91s and they will do select additional service possibly Middlesbrough.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

This is the CAF press release, with a few more technical details:

CAF SELECTED BY THE BRITISH OPERATOR LONDON NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY TO SUPPLY FIRST TRI-MODE UK INTERCITY FLEET

The operator London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has selected CAF as the preferred bidder for the project to supply 10 tri-mode trains,...

www.caf.net

CAF SELECTED BY THE BRITISH OPERATOR LONDON NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY TO SUPPLY FIRST TRI-MODE UK INTERCITY FLEET​

The operator London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has selected CAF as the preferred bidder for the project to supply 10 tri-mode trains, i.e. they can operate in electric, diesel or battery mode, whereby they are extremely versatile units given their capacity to operate with different drive technologies. The project also includes the maintenance services for these units for 8 years. The value of this operation exceeds €500 million, this amount includes both the cost of purchase for the trains by Porterbrook who subsequently lease to LNER and maintenance delivered by CAF.

Each unit will consist of 10 cars, based on CAF’s Civity UK platform: A train designed for intercity services which is fitted out with state-of-the-art safety technology. It also meets the most stringent requirements in terms of interior design and customer comfort.

The new fleet will enter passenger service on the LNER-operated East Coast Main Line (ECML), the trains can run on both electrified and non-electrified sections of the network, hence, increasing service operation efficiency and flexibility, as well as achieving a more sustainable and environmentally friendly transport system.

The fleet will be assembled at the CAF state of art manufacturing facility in Newport, Wales. This facility has been operative since September 2018, and it currently employs a workforce of approximately 220 skilled staff and supporting personnel who are trained and prepared for the manufacture of all types of passenger railway vehicles. This includes from assembly to final acceptance and undertaking all factory and static type tests required before commissioning for service.

This project confirms CAF's commitment to the UK railway market. This reinforces the company's successful track record in the UK market. We have delivered numerous contracts over recent years with various operators including First Group, Arriva, Serco Group, West Midlands Trains, Transport for Wales, Transport for London and West Midlands Metro. These projects amounted to a total value in excess of €2,500 million.

All of the above stems from a strategy that is fully in line with the British Government's Growth Plan, geared towards transforming the country, with its main priorities being reindustrialisation and a strong commitment towards modernisation of the railway industry.

 

[Fuzzytop]

It's good that they will be "more sustainable and environmentally friendly" than the all-electric InterCity 225s, despite the inclusion of diesel engines underneath the coaches.

 

[Towers]

It's good that they will be "more sustainable and environmentally friendly" than the all-electric InterCity 225s, despite the inclusion of diesel engines underneath the coaches.

“Generator units” surely; mustn’t say engines! Or do CAF still use proper names for things?!

 

[DanNCL]

My guess, noting that they’ve ordered 10x 10-car bi mode sets to replace 7x 9-car electric sets, is that these new units may see use to Harrogate, Hull, Lincoln and possibly Middlesbrough. Also useful for Joint Line and Cambridge diversions which the Mark 4s aren’t.

Hitachi don’t offer a battery solution.

Hitachi does offer a battery solution. It’s being (or about to be) tested on a TPE 802. More details on Hitachi’s website https://www.hitachirail.com/products-and-solutions/battery-powered-trains/intercity-battery-trains/

 

[thelongestroad]

Wonder if they will have fixed the cracks by then...

 

[td97]

It's very likely there is no pointless "140mph" burden in the specification, which applied to the IEP (and Pendolinos).
Presumably they will be ETCS compliant for the ECML (a first for CAF in the UK).

140mph is an aspiration for York to Northallerton so I expect these will be 140mph capable.

 

[Benno]

No, but a train with passengers on is a more pressing issue than one with containers on due to the risk of passengers detraining themselves. The TOC/FOC’s all have an agreement to send the nearest loco to the rescue, and this would pretty much always be less urgent when it’s not a passenger train involved, so I suspect this arrangement will be found adequate now that the passenger trains can all take care of themselves.

If a freight train has failed and is blocking several passenger trains from reaching their destinations then getting that freight train moving and out of the way is a priority.

 

[43102EMR]

I would also say this is a good indication of the bed Hitachi have made for themselves at the moment. More 80x were clearly at one point the likely choice, but reliability and the crack issue have taken their toll (and is likely to for some time to come) and CAF have obviously impressed enough to win the order.

The tender for the trains was made just before the UK left the EU, and the EU has strict competition laws (see Alstom’s takeover of Bombardier/surrendering of designs) that meant that even if LNER wanted to, they couldn’t order anymore Azumas. Can imagine both the price and limited offers from other manufacturers for high speed trains lead to CAF being chosen.

 

[Jamesrob637]

This is really exciting! I think the 397s are fantastic trains, they look great and have massive windows Also very excited that they will be 10 coaches, makes so much more sense than having 2x5 car formations.

Yes and no. At least if one 5-car is defective, you can run a 5-car. If a full 10-car is defective, it often leads to a cancellation.