British Rail Class 756

British Rail Class 756
FLIRT
Class 756 unit at Aberdare in November 2024
Interior
In service15 November 2024-Present[1]
ManufacturerStadler Rail
AssemblyStadler Bussnang AG
Built atBussnang, Switzerland[2]
Family nameFLIRT
Replaced
Constructed2021–2023[3]
Number built24[1]
(7 × 756/0, 17 × 756/1)
Number in service2[1]
Formation
Fleet numbers
  • 756/0: 756001–756007
  • 756/1: 756101–756117[3]
Capacity
  • 3-car: 118 seats,
    plus 24 tip-up & 148 standees
  • 4-car: 158 seats,
    plus 32 tip-up & 204 standees
OwnersSMBC Leasing[4]
OperatorsTransport for Wales Rail
DepotsCanton (Cardiff)
Specifications
Car body constructionAluminium
Train length
  • 3-car: 65.0 m (213 ft 3 in)
  • 4-car: 80.7 m (264 ft 9 in)
Width
  • Passenger vehicles:
    2.720 m (8 ft 11.1 in)
  • Power Pack:
    2.822 m (9 ft 3.1 in)[5]
Height3.915 m (12 ft 10.1 in)
Floor height960 mm (3 ft 2 in)
DoorsDouble-leaf sliding plug, each 1.300 m (4 ft 3.2 in) wide
(total 5 per side per 3-car, 7 per side per 4-car)
Wheel diameter
  • Powered: 870 mm (34 in)
  • Unpowered: 760 mm (30 in)
WheelbaseBogies: 2.700 m (8 ft 10.3 in)
Maximum speed75 mph (121 km/h)
Traction systemIGBT
Power output
  • On AC power:
  • 2,600 kW (3,500 hp)
  • On battery power:
  • 1,300 kW (1,700 hp)
  • On diesel power:
  • 480 kW (640 hp)
Tractive effortMaximum starting:
200 kN (45,000 lbf)
AccelerationMaximum starting:
1.1 m/s2 (2.5 mph/s)
Electric system(s)25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead
Current collector(s)Pantograph
UIC classification
  • 3-car: Bo′2′2′2′Bo′
  • 4-car: Bo′2′2′2′2′Bo′
Safety system(s)
Multiple workingWithin class (max. 2 units)
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Notes/references
Sourced from [6] unless otherwise noted.

The British Rail Class 756 FLIRT[7] is a class of tri-mode multiple units built for Transport for Wales Rail by Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler Rail. They are closely related to the Class 755 bi-mode units delivered by Stadler to Greater Anglia between 2018 and 2020, which can be powered either by overhead electric lines or on-board diesel generators. The Class 756 units also carry batteries as an additional source of traction power.[citation needed]

A total of 24 units were built, split between 7 three-car units and 17 four-car units.[1]

History

The Wales & Borders rail franchise, awarded to KeolisAmey Wales with effect from 14 October 2018, included a commitment requiring that the operator oversee a full fleet replacement during the franchise period.[8] As part of this process, KeolisAmey placed an order with Stadler in February 2019 for the 24 FLIRT tri-mode units that came to be designated Class 756. The tri-mode capabilities are intended to facilitate operations over lines that have only been partially electrified. Production of the fleet was underway by mid-2021.[2]

The Class 756 officially entered service on 18 November 2024, and for consecutive days,[9] after initially entering service on one previous day of 15 November 2024.[1]

It is expected that the Class 756 units will enter service on the Treherbert line over the coming months, and then move across to the Rhymney Line from late 2025 as the Class 398 tram-trains enter service.[10]

Operators

Transport for Wales

Transport for Wales Rail Class 756 units currently operate services between Cardiff-Merthyr Tydfil and Cardiff-Aberdare.[1]

Technical details

Class 756 units have three or four passenger vehicles, along with a separate "Power Pack" vehicle near the centre of the unit that contains a diesel generator set and three battery modules.[11] The diesel generator produces 480 kW (640 hp), while the batteries are capable of supplying up to 1,300 kW (1,700 hp).[6] All vehicles are linked by unpowered Jacobs bogies, while the outermost bogie at each end of each unit carries the traction motors.[6]

Fleet details

Subclass Operator Qty. Year built Passenger cars Unit nos.[3]
756/0 Transport for Wales Rail 7 2021–2023 3 756001–756007
756/1 17 4 756101–756117

Illustration

Illustration of a four-car Class 756 unit (based on concept art)

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b The Power Pack is technically a fourth or fifth vehicle in these units, but as it contains no passenger accommodation it is excluded from the count of passenger cars.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Rail Class 756.
  1. ^ a b c d e f @todaysrailways (15 November 2024). "Another new class in service from today - two @tfwrail tri-mode Class 756s are in traffic on the Cardiff-Merthyr Tydfil and Cardiff-Aberdare routes - 4-cars 756107 and 756116. There are seven 3-cars and 17 4-cars in this fleet built by Stadler. 📷 TfW" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 November 2024 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b "Testing Begins on New FLIRTs for TfW". Railvolution. Praha: Railway Public s.r.o. 29 July 2021. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Pritchard, Robert (2022). British Railways Pocket Book No. 4: Electric Multiple Units (36th ed.). Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing. pp. 132–133. ISBN 978-1-909-43183-6.
  4. ^ "Time to take stock as the 'bubble' bursts…". Rail Magazine. No. 989. 9 August 2023. pp. 42–47.
  5. ^ Bi-Mode Multiple Unit - FLIRT - Greater Anglia, UK (PDF). Bussnang: Stadler Rail Group. 27 August 2018. FEABMU0819e. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  6. ^ a b c FLIRT Trimodal Multiple Unit - Transport for Wales (PDF). Bussnang: Stadler Rail Group. 6 September 2022. FWBBMU0922e. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  7. ^ Transport for Wales Rail [@tfwrail] (2 December 2019). "Lastly, our innovative tri-mode Metro trains which will enter service on the Rhymney, Coryton & Vale of Glamorgan lines in 2023, will be Class 756" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ "KeolisAmey reveal new-look Wales trains and services". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 4 June 2018. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  9. ^ "Britain's first Tri-mode trains enter service in Wales". RailAdvent. 18 November 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  10. ^ "First electric trains to be introduced to South Wales Metro". Transport For Wales News. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  11. ^ Fender, Keith; Sherratt, Philip (20 September 2022). "Stadler shows trains for the UK at InnoTrans". Modern Railways. Stamford: Key Publishing. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.