British Rail Class 397

British Rail Class 397
Civity
Transpennine Express Class 397 at Wigan North Western in April 2019
Class 397 at Wigan North Western in April 2019
Standard-class interior of a Class 397 unit
Standard-class interior of a Class 397 unit
Stock typeElectric multiple unit
In service30 November 2019 – present
ManufacturerCAF
Built atBeasain, Spain[1]
Family nameCivity
ReplacedClass 350/4
Constructed2017–2019
Number built12
Number in service12
Formation5 cars per unit:
DMFLW-PTS1-MSL-PTS2-DMSL
Fleet numbers397001–397012
Capacity286 seats (22 first-class, 264 standard)[2]
OwnersEversholt Rail Group
Operators
Depots
Lines servedWest Coast Main Line
Specifications
Train length118 m (387 ft 2 in)[3]
Car length
  • DM vehicles:
    24.026 m (78 ft 9.9 in)
  • Intermediate vehicles:
    23.35 m (76 ft 7 in)
DoorsSingle-leaf sliding plug (2 per side per car)
Maximum speed125 mph (200 km/h)
Traction systemCAF Power AC
IGBT-VVVF
Acceleration0.92 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 systemDellner
Multiple workingWithin class, but not yet authorised[note 1]
Track gauge1,435 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

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

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

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

TPE Class 397 units with special names or liveries
Unit number Date Name
397011 3 May 2023 Eurovision 2023 / Welcome to Liverpool[15]

Livery illustration

TransPennine Express Class 397 'Nova 2'

See also

Notes

  1. ^ 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

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Civity Regional Train for TransPennine Express". Beasain: Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ a b "Class 397". London: Eversholt Rail Group. Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ a b "Our northern stars". Together. No. 3. London: First TransPennine Express. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 3 January 2020 – via Issuu.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ "New TransPennine Express franchise launches". London: First TransPennine Express. 1 April 2016. Archived from the original on 12 June 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  12. ^ Eversheds LLP (22 December 2015). Franchise Agreement – TransPennine Express (Execution Copy) (PDF). London: Department for Transport. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  13. ^ "TransPennine Express' Eurovision train revealed by singing soprano – RailAdvent". www.railadvent.co.uk. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ "TransPennine Express' Eurovision train revealed by singing soprano". RailAdvent. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.

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