Northern to introduce first new trains from December

The first of Northern’s 98 new trains will enter traffic in December.

Managing Director David Brown told RAIL on October 9 that the plan is for them to be fed into the Northern fleet through the winter, ahead of the May timetable change. He said they will be needed at that point as more services are being introduced.

Brown described the trains, which were unveiled at Edge Hill on October 4, as “like chalk and cheese” compared with the fleets they are replacing. He confirmed that although the last of the 98 new-build trains won’t enter traffic until 2020, the final Northern-operated Pacers will be withdrawn as planned by the end of next year.

The Northern deal is for 55 diesel multiple units and 43 electric multiple units. There are 25 two-car Class 195/0s and 30 three-car Class 195/1 DMUs, and 31 three-car Class 331/0 EMUs and 12 four-car Class 331/1s. Brown said that the EMUs would be based at Allerton and the DMUs at Newton Heath, where a new facility is being built.

He added that testing is under way and that while one or two issues have been detected, there have been no “red flags”.

So far 195001/003, 195103/105, 331001 and 331102 are in the UK.

The £500 million fleet is being funded by Eversholt Rail Group, and is the largest European order received by manufacturer CAF. The trains are being built in northern Spain, although bodyshells for ‘195s’ have arrived at the company’s Newport assembly facility.

• For the FULL story, read RAIL 864, published on October 24, and available digitally now on Android, iPad and Kindle.
• For further updates on Northern's CAF trains, read RAIL 865, published on November 7, and available digitally now on Android, iPad and Kindle from November 3.