Vivarail D-Train trial cancelled after fire

Following a fire aboard the prototype Vivarail D-Train at Kenilworth on December 30, the planned trial with London Midland has been cancelled.

The eight-month trial that was due to begin next month on the Coventry-Nuneaton line, during which 230001 was to be pressed into revenue-earning service for the first time with London Midland. This is because the D-Train was undergoing final testing and had yet to receive its safety certification when it caught fire.

In a joint statement, trial sponsors Coventry City Council, Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, London Midland, Warwickshire County Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority said on January 9 that the likely delay in receiving certification meant that “there is no longer enough time to run and evaluate a pilot service using these trains before the next local rail franchise starts in October”. 

• For an EXCLUSIVE in-depth interview with Vivarail Chairman Adrian Shooter, read RAIL 817, on sale now. 
• For more on the fire, and what happens now with 230001, read RAIL 818, on sale January 18.