TOC Focus ~ TransPennine Express Updates (Part 2)

Fleet News. 

The New Livery
As stated by Matthew, the FTPE fleet of nine 2-car 170s are all to be subleased to Chiltern Rail, all departing within the next year, for their benefit.

Five of these 170/3 units have already transferred, meaning that FTPE were naturally under capacity. Thus, the same amount (six at present) of 156 Sprinters are sub-leased from Arriva Northern to bring up numbers, used for the hourly service on the Manchester Airport to Blackpool North corridor - as announced in January 2015.

FTPE also continue to operate their fleet of 51 3-car 185s - although half are to go off lease when the new fleet enters service. The units that do stay will undergo a £20+ million refurbishment regime, for improvements to First and Standard Class Accommodation, Improved Catering, the introduction of CIS screens and also free Wi-Fi and Entertainment services.

19 5-car Hitachi AT300S to enter service with TPE. 
They also have ten 350s, usually used for 4-car or 8-car formations on their routes between Manchester and Scotland. However, this fleet is alleged to come off-lease when the AT300s arrive, also pushing out some of the 185s too.

The entire fleet will soon to be painted into the new TPE livery, as seen above - launched when the franchise was re-tendered on 1st April. Launching the new livery, which 185108 and 185123 now wear.

TPE will also gain 19 5-car AT300 electro-diesel units as part as a contact with Hitachi Rail. These units (seen above), which can reach 200 km/h and are expected to enter service in December 2019, will be similar to the Class 800 style (for VTEC and GWR)
FirstGroup said: 'the modern interior and spacious seating’ would offer significant improvements in comfort compared to the current TransPennine Express fleet. The AT300s will offer ‘free, fast and unlimited wi-fi’, entertainment servers for streaming films and television shows, power sockets at every seat and onboard catering facilities enabling the provision of hot and cold food
Rail Tech added: 'Under the full service contract Hitachi will be responsible for heavy maintenance, cleaning and stabling at its Doncaster Carr and Edinburgh Craigentinny maintenance centres, while overnight stabling and servicing will be undertaken at Liverpool Edge Hill, Newcastle Heaton and York depots.
MAY UPDATE: 12 5-car Class 397 Civity (Manchester /Liverpool- Glasgow/ Edinburgh) and 13 class 68 hauled CAF intercity-carriage (5-car) sets for the Liverpool-Newcastle route enter service in Spring 2018, linking up the Anglo-Scottish routes via the West Coast Mainline.

My 5-day posting Marathon continues tomorrow and Thursday. Harry.
Regards:

Our Popular Posts....

07/02/17: Recent Goings On

Image
Harry Here, Summarising Some Of The Interesting Fleet News Between Oct 2016 and Spring 2017...... 10/2016: 142073 heads to  Doncaster for overhaul , as all ArrivaTrainsWales are going into the new livery gradually. 27/01/2017: 37423 and an extra DRS MK2 arrive at Norwich from  Derby, for Short Set usage.  Meanwhile, 68021 and 68016 arrive to take over duty's on the 68 Hauled Anglia Short Set, because 68025 and 68005 both need exams.  01/17: Virgin East coast finish the overhaul of all 45 trains! 
Read More....

Abellio Greater Anglia to Abellio East Anglia

Image
As Many Of You Are Aware, The AGA Franchise Renews This October For Services In East Anglia, Including To Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire. Abellio Continue The Franchise, But Renamed East Anglia Ltd.  Greater Anglia, as it was at first, began in February 2012 - operating the short term tender which was due to expire in July 2014. However, the Government later extended this franchise, and it then became the rebranded Abellio Greater Anglia.
Read More....

Reminder: Stock + Service Changes, Abellio East Anglia.

IN SUMMARY: - Free Wi-Fi on Many Trains and also an  improved WiFi service at stations .  - Additional seats on trains across the network, by increasing train lengths and capacity.  - CET toilets, so waste isn't flushed onto tracks. This is already on MK3s.  - Increasing train punctuality and performance. - Entire fleet replacement (stated below), so other units are displaced or withdrawn. - Norwich to Cambridge trains extended to Stansted, and Sudbury branch lines running to Colchester. - Lowestoft connections to London Liverpool Street reinstated, using the electro-diesel units, four times per day. - Trains half hourly to Great Yarmouth, plus later connections to Sheringham and Lowestoft.
Read More....

Exclusive ~ VirginTrains ~ Penguilino & Claus 91

Image
To get into the Xmas spirit, Virgin Trains have unveiled East Coast  82209 & 91128  and Virgin West Coast revealed Pendolino 390013 in their Winter-style livery, as designed by Madeleine Deakin (aged 11) and Amber Maxfield (age 9) whom won a competition earlier this season.  The units were unveiled at London Kings Cross this morning and will remain in the livery until January. Claus 91, as it's been named, operates on the East Coast mainline between Kings Cross and Scotland via Penguinborough, whilst the Penguilino can be found on Virgin Trains West Coast services between London Euston and The North (North Pole) via Ho Ho Crewe.
Read More....

SOUTH - Last Day of Class 458/0 Operations

Image
©Liam Jenkins Good Evening, Liam here, offering you a post regarding the last day of South West Trains Class 458/0 service. Enjoy! On Sunday 8th November 2015, South West Trains operated the last day of Class 458/0s on the units' final day of operations. These units are to be sent to Doncaster Works, where they will be refurbished with the Gatwick Express Class 460s into a new Class 458/5 class.
Read More....

Special - Rebuilding the 1960's Class 73's.

Image
It's Friday, and today's post is a special! Not as I'm here (Andy)... Class 73's were built in the 1960's and generally used in the Southern region. In 2013, it was announced that GB Railfreight would initially be re-building 5 Class 73's to make them Class 73/9's. The complete re stripping and rebuilding has taken place at Brush Traction in Loughborough.  The Class 73/9's first started testing in late 2014 (73 961 - 965) as there had been some issues, however they were all resolved pretty soon. The 73/9's are intended to work infrastructure trains (test trains under Network Rail) and also to be used on Rail Head Treatment Trains. As a result of the rebuild, it has given the Class 73/9's up to 25 years more in service, and more 73/9's are to be released over the coming months which should see them introduced on to the Serco Sleeper eventually!
Read More....

Peter Skuce Reports (6A)

Image
Chiltern 168. (C) P Skuce. Peter. Part A is for the Chiltern Line Modernisation. Part B will lead from this. During the 1960s British Railways built forty one, 4 carriage Class 115 DMU trains for the London Marylebone – Aylesbury Chiltern Line. One trailer carriage had entirely Standard Class accommodation with 106 seats, whilst the other trailer carriage was a composite, featuring First Class cabins with seating to the 2+2 layout and Standard Class with two toilets. They were powered by Leyland Albion engines, with mechanical transmission and their maximum speed was 70 mph. A new maintenance depot was built at Aylesbury to accommodate the trains.
Read More....