British Rail Class 175

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British Rail Class 175 Coradia
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175011 operating an Arriva Trains Wales service at Newport in 2009.
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Standard Class interior of 175115 at Llandudno in 2009.
In service 2000–
Manufacturer Alstom[1]
Built at Washwood Heath, Birmingham[2]
Family name Coradia[1]
Constructed 1999–2001[1]
Number built 27 trainsets[1]
Number in service 27 trainsets
Formation 175/0: 2 cars per train set (DMSL-DMSL)
175/1: 3 cars per train set (DMSL-MSL-DMSL)[1]
Capacity 134 or 206 per trainset[1]
Operator(s) current:
Arriva Trains Wales
previously:
First North Western, First TransPennine Express
Depot(s) Chester
Specifications
Car body construction Steel[1]
Car length Driving end vehicles 23.71 m (77 ft 9 in)
Centre cars 23.03 m (75 ft 7 in)[1]
Width 2.73 m (8 ft 11 in)[1]
Doors Swing plug at vehicle ends[1]
Articulated sections Flexible diaphragm within unit only[1]
Maximum speed 100 mph (160 km/h)[1]
Weight 97.85 t (96.30 long tons; 107.86 short tons) or 144.14 t (141.86 long tons; 158.89 short tons) per trainset[1]
Prime mover(s) One per car,
Cummins N14 diesel [1]
Power output 450 hp (340 kW)[1]
Transmission Voith T211 hydraulic transmission
ZF final drive[1]
2 axles driven per car
Braking system(s) Friction/Hydrodynamic retarder[1]
Safety system(s) AWS, TPWS
Coupling system Scharfenberg[3]
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The Class 175 Coradia is a type of diesel multiple unit passenger train used in the United Kingdom. The fleet of 27 sets were built from 1999 to 2001 by Alstom at Washwood Heath in Birmingham. They are part of the Coradia family of trains along with the Class 180. They are the basis of Arriva Trains Wales's express fleet, but cannot operate on all lines (including those fitted with ETCS).

The entire fleet is owned by the rolling stock operating company Angel Trains. They were originally leased to First North Western, but the fleet has since been transferred to Arriva Trains Wales. For a brief period, units were also sub-leased to First TransPennine Express.

Description

In September 1997, North West Trains placed an order with Alstom for 27 train-sets. The original order was for eleven two-carriage units with a top speed of 100 mph, seven three-carriage units with a top speed of 100 mph and nine three-carriage units with a top speed of 125 mph. This was reconfigured to eleven two-carriage and sixteen three-carriage units all with a top speed of 100 mph, worth £78 million,[4] built to allow for the replacement of elderly Class 101 'heritage' DMUs and locomotive-hauled trains to Bangor and Holyhead. As they were constructed, the old locomotive sheds at Chester were replaced with a purpose-built facility in order to service the Class 175 units.[2] Units were tested at low speed at the Severn Valley Railway before further testing and driver training at the Old Dalby Test Track from November 1999.[5] The first unit entered service on 20 June 2000.[4]

The two-carriage units are numbered 175001–011, and the three-carriage units 175101–116. Carriages are labelled as coaches A–B–C, with two-car units having no coach B. Each train has provision for two disabled passengers in coach A, and storage for two bicycles in coach C.[6]

Early reliability problems meant that some services were operated by old rolling stock at short notice.[7][8] Remedial work included improving brakes and bogies,[9] and the reliability of the units is now greatly improved.[10]

Automated announcement system

Class 175 Coradias are fitted with a passenger information system,[1] which consists of onboard LED display and audio announcements of train destinations and arrivals. However, problems with its operation led to its not being used by Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) when it acquired the trains; not using it meant that the LED destination displays on the front and rear of the train were not illuminated. The system was reprogrammed in 2007 for new routes, which included Welsh spellings on the information screens, as well as the implementation of a chime, signalling the start of an announcement to passengers.

Hydro-dynamic brake

The units were fitted with a hydro-dynamic brake when built, however this has been isolated on all units since 2009.

Operations

The entire Class 175 fleet was operated by First North Western from their introduction in 2000 until October 2003, when franchise changes led to North Wales Coast Line services being transferred to Wales & Borders; as a result most of the fleet was then used by Wales & Borders: First North Western's branding was removed from all the units, but the livery remained largely the same.[11]

The fleet was transferred to Wales & Borders' successor Arriva Trains Wales in 2004, with some being sub-leased to First TransPennine Express, who took over First North Western's long-distance routes. First TransPennine Express took delivery of new Class 185 Desiro units in 2006, and the sub-leased Class 175s returned to ATW. The units have been based at the Chester depot throughout, and they have been operated in Wales, North-West England and the West Midlands.

North West and West Midlands

From their introduction in 2000,[12] First North Western (FNW) operated the Class 175s until 2003, when the fleet was transferred to Arriva Trains Wales.

The units were used on various services:

In 2003, the trains transferred to the Wales & Borders franchise and subsequently ATW. However, under a contractual agreement, 11 units were leased back daily from ATW to FNW and then later to First TransPennine Express for use on the Manchester Airport to Blackpool and Cumbria services until mid-December 2006, when that contract expired. They also continued to work the First North Western morning peak service between Chester and Manchester Piccadilly via Altrincham until December 2004.

Wales

File:Deganwy railway station MMB 07 175113.jpg
175113 rounds the bend into Deganwy with a service from Llandudno.

The entire Class 175 Coradia fleet was transferred to ATW when it took over responsibility for the North Wales Coast Line in 2004. The fleet is based at Chester Depot.

Since fully taking over the fleet ATW now uses Class 175s on Cardiff Central to Manchester and Holyhead service. Some South Wales bound services continue beyond Cardiff to Maesteg, Carmarthen and Milford Haven. They also continue to operate in the North West on Llandudno to Manchester Piccadilly services and the three trains daily extend to Manchester Airport. Since the installation of ERTMS signalling on the Cambrian Coast in 2008, the Class 175s are not used on services to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli because they lack the correct equipment. These services are operated with Class 158 Express Sprinter units.

Fourteen Class 175 Coradia units are in operation on daily Welsh Marches Line services to South Wales from Manchester and Holyhead, while ten are in operation on the North Wales Inter-Urban services between Manchester/Crewe and Chester/North Wales. One Sunday-only service sees the unit travel from Holyhead to Birmingham New Street via Stafford.

They have been cleared by Network Rail to operate the lines from Cardiff Central to Maesteg,[13] Cheltenham,[14] and Ebbw Vale.[15]

Accidents and Incidents

On 16 January 2010, 175103 operating the 08:30 service from Manchester Piccadilly to Milford Haven struck two cars at Moreton-on-Lugg crossing between Hereford and Leominster.[16] The front seat passenger in one of the cars was fatally injured, although there were no casualties on the train, which did not derail. The signaller had raised the barriers in error when the train was approaching the crossing,[17] and he was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in July 2010.[18][19]

The same service collided with a trailer on the Morfa Main level crossing on 31 January 2011. No-one was injured, but the unit involved, 175108, received nearly £82,000 worth of damage due to striking the trailer at 75 miles per hour (121 km/h). The farmer in charge of the trailer was sentenced to a 36-week suspended jail sentence and was ordered to carry out 200 hours of community work.[20][21]

On 19 December 2011, 175002 collided with a lorry at the Llanboidy level crossing near Whitland.[22] The train was operating the 09:10 service from Milford Haven to Manchester Piccadilly. The driver of the lorry has been arrested on suspicion of endangering safety.[23]

Class 175 units have caught fire in 2004 at Preston (175008), 2009 at Prestatyn and 2011 at Manchester Piccadilly.[24][25][26]

Fleet details

Class Operator No. built Year built Cars per set Unit nos.
Class 175/0 Arriva Trains Wales 11 1999–2001 2 175001 – 175011
Class 175/1 16 1999–2001 3 175101 – 175116

Named units

Some of the class have received names:

All except for Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru were named by First North Western. The nameplates have now all been removed as the fleet now wears standard Arriva colours.[34]

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ North Wales Coast Railway - The Trains nwrail.org.uk refers to the coach labelling.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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