British Rail Class 730
British Rail Class 730 Aventra | |
---|---|
![]() A Class 730 departing Aston in 2024 | |
![]() Class 730 West Midlands Railway interior | |
Stock type | Electric multiple unit |
In service | 13 November 2023 - present |
Manufacturer |
|
Built at | Derby Litchurch Lane Works |
Family name | Aventra |
Replaced | |
Constructed | 2020–2024[1] |
Number built | 84 |
Formation | |
Diagram | |
Capacity | |
Owners | Corelink Rail[6] |
Operators | |
Depots | |
Lines served | |
Specifications | |
Doors |
|
Maximum speed |
|
Electric system(s) | 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead |
Current collector(s) | Pantograph |
Bogies | Bombardier Flexx-Eco |
Safety system(s) | |
Coupling system | Dellner |
Multiple working |
|
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
The British Rail Class 730 Aventra is a type of electric multiple unit passenger train built by Alstom for West Midlands Trains. Two separate batches of the fleet were built; 48 three-car units and 36 five-car units.
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Trains_at_Soho_EMU_Depot%2C_Birmingham.jpg/220px-Trains_at_Soho_EMU_Depot%2C_Birmingham.jpg)
In October 2017, West Midlands Trains were awarded the franchise to operate local rail services around Birmingham and the West Midlands, suburban services to London Euston, and long-distance inter-urban services operating from both Euston and Birmingham New Street.[11] At the time the franchise was awarded, the company announced that it would procure more than 100 new trains at a cost of £680m[12] to replace older rolling stock and enhance its fleet. Of these, a total of 81 EMUs were ordered from Bombardier Transportation from its Aventra product range.[13] They are being built at Derby Litchurch Lane Works.[14] The first completed train was unveiled in September 2020.[12]
In 2022 the order was amended to increase the proportion of three-car units in the fleet, which will result in the delivery of 48 three-car units and 36 five-car units instead of the original plan for 36 three-car units, Class 730/0, and 45 five-car units, Class 730/1 and Class 730/2 – a total of 324 vehicles in 84 units.[15][5]
Testing and introduction into service
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/730210_at_Nuneaton.jpg/220px-730210_at_Nuneaton.jpg)
The Class 730 trains entered service on 13 November 2023[16] and were the second new fleet to be introduced by West Midlands Trains, following the Class 196 which entered service on 17 October 2022.[17]
The introduction of the 730s on the Cross-City line in 2024 will allow the Class 323s to be withdrawn,[18] 17 of which will be cascaded to Northern Trains.[19] The Class 730 will also allow for the withdrawal of the Class 350/2 units on the West Midlands Trains network.
The Class 730 was tested in Velim in the Czech Republic, as well as in the UK.[20] Testing of Class 730 units on the West Midlands Trains network began in March 2021,[21] and in February 2022 the then full order of 36 Class 730/0 units received authorisation for service from the Office of Rail and Road.[2]
The 3-car Class 730 units are currently being used on West Coast Main Line services out of London. This allowed for the withdrawal of Class 319s.[22] The first 3-car Class 730 entered passenger service on the Wolverhampton-Birmingham-Walsall services in February 2024,[23] with the units being introduced on Cross-City Line services in the Spring.[4][16][24][25] The first pair of Class 730s units entered service on the Cross-City Line on 15 April 2024.[26] The 3-car 730/0s will be maintained at Soho Depot in Birmingham which is the home depot of the Class 323s and the 5-car 730/2s will be maintained at Bletchley Depot in Milton Keynes.
Fleet
The two separate batches are being constructed to operate at different maximum speeds to suit different uses. The 3-car Class 730/0 trains—designed for Cross-City Line and Birmingham local services—will operate at up to 90 mph (145 km/h)[12] and will double capacity on the Cross-City Line. The 5-car Class 730/2 trains will operate on outer suburban and long-distance LNR services and will operate at up to 110 mph (177 km/h).[12][14][27]
Subclass | Operator | Qty.[6] | Year built | Cars per unit | Unit nos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
730/0 | London Northwestern Railway West Midlands Railway |
48 | 2020–2024 | 3 | 730001–730048 |
730/2 | London Northwestern Railway | 36 | 5 | 730201-730236[28] |
Illustration
References
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ^ Clinnick, Richard (May 2024). "Production lines stop at Litchurch Lane". Headline News. Rail Express. No. 336. p. 10.
- ^ a b c Fletcher, S. (2 February 2022). "The Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011, as amended – Authorisation of Class 730/0 – Unit numbers (inclusive) 730001 to 730036" (PDF). Letter to P. Carter (Bombardier Transportation UK Ltd d.b.a Alstom). London: Office of Rail and Road. UK/51/2022/0004. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 February 2022.
- ^ a b Hines, R. (29 January 2024). "The Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011, as amended – Authorisation of Aventra CL730/0 and CL730/2 for single and multiple unit operation" (PDF). Letter to P. Carter (Bombardier Transportation UK Ltd d.b.a Alstom). London: Office of Rail and Road. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 March 2024.
- ^ a b "New era of rail travel to begin as West Midlands Railway unveils electric train fleet". West Midlands Railway. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Class 730 fact sheet". Birmingham: West Midlands Trains. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Autumn start for Class 730/0s on London Euston diagrams". Rail Express. No. 327. August 2023. p. 10.
- ^ Plisner, Peter (17 April 2024). "A found farewell to Cross City stalwarts". Feature Rolling Stock. Rail Magazine. No. 1007. pp. 38–43.
- ^ "New Electric Train Stabling Sidings". West Midlands Railway. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ "West Midlands Trains Launches CAF '196'". Modern Railways. No. 890. Stamford: Key Publishing. November 2022. pp. 12–13. ISSN 0026-8356.
- ^ Fletcher, S. (18 November 2022). "The Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011, as amended – Authorisation of Aventra Cl730/0 upgrade for multiple unit operation (3x Cl730/0), unit numbers (inclusive) 730001–730048" (PDF). Letter to P. Carter (Bombardier Transportation UK Ltd d.b.a Alstom). London: Office of Rail and Road. UK/51/2022/0010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 January 2023.
- ^ Jones, T. (17 October 2017). "Over 100 new trains West Midlands trains – with wi-fi and speeds up to 110mph". Birmingham Post. Trinity Mirror Midlands. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Class 730 EMU for Birmingham's Cross-City Line revealed". Rail Business UK. Sutton: DVV Media International. 9 September 2020. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020.
- ^ "Bombardier and CAF win West Midlands train contracts". Railway Gazette International. Sutton: DVV Media International. 17 October 2017. Archived from the original on 20 November 2017.
- ^ a b Fender, K.; Sheratt, P. (June 2018). "West Midlands prepares for new fleets". Modern Railways. Vol. 75, no. 837. Stamford: Key Publishing. p. 78. ISSN 0026-8356.
- ^ "West Midlands Trains launches CAF '196s'". Modern Railways. Stamford: Key Publishing. 14 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- ^ a b @LNRailway (13 November 2023). "☀️ Happy Monday, all - Serenity & Lauren here until 7pm today.
🥳 It's an exciting day today... Our BRAND NEW 730's are making their official debut!
🌧️ Weather is wet & miserable today, so please take extra care when boarding & alighting your train.
📸 Down on the Stour" (Tweet). Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via Twitter. - ^ "New West Midlands Railway fleet enters passenger service". Birmingham: West Midlands Trains. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ "Class 730 Fleet". West Midlands Railway. Birmingham: West Midlands Trains. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ "Class 323 EMUs to remain in traffic with Northern". Rail Magazine. No. 886. Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media. 28 August 2019. p. 30. ISSN 0953-4563.
- ^ "Aventra for WMT on Test at Velim". Railvolution. Praha: Railway Builder s.r.o. 13 August 2020. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021.
- ^ "New 'Aventra' train pays a visit to Redditch as it builds up the miles". Redditch Standard. Wolverhampton: Bullivant Media. 19 March 2021. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021.
- ^ "West Mids '730s' to debut out of Euston". Modern Railways. No. 899. Stamford: Key Publishing. October 2022. p. 88. ISSN 0026-8356.
- ^ Thompson, Victoria (13 February 2023). "New electric trains begin operating in West Midlands". Rail Advent. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ "West Midlands Trains turns back the clock with retro repaint for Class 323". Today's Railways UK. No. 252. Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing. February 2023. p. 55. ISSN 1475-9713.
- ^ "Class 730 fact sheet". West Midlands Railway. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "West Midlands Railway: New trains enter service on Birmingham's iconic Cross City Line". West Midlands Railway. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ "WMT targets autumn debut for '730s'". Modern Railways. No. 899. July 2023. p. 100. ISSN 0026-8356.
- ^ "Two more 730s to Doncaster". Today's Railways UK. No. 260. October 2023. p. 62.