British Rail Class 220
| British Rail Class 220 "Voyager" | |
|---|---|
 A Class 220 Voyager at Bristol Parkway - 3rd May 2006. | |
| Specifications | |
| Braking system(s) | Rheostatic |
The Class 220 Voyager is a class of diesel-electric high-speed multiple-unit trains built by Bombardier Transportation for the British train operating company Virgin CrossCountry. They are the mainstay of the long-distance trains in Britain that do not terminate in London (although they are also used for some services between Holyhead and London Euston). They are air-conditioned throughout, with powered doors and a top speed of 125 mph. They were introduced to replace the thirty-year-old High Speed Train and Class 47 fleets. Class 220 Voyagers were built from 2001-2003 and the first Voyager entered service on 5th June 2001.
Details
Engine
All coaches are equipped with a Cummins QSK19 diesel engine of 560kW (750hp) at 1800rpm. This powers a generator which supplies current to motors driving two axles per coach. 2000 km (1200 miles) can be travelled between refuellings.
Formation
There are 34 Class 220 trains; numbered 220001 to 220034. They provide 26 seats in first class and 162 in standard. All vehicles are air-conditioned and fitted with at-seat audio entertainment systems and power sockets for laptop computers and mobile phone charging.
The formation of a four car Class 220 Voyager is as follows:
- Coach A - First Class and driving cab
- Coach C - Standard Class
- Coach D - Standard Class with Shop/Buffet counter
- Coach F - Standard Class (Quiet Zone) with driving cab and reservable space for four bikes
The first class coach has a yellow rectangle on its front coupler to aid identification as a train approaches a station, as the nature of the Cross-Country network means that trains often get turned around. All Voyagers are maintained at the Central Rivers depot near Burton-on-Trent.
The train interiors do provide toilets for handicaped people and storage facilities for bicycles.
Brakes
Voyagers make use of Rheostatic brakes. This system brakes the train by using the motors of the train in reverse to generate electricity which is then dissipated as heat through resistors situated on the roof of each coach. This slows the train and saves on brake shoe wear. However, these systems have caused problems: the resistors are known to reach temperatures of up to 500°C. A small piece of wood from a tree may become lodged in these grids, which will then start a fire on the roof of the train. This resulted in the train being evacuated at Cheltenham Spa
Couplers
The Voyagers have Dellner couplers fitted which are the same type of couplers as the Class 390 Pendolino electric units used by Virgin's West Coast trains, and they can be coupled together in the event of a failure, although as the electrical systems are not compatible they are not coupled in normal service. They can also be 'dragged' by Virgin's Thunderbirds, humorously named after the eponymous TV series, which are Class 57/3 "Ronnies".
Similar Units
The principal differences between the Voyager and otherwise very similar Super Voyager fleet are that the Super Voyager usually consists of five carriages rather than the Voyager's four, and like the Pendolino can tilt when going around curves in order to allow higher speeds. This means that Super Voyager units have significantly more complex bogies than do Voyagers. To aid identification by staff, the two types now have different Virgin 'shield' logos on the nose of the train: the Class 221 noses have a red background to the shields, and the Class 220 noses a silver background
Both models are powered by Cummins QSK19 engines, with each carriage featuring its own engine.
Midland Mainline's new Meridian trains are closely related to the Voyager fleet, although they have a revised front and are, according to Bombardier Transportation, '80% new train'.
Operators
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains have been the sole operator of all Voyager trains since they were introduced in 2001. But this will change when the New Cross Country rail franchise begins on the 11th November 2007. When the new franchise all 34 Voyager trains will be passed on to new operator of the Cross Country franchise, CrossCountry, operated by Arriva.
Virgin Trains have started debranding the Voyagers in preparation to be transferred to CrossCountry in November. All Virgin Trains branding is to be removed or covered, the Virgin Trains nose end badges will be removed, and their name plates will also be removed. 220008 has already been through this process.
CrossCountry
As the winner of the new Cross Country franchise CrossCountry will inherit all 34 Voyagers from Virgin Cross-Country. CrossCountry have the following plans regarding the Voyager trains[1].
- Introduce longer Voyager trains on other key services
- Reconfigure the Voyager and fleet internally to give more seats and more luggage space (this will involve removing the on-board shop and a toilet).
Voyager Names
The Class 220 Voyagers are named after places which they serve, they have the following names:
| 220 001 | Somerset Voyager | 220 018* | Dorset Voyager |
| 220 002 | Forth Voyager | 220 019 | Mersey Voyager |
| 220 003 | Solent Voyager | 220 020* | Wessex Voyager |
| 220 004 | Cumbrian Voyager | 220 021 | Staffordshire Voyager |
| 220 005 | Guildford Voyager | 220 022 | Brighton Voyager |
| 220 006 | Clyde Voyager | 220 023 | Mancunian Voyager |
| 220 007 | Thames Voyager | 220 024 | Sheffield Voyager |
| 220 008* | Welsh Dragon | 220 025* | Severn Voyager |
| 220 009 | Gatwick Voyager | 220 026* | Stagecoach Voyager |
| 220 010 | Ribble Voyager | 220 027* | Avon Voyager |
| 220 011 | Tyne Voyager | 220 028 | Black Country Voyager |
| 220 012 | Lanarkshire Voyager | 220 029 | Cornish Voyager |
| 220 013 | South Wales Voyager | 220 030 | Devon Voyager |
| 220 014* | South Yorkshire Voyager | 220 031 | Tay Voyager |
| 220 015 | Solway Voyager | 220 032 | Grampian Voyager |
| 220 016 | Midland Voyager | 220 033 | Fife Voyager |
| 220 017 | BOMBARDIER Voyager | 220 034 | Yorkshire Voyager |
(*) Has been denamed in preparation for transfer to CrossCountry
Problems
Voyagers are about half the length of their predecessors (4 or 5 cars compared to 7 previously), proponents of the units counter by pointing to the increased frequencies at which the trains operate. Therefore overall capacity is said to be at least equal to, or in some cases greater than, the trains they replaced. However, some critics have noted that in areas where frequencies have not increased (such as at the extremes of the network), or in areas where trains carry large amounts of commuter or holiday traffic, Voyagers do sometimes struggle to cope with these loadings.
Some point out that in some sections of the Voyager the units suffer from increased noise and vibration when compared to the non-powered Mark 2 and Mark 3 coaching stock they replaced, due to the underfloor diesel engines. However, some say they are quieter than the British Rail Mark 2 coaches they replaced, which make considerable noise when travelling at speed.[who?]. However, any diesel driven coach in any trainset operated in Britain suffers from vibration and noise. Some say that the Voyagers do have less noise than former trainsets operated by Northern or First.
The electric interior doors close on a timer and do not have movement sensors to detect if a passenger happens to be walking through them or not. This often results on doors closing on passengers, unless the 'open' button is pressed again quickly.
Christopher Garnett, former Chief Exectutive of rival operator Great North Eastern Railway considered them "cheap and nasty"[2].
Fleet Details
| Class | Operator | No. Built | Year Built | Cars per Set | Unit nos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 220 | Virgin Trains | 34 | 2002 | 4 | 220001 - 220034 |
References
See also
External links
- Virgin Trains web site
- Voyager tour and gallery (from Virgin Trains)
- Virgin Trains Voyager Seat Plans from V-Flyer, customer created site.
- Voyager and Super Voyager official web sites (from Bombardier)