Network
AFTER months of speculation, TransPennine Express has confirmed that its troubled ‘Nova 3’ diesel-powered trains will be withdrawn at the December timetable change.
The 13 CAF Mk 5a trains, powered by Vossloh/Stadler Class 68s sub-leased from Direct Rail Services, were built in 2017-18 and have never entered full squadron service.
None of the five-car sets has been accepted by TPE, and they will be returned to owner Beacon Rail Leasing having had comparatively little use over the past five years.
And none of the parties involved has confirmed where, when or even if the £110 million fleet will be redeployed. RAIL contacted Beacon Rail Leasing for comment but had not received a reply as this issue went to press.
TPE says that withdrawing the trains and replacing them with Class 185s and Class 802s will simplify its operations, reduce train cancellations, and improve reliability across its network.
TransPennine Trains (TPT) Interim Managing Director Chris Jackson said on August 28: “This decision is not one we have arrived at lightly. We have, as part of our review of the business, sought ways to make TPE less complex and to put customers at the heart of our decision-making process.
“This review identified issues with the operation and stabling of the ‘Nova 3’ fleet and we believe that removal of the fleet from service from December 2023 will be a step towards returning TPE to a stable and resilient operator.”
Introduction of the ‘Nova 3s’ was delayed and then heavily disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent staff shortages, industrial action and service reductions, as well as poor reliability. These issues also contributed to FirstGroup being replaced by the Government-run Operator of Last Resort (OLR) on May 28.
Further problems were encountered in June, when body abnormalities were discovered on two sets during routine inspections (RAIL 987), requiring frequent checks on the rest of the fleet and the withdrawal of the affected vehicles.
Currently just five ‘Nova 3’ diagrams are booked to operate on Monday-Saturday on the Liverpool-Manchester-York-Scarborough corridor, although even these are often worked by other trains or cancelled.
After a brief spell with sporadic ‘Nova 3’ operation, South Trans-Pennine services have already reverted fully to Class 185 operation.
From December 10, Class 802/2s will work all Newcastle-Liverpool and some Scarborough-York trains (the latter shared with Class 185s), while Class 185 diesel multiple units will work all Saltburn-Manchester Airport, Hull-Manchester, and Manchester-Huddersfield ‘stoppers’. The York-Scarborough line will continue to be worked largely as a shuttle service with only limited through trains west of York.
TPE use
