Traction News
Class 730/0s built by Alstom will enter traffic on London Northwestern Railway services between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central from the autumn.
West Midlands Trains ordered 36 three-car electric multiple units from Alstom – later amended to 48 trains – for use on its cross-city services in Birmingham, which are operated by West Midlands Railway.
However, WMT will put the trains into traffic initially on its London Northwestern Railway operations to replace seven four-car Class 319s that remain in service. The leases on these EMUs have recently been extended until September, however, WMT engineering director John Doughty told Railways Illustrated that the veteran EMUs would soon require a major overhaul that could not be justified, when speaking at a Class 730 preview event at Milton Keynes Central on June 30. LNR’s fleet of Class 319s recently shrank, with the withdrawal and scrapping of 319012 and 319429 at the end of June.
The Class 730/0s will retain their WMR livery but will receive LNR branding. They will operate in pairs, and Mr Doughty explained that while a six-car Class 730/0 formation will have fewer seats than an eight-car 319, the overall capacity, including standing passengers, will be higher. Eventually, LNR will introduce five-car Class 730/1s on selected routes.
Mr Doughty also explained that driver training on the final WMR Class 196 routes meant that any training on the Class 730s in the area would stretch driver capacity and affect timetabled services.
As of June 30, WMR had accepted 25 of the 48 new trains. They were ordered to replace the Class 323s and 350s which operate in the West Midlands. A total of 17 of WMR’s 23 Class 323s are destined for Northern and are already being sub-leased back to WMR, with some having received the digital refurbishment required for the Northern’s fleet.
The Class 730/0s have a 90mph maximum speed and feature 199 seats. Each set can carry three bicycles, is fitted with table
