This is the age of the train, as the orr releases its newest and oldest passenger fleet table

The introduction of the Class 777 fleet onto Merseyrail has seen the operator’s average fleet age almost halve, as the new units replace the BR-built Class 507 and 508 electric multiple units, with the average age set to reduce further next year as more of the new trains come on stream. Pioneer Stadler-built 777001 stands at Moorfields station on July 22, 2023, having arrived with a service from Ormskirk. Kevin Delaney

THE OFFICE of Rail and Road has published its annual data on the average fleet age across UK train operating companies, with open access operator Lumo retaining its crown for operating the youngest fleet.

Lumo’s place – tabling an average fleet age of 1.8 years, as of March 31, 2023, when the survey was taken – is mainly due to the small overall fleet size operated by the East Coast Main Line company, comprising five Hitachibuilt Class 803 electric multiple units (803001-005) which entered service on the ECML in late 2021.

Another ECML open access operator with a relatively young fleet is Hull Trains, which also only has five Hitachi-built Class 802 Paragon units (802301-305) for its services, these units having entered service in December 2019.

The dubious honour of operating the oldest fleet now falls to Chiltern Railways, with an average fleet age of 29.9 years. Chiltern has recently announced plans to procure new trains to replace its 39-strong Class 165 diesel multiple unit fleet, which are now more than 30 years old (Railways Illustrated issue 247). The operator is also seeking to reduce its reliance on diesel traction due to environmental and emission considerations.

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