British Rail Mark 5A
TransPennine Express Mk5A set at Lancaster
In service24 August 2019 – 10 December 2023[1]
ManufacturerCAF
Built atBeasain[2]
Constructed2017–2018
Number built66
Successor
Capacity291 seats (261 standard, 30 first class)[4]
OwnersBeacon Rail[5]
OperatorsTransPennine Express
DepotsLongsight (Manchester)[6]
Lines servedNorth Pennine[7]
Specifications
Car body constructionFully integral aluminium monocoque
Car length
  • 22.2 m (72 ft 10 in) (intermediate trailer)
  • 22.37 m (73 ft 5 in) (driving trailer)[8]
Width2.75 m (9 ft 0 in)
DoorsSliding plug, at body ends
Maximum speed125 mph (201 km/h)[8]
Weightmax. tare 43 t (42 long tons; 47 short tons)
Braking system(s)Cheek mounted discs
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Notes/references
Transpennine Express passenger cars

The British Rail Mark 5A is a type of railway vehicle in use in the UK. 52 standard carriages and 14 driving trailers were built by Spanish manufacturer CAF, and were operated by TransPennine Express.[9][1] They first entered service on 24 August 2019.

Description

TPE set of Class 68 with Mark 5 coaches on a test run.

TransPennine Express announced in 2016 that they were to procure 126 new vehicles from CAF, which included 66 Mark 5A locomotive-hauled coaches. They would be formed into thirteen 5-carriage sets, hauled by Class 68 locomotives. This equates to 65 coaches for total service, with the 66th coach being a spare Driving Trailer.[10] Each set is composed of 1 first class carriage with guard's area and catering provision, 1 standard class carriage with PRM toilet, 2 standard class carriages and a standard class Driving Trailer (DT).

In October 2016, production started on these coaches,[11] and in March 2017, CAF and TPE released a photo of the first completed bodyshell.[12] The first completed rake was sent for testing at Velim test centre in March 2018,[13] the second set being delivered straight to the UK in May 2018 via Portbury ahead of their planned entry into service in the autumn of that year.[14][15] In April 2019, the first Nova 3 set was officially handed over from CAF to TPE, after a mandatory period of fault-free running.[16]

TransPennine Express have branded their new trains under the general name Nova, with the Class 68 + Mark 5A combination given the name Nova 3.[17]

Operation

The sets were initially to be used on services between Liverpool Lime Street and Scarborough as well as between Manchester Airport and Saltburn.[18] The first set entered service between Liverpool and Scarborough on 24 August 2019.[19]

The Nova 3 was officially launched on 22 November 2019 at Liverpool Lime Street station alongside other members of the new Nova fleet.[20]

By 2022, four sets were in use daily, making them the most underutilised fleets of passenger stock in the country at five years old.[21] In 2023, faults were discovered in some Mark 5A coaches, including cracks on a number of coaches.[22] Soon afterwards, TransPennine Express announced plans to withdraw their Mark 5A fleet from the December 2023 timetable revision;[1][3][23] however the sets are still leased by TPE until May 2024, and remain in storage.[24]

References

  1. ^ a b c "TPE says farewell to Class 68s". Rail Magazine. No. 999. 27 December 2023. p. 8.
  2. ^ "Countdown to New Trains Begins - First TransPennine Express". www.tpexpress.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  3. ^ a b Clinnick, Richard (October 2023). "TPE confirms Nova 3 withdrawal plan". Rail Express. No. 329. p. 8.
  4. ^ "TPE Nova 3". www.tpexpress.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 April 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Class 68s removed from TPE's southern route". Railways Illustrated. No. 248. October 2023. p. 9.
  6. ^ Dunn, Pip (13 December 2023). "The lights are going out on TPE's use of Class 68s". Rail Magazine. No. 998. pp. 16–17.
  7. ^ "TPE tells staff loco-hauled MK.5 sets will end this year". The Railway Magazine. No. September 2023. p. 25.
  8. ^ a b "First Group Transpennine Passenger Cars". CAF. Archived from the original on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  9. ^ Pritchard, Robert (March 2017). "Rolling Stock Update". Today's Railways. No. 183. pp. 38–43.
  10. ^ Clinnick, Richard (25 April 2018). "Testing...testing...". Rail Magazine. No. 851. Peterborough: Bauer Media. p. 62. ISSN 0953-4563.
  11. ^ "TransPennine Express coach production begins". Railway Gazette International. 27 October 2016. Archived from the original on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  12. ^ "CAF and TPE reveal first Mark 5A bodyshell". Global Rail News. 7 March 2017. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  13. ^ "First Trans-Pennine Express Mk 5A coaches head to Velim". 12 March 2018. Archived from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  14. ^ "First TransPennine Express Mk 5As arrive in UK". Rail Magazine. 29 May 2018. Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  15. ^ "First TPE modified Class 68s sent to Spain for initial testing". Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  16. ^ "First TransPennine Express Nova 3 train handed over". Rail Engineer. 13 April 2019. Archived from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  17. ^ "TransPennine Express - Together February 2018". Issuu. 22 February 2018. Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  18. ^ James, Robin (November 2018). "Changing Times at Transpennine Express". Today's Railways UK. No. 203. Sheffield: Platform 5. p. 38. ISSN 1475-9713.
  19. ^ "UK railway news round-up". Railway Gazette International. 29 August 2019. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019.
  20. ^ "TransPennine Express launches Nova fleet". Railway Gazette International. 25 November 2019. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  21. ^ "Trans pennine express diagrams". Railtourinfo.co.uk. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  22. ^ Jones, Ben (12 July 2023). "Discovery of body cracks stops TransPennine MK 5s". Rail Magazine. No. 987. pp. 8–9.
  23. ^ "TransPennine Express to stop using loco-hauled push-pull trains in December". Railway Gazette International. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  24. ^ "Class 68s and nova 3's [sic] to remain leased by transpennine express until may 2024". Railways Illustrated. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
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