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Bombardier Voyager | |
---|---|
In service | 2001–present |
Manufacturer | Bombardier Transportation |
Built at | Bruges, Belgium and Horbury railway works, Wakefield |
Constructed | 2000–2005 |
Number built | 105 sets |
Owners |
|
Operators | Avanti West Coast CrossCountry East Midlands Railway Grand Central |
Specifications | |
Car body construction | Steel |
Car length | 23.85 m (78 ft 3 in) end cars 22.82 m (74 ft 10 in) other |
Width | 2.73 m (8 ft 11 in) |
Maximum speed | 125 mph (200 km/h) |
Prime mover(s) | Cummins QSK19 19-litre 6-cylinder turbo-Diesel |
Power output | 750 hp (560 kW) per car |
Braking system(s) | Rheostatic and electro-pneumatic |
Safety system(s) | AWS, TPWS |
Coupling system | Dellner 12 [2] |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
The Bombardier Voyager is a family of high-speed 125 mph diesel-electric multiple units built in Belgium by Bombardier Transportation, for service on the railway network of the United Kingdom. Construction of the Voyager family took place between 2000 and 2005, consisting of three classes - the Class 220 Voyager (currently operated by CrossCountry), the Class 221 Super Voyager (currently operated by Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry and Grand Central) and the Class 222 Meridian (currently operated by East Midlands Railway).
Bombardier Voyagers are used on various intercity services throughout Great Britain, including the longest direct rail service in the United Kingdom, which is a CrossCountry service from Aberdeen to Penzance that takes over 13 hours to complete.
The Class 220 Voyager DEMUs were built to operate Cross Country intercity services. Virgin CrossCountry received 34 four-car sets in 2000/01. [3] All passed with the CrossCountry franchise to Arriva CrossCountry in November 2007. [4]
The Class 221 Super Voyager DEMUs were built as a tilting version of the Class 220. Although visually similar, they were fitted with a tilting mechanism and heavier bogies. Virgin CrossCountry received 40 five-car and four four-car sets. [5] All passed with the CrossCountry franchise to Arriva CrossCountry in November 2007. [4]
With the removal of West Coast Main Line services from the CrossCountry franchise in December 2007, 16 were transferred to Virgin Trains West Coast for use on InterCity West Coast services. [6] A further five moved from CrossCountry to Virgin Trains West Coast in December 2008. CrossCountry removed the tilting equipment from its Class 221s to improve reliability and lower cost of maintenance. [7]
On 8 December 2019, all of the West Coast sets passed to Avanti West Coast, the new operator of the West Coast Partnership franchise.
Avanti West Coast sent two of their Class 221 Super Voyagers off lease in 2022. [8]
In 2023 Grand Central leased the above two sets to operate services between London Kings Cross and Bradford, [9] with the first of these two units entering service in later that year. [10]
The Class 222 Meridian DEMUs are broadly similar to the original Voyager units, but feature a number of reliability improvements and different internal layout.
The Class 222 was built in the light of experience gained with the 220 and 221 units; in particular, many more components were installed under the floor so as to increase space for passengers. Twenty-seven sets were built:
Class | Image | Operator | Type | Number | Carriages | Built |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Class 220 | CrossCountry | DEMU | 34 | 4 | 2000-01 | |
Class 221 | DEMU | 4 | 4 | 2001-02 | ||
20 | 5 | |||||
Avanti West Coast | DEMU | 18 | 5 | 2001-02 | ||
Grand Central | 2 [9] | 5 | 2001-02 | |||
Class 222 | East Midlands Railway | 23 | 5 | 2003-05 | ||
4 | 7 | |||||
Avanti West Coast's Class 221 units will be replaced by the Class 805 [17] and Class 807, while all Class 222 units are scheduled to be replaced by the Class 810 [18] by 2024-2025.
In 2010 Bombardier proposed the conversion of several Voyager multiple units into hybrid electric and diesel vehicles capable of taking power from an overhead pantograph (electro-diesels EDMUs). The proposal was named Project Thor. [26]
In October 2010 it was speculated that 21 additional pantograph vehicles would be manufactured at Derby Litchurch Lane Works, and 21 sets converted, at a cost of approximately £300million, [27] however in 2011 the plant did not have the facilities to manufacture steel carriages, [28] though it was expected that much of the work would take place in the UK, and provide work for the Derby plant. [29] In December 2011 a proposal to electrify 30-35 sets for the CrossCountry franchise, referred to as "eVoyager", was considered by the Department for Transport. [30]
Midland Mainline was a train operating company in the United Kingdom that operated the Midland Main Line franchise between April 1996 and November 2007. It was owned by the British transport company National Express.
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest mixed-traffic railway routes in Europe, carrying a mixture of intercity rail, regional rail, commuter rail and rail freight traffic. The core route of the WCML runs from London to Glasgow for 400 miles (644 km) and was opened from 1837 to 1881. With additional lines deviating to Northampton, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh, this totals a route mileage of 700 miles (1,127 km). The Glasgow–Edinburgh via Carstairs line connects the WCML to Edinburgh. However, the main London–Edinburgh route is the East Coast Main Line. Several sections of the WCML form part of the suburban railway systems in London, Coventry, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, with many more smaller commuter stations, as well as providing links to more rural towns.
Virgin Trains (VT) was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Virgin Rail Group, a joint venture between Virgin Group and Stagecoach, which operated the InterCity West Coast franchise from 9 March 1997 to 7 December 2019. The franchise covered long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and southern Scotland, consequently connecting six of the UK's largest cities: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh, which have a combined metropolitan population of over 18 million. It had around 3,400 employees in 2015.
The InterCity 125 or High Speed Train (HST) is a diesel-powered high-speed passenger train built by British Rail Engineering Limited between 1975 and 1982. A total of 95 sets were produced, each comprising two Class 43 power cars, one at each end, and a rake of seven or eight Mark 3 coaches. The name is derived from its top operational speed of 125 mph (201 km/h). At times, the sets have been classified as British Rail Classes 253, 254 and 255.
The British Rail Mark 4 is a class of passenger carriages built for use in InterCity 225 sets on the East Coast Main Line between King's Cross, Leeds and Edinburgh. Withdrawals began in 2019, with some being sold for further use with Transport for Wales between Cardiff and Holyhead.
Virgin CrossCountry was a train operating company in the United Kingdom that operated the InterCity CrossCountry passenger franchise from January 1997 until November 2007. Along with the InterCity West Coast franchise held by a separate legal entity, the company traded under the Virgin Trains brand.
The British Rail Class 390 Pendolino is a type of electric high-speed passenger train operated by Avanti West Coast in the United Kingdom, leased from Angel Trains. They are electric multiple units using Fiat Ferroviaria's tilting train Pendolino technology and built by Alstom.
The British Rail Class 222 Meridian is a group of 5- or 7- car diesel-electric multiple-unit high-speed passenger train capable of 125 mph (200 km/h). Twenty-seven sets were built by Bombardier Transportation in Bruges, Belgium.
The British Rail Class 220 Voyager is a class of diesel-electric high-speed multiple unit passenger trains built in Belgium by Bombardier Transportation in 2000 and 2001. They were introduced in 2001 to replace the 20-year-old InterCity 125 and almost 40-year-old Class 47-hauled Mark 2 fleets operating on the Cross Country Route. They were initially operated by Virgin CrossCountry and since 2007 have been operated by CrossCountry.
The British Rail Class 221 Super Voyager is a class of tilting diesel-electric multiple unit express passenger trains built in Bruges, Belgium and Wakefield, by Bombardier Transportation in 2001–02.
The British Rail Class 43 (HST) is the TOPS classification used for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train diesel-electric power cars, built by British Rail Engineering Limited from 1975 to 1982, and in service in the UK since 1976.
The Glasgow–Edinburgh via Carstairs line is a main railway route which connects the Scottish cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, by means of their respective sections of the West Coast Main Line (WCML).
CrossCountry is a British train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the current CrossCountry franchise.
East Midlands Trains (EMT) was a British train operating company owned by the transport group Stagecoach, which operated the East Midlands franchise between November 2007 and August 2019.
Central Rivers TMD is a railway maintenance depot, located in Barton-under-Needwood, 4 miles (6 km) south-west of Burton on Trent, England. It was built by Bombardier Transportation as the central maintenance facility for the Class 220 and 221 Voyagers then being delivered to Virgin CrossCountry. It came into operation on 8 September 2001. The nearest railway station is Burton on Trent.
Diesel multiple units and railcars are trains, usually with passenger accommodation, that do not require a locomotive. Railcars can be single cars, while in multiple units cars are marshalled together with a driving position either end. As of December 2010, 23 percent of the rail passenger cars used on Network Rail are part of a diesel multiple unit.
The Birmingham station group is a station group of three railway stations in Birmingham city centre, consisting of New Street, Moor Street, and Snow Hill. The station group is printed on national railway tickets as BIRMINGHAM STNS and does not include the international station of Birmingham International, which is located some 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) east of the city centre next to Birmingham Airport and National Exhibition Centre.
Avanti West Coast is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership.
The British Rail Class 805 Evero is a type of bi-mode multiple unit built by Hitachi Rail for Avanti West Coast. Based on the Hitachi A-train design, 13 five-car units were built to replace Class 221s on services between London Euston, Birmingham New Street and stations on the North Wales Coast lines. Their introduction will allow the elimination of long-distance diesel working on electrified routes.
Virgin Trains is a prospective open access operator proposing to operate services on the West Coast Main Line between London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Rochdale and Glasgow.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Project Thor, being developed with a number of UK private sector partners, would see 500 existing diesel multiple unit vehicles converted to bi-mode diesel / electric capability, allowing them to operate as electric trains where there is already electrification infrastructure in place, continuing their journey in diesel mode where the wires end.