British Rail Class 897

British Rail Class 897 Civity
Artist's impression of the Class 897
In service	2027 (planned)[ citation needed ]
Manufacturer	CAF
Built at	Spain Newport, Wales
Family name	Civity
Replaced	InterCity 225
Number under construction	10
Formation	10 cars per unit
Owners	Porterbrook
Operators	London North Eastern Railway
Depots	Neville Hill
Lines served	East Coast Main Line
Specifications
Electric system(s)	25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead
Current collection	Pantograph
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The British Rail Class 897 Civity is a type of tri-mode electro-diesel multiple unit to be manufactured by CAF for London North Eastern Railway. Ten ten-car units will be built.

History

In 2013, the Department for Transport ordered 30 Class 801s to replace the same number of InterCity 225s on East Coast Main Line services. ^[1] However after Virgin Trains East Coast was awarded the InterCity East Coast franchise in 2015 with a commitment to introduce extra services, some InterCity 225s were retained. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

In October 2020, London North Eastern Railway (LNER) issued a tender for 10 electro-diesel multiple units to replace its remaining InterCity 225s. ^[5] In November 2023, LNER placed an order with CAF for ten ten-carriage sets to be built on its Civity platform. The first two will be built in Spain, the other eight at Newport. ^{[6] [7]}

The trains will be able to run on 25 kV 50 Hz electrification, battery and diesel power. ^{[7] [8]} They will be maintained at Neville Hill TMD. ^[7]

See also

• British Rail Class 195 – A diesel multiple unit variant of the CAF Civity UK platform built for Northern.
• British Rail Class 196 – A diesel multiple unit variant of the CAF Civity UK platform built for West Midlands Trains.
• British Rail Class 197 – A diesel multiple unit variant of the CAF Civity UK platform built for Transport for Wales Rail.
• British Rail Class 331 – An electric multiple unit variant of the CAF Civity UK platform built for Northern.
• British Rail Class 397 – An electric multiple unit variant of the CAF Civity UK platform built for TransPennine Express.

References

1. "IEP order to replace Mark 4s". Today's Railways UK . No. 141. September 2013. p. 8.
2. "Stagecoach/Virgin bid wins East Coast franchise". The Railway Magazine . No. 1366. January 2015. p. 6.
3. "VTEC's first HST in vinyl-based red enters traffic". Rail Magazine . No. 778. 8 July 2015. p. 30.
4. "VTEC and FirstGroup granted East Coast Main Line access". Railway Gazette International . 12 May 2016.
5. Ford, Roger (February 2021). "LNER Procurement - Welcome to the '80s". Informed Sources. Modern Railways . Vol. 78, no. 869. p. 26.
6. "LNER orders 10 tri-mode trains from CAF". International Railway Journal . 9 November 2023.
7. "LNER CAF fleet to be Class 897". Rail Express . No. 340. September 2024. p. 14.
8. "First Tri-Mode Long Distance Trains For The East Coast Main Line". London North Eastern Railway . Retrieved 13 August 2024.