British Rail Mark 5A

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British Rail Mark 5A
TP02 at Lancaster - mk5a set.jpg
TransPennine Express Mk5A set at Lancaster
In service24 August 2019 –10 December 2023 [1]
Manufacturer CAF
Built at Beasain [2]
Constructed2017–2018
Number built66
Successor
Capacity291 seats (261 standard, 30 first class) [4]
Owners Beacon Rail [5]
Operators TransPennine Express
Depots Longsight (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 gauge 1,435 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 [9] [1] They first entered service on 24 August 2019, with the last set being withdrawn with the timetable change occurring on 10 December 2023.

Contents

Description

TPE set of Class 68 with Mark 5 coaches on a test run. TPE68, Northants Loop, Apr19.jpg
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]

Summary and numbering [18]
TypeSeatsBuilderNumbers
Open First30CAF Beasain 2017–1811501–13
Open Standard69 or 59 + 6 tip-upCAF Beasain 2017–1812701–39
Driving Open Brake Standard64CAF Irun 2017–1812801–14

Operation

The sets were initially to be used on services between Liverpool Lime Street and Scarborough as well as between Manchester Airport and Saltburn. [19] The first set entered service between Liverpool and Scarborough on 24 August 2019. [20]

The Nova 3 was officially launched on 22 November 2019 at Liverpool Lime Street station alongside other members of the new Nova fleet. [21]

By 2022, four sets were in use daily, making them the most underutilised fleets of passenger stock in the country at five years old. [22] In 2023, faults were discovered in some Mark 5A coaches, including cracks on a number of coaches. [23] Soon afterwards, TransPennine Express announced plans to withdraw their Mark 5A fleet from the December 2023 timetable revision; [1] [3] [24] however the sets were still leased by TPE until May 2024, and now remain in storage. [25]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "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. 1 2 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. 1 2 "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. ↑ Pritchard, Robert (2024). British Railways Pocket Book No. 2: Coaching Stock 2025 (49th ed.). Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing. pp. 54, 58. ISBN   978-1-915984-23-4.
  19. ↑ James, Robin (November 2018). "Changing Times at Transpennine Express". Today's Railways UK. No. 203. Sheffield: Platform 5. p. 38. ISSN   1475-9713.
  20. ↑ "UK railway news round-up". Railway Gazette International. 29 August 2019. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019.
  21. ↑ "TransPennine Express launches Nova fleet". Railway Gazette International. 25 November 2019. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  22. ↑ "Trans pennine express diagrams". Railtourinfo.co.uk. 13 April 2022. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  23. ↑ Jones, Ben (12 July 2023). "Discovery of body cracks stops TransPennine MK 5s". Rail Magazine . No. 987. pp. 8–9.
  24. ↑ "TransPennine Express to stop using loco-hauled push-pull trains in December". Railway Gazette International. 30 August 2023. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  25. ↑ "Class 68s and nova 3's [sic] to remain leased by transpennine express until may 2024" . Railways Illustrated. 5 December 2023. Archived from the original on 24 December 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
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