British Rail Class 397
Class of electric multiple unit built by Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The British Rail Class 397 Civity[7] is a class of electric multiple unit built by Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF for lease to TransPennine Express by Eversholt Rail Group.[8] A total of twelve five-car units were built to operate services on TransPennine North West services between Liverpool Lime Street/Manchester Airport and Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central.[9][10]
| British Rail Class 397 Civity | |
|---|---|
Class 397 at Wigan North Western in April 2019 | |
 Standard-class interior of a Class 397 unit | |
| Stock type | Electric multiple unit |
| In service | 30 November 2019 – present |
| Manufacturer | CAF |
| Built at | Beasain, Spain[1] |
| Family name | Civity |
| Replaced | Class 350/4 |
| Constructed | 2017–2019 |
| Number built | 12 |
| Number in service | 12 |
| Formation | 5 cars per unit: DMFLW-PTS1-MSL-PTS2-DMSL |
| Fleet numbers | 397001–397012 |
| Capacity | 286 seats (22 first-class, 264 standard)[2] |
| Owners | Eversholt Rail Group |
| Operators |
|
| Depots | |
| Lines served | West Coast Main Line |
| Specifications | |
| Train length | 118 m (387 ft 2 in)[3] |
| Car length |
|
| Doors | Single-leaf sliding plug (2 per side per car) |
| Wheel diameter | 780–710 mm (31–28 in) (new-worn)[4] |
| Maximum speed | 125 mph (200 km/h) |
| Traction system | CAF Power IGBT–VVVF |
| Gear ratio | 4.707 : 1 (2-stage reduction)[4] |
| Acceleration | 0.92 m/s2 (3.0 ft/s2) |
| Electric system(s) | 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead |
| Current collection | Pantograph |
| Braking system(s) | Electro-pneumatic (disc) and regenerative |
| Safety system(s) | |
| Coupling system | Dellner |
| Multiple working | Within class, but not yet authorised[a] |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Notes/references | |
| Sourced from [6] unless otherwise noted. | |
TransPennine Express has branded all of their new fleet under the general name Nova, with the Class 397 units branded as Nova 2.[8] The first unit entered service on 30 November 2019.[11]
History
The announcement of new trains was made by FirstGroup when it was confirmed that they would become the next operator of the TransPennine Express franchise from 1 April 2016.[12] In May 2016 it was announced by TransPennine Express that they had ordered 12 five-car electric multiple units from CAF to replace the fleet of ten four-car Class 350/4 Desiro units which previously operated TransPennine Express services between Liverpool, Manchester and Scotland.[9]
Testing of the first set began at the Velim railway test circuit in July 2018.[2]
An option for up to 22 extra units was available to TransPennine Express, but it was not exercised.[13]
In May 2023, 397011 received special Eurovision branding to celebrate the event taking place in Liverpool.[14]
Operation
The Nova 2 was launched officially by TPE at Liverpool Lime Street with other members of the Nova fleet.[15] The first unit entered passenger service on 30 November 2019.
Fleet details
| Class | Operator | Quantity | Year built | Cars per unit | Unit nos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 397 | TransPennine Express | 12 | 2017–2019 | 5 | 397001–397012 |
The units were designed as an intercity train. This included the addition of single doors at the ends of the coach, a maximum speed of 125 mph (201 km/h) and first class with catering provision from the on-board galley kitchen. Wi-Fi and seat reservations are also available on the train. These trains were also awarded the Golden Spanner Award for maintenance reliability.[6]
Named trains
| Unit number | Date | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 397011 | 3 May 2023 | Eurovision 2023 / Welcome to Liverpool[16] |
Livery illustration
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 897 – A tri-mode multiple unit variant of the CAF Civity UK platform to be built for London North Eastern Railway.
Notes
- The authorisation granted in July 2019 permitted single-unit operation only, until such time as testing of pantograph performance in trains of more than one unit confirmed compliance with the relevant Technical Specifications for Interoperability.[5]
