UK: Chiltern Railways has signed a 10-year agreement to lease push-pull sets of diesel locomotives and MkVa coaches from Beacon Rail for use on services between London Marylebone and Birmingham.
The 13 five-coach sets of CAF-built MkVa sets which TransPennine Express stopped using in December 2023 are scheduled to enter service with Chiltern Railways in phases from early 2026. Earlier plans to reform the fleet as six-coach sets have been dropped as too costly and complex.
Procurement to replace ageing coaches
The formal announcement of the lease on August 5 follows approval from the Department for Transport.
With the replacement of life-expired MkIII coaches approaching 50 years old becoming increasing necessary, the previous government had asked Chiltern Railways to look at fleets being released by other operators.
Last year Chiltern Railways insiders reported a significant level of frustration over delays to agreeing a way forward with the government.
Class 175 DMUs formerly used by Transport for Wales have gone to GWR, and some East Midlands Railway Class 222 DEMUs are going to Lumo while others are expected to transfer to ScotRail to replace short HST formations. As a result Beacon Rail was the only supplier that could offer rolling stock meeting the requirement for fixed formations of five passenger vehicles able to enter passenger service from March 31 2026 on a turnkey basis.
The supplier will be responsible for procuring preventative and corrective maintenance until December 2026, with Chiltern Railways planning a separate procurement for long-term servicing.
A range of benefits
Chiltern Railways said the coaches would bring a range of benefits, including better accessibility, improved seating, live information screens, quieter running and dedicated luggage and bicycle storage.
They will also allow it to operate additional services from the end of 2026, subject to the usual timetable change approvals.
Hydrotreated vegetable oil
The coaches will operate with Stadler Class 68 diesel locomotives fuelled using hydrotreated vegetable oil produced from foodstuff byproducts and other recycled materials.
Chiltern Railways said it was the first UK passenger train operator to introduce HVO when it powered its current Class 68 locomotives sub-leased from DRS using the fuel from July 2023. It will continue to use HVO to fuel a separate pool of Class 68 locomotives which were modified during construction to work with the MkVa coaches and will be brought into service with Chiltern Railways.
The use of HVO forms part of the Chiltern Railways 2030 Vision to modernise and decarbonise operations. The operator said that as the next step of the 2030 Vision, it is working with DfT, Network Rail and other partners to ‘progress its ambition to replace its oldest diesel trains by delivering electrification on parts of the network’.
Amanda Furlong, Managing Director UK Trains at Chiltern’s parent company Arriva Group, said ‘upgrading our fleet is a vital next step in Chiltern’s modernisation plans and an important part of Arriva’s wider ambition to support the transition to more sustainable rail travel across the UK and Europe’.
