Bombardier Voyager family
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The Voyager series is a group of high speed diesel electric multiple unit trains built by Bombardier Transportation in service on the UK railway network. The trains are among the most modern currently in operation, and are in service on many intercity routes around Great Britain. There are currently three types in service with various TOCs.
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[edit] Variants
[edit] Voyager
The Class 220 and 221 DMUs were given the brand name Voyager upon their entry into service
[edit] Class 220
The Class 220 Voyager was built as the new rolling stock to operate intercity services that do not terminate in London, but instead operate on what is known as the Cross Country Route. 34 four-car sets were built to be operated by Virgin Trains between 2001 and 2003. With Virgin's loss of the Cross Country franchise, these were all transferred to the new operator CrossCountry in November 2007.
[edit] Class 221
The Class 221 Super Voyager was built as an improved version of the Class 220. Although broadly identical, these trains have five cars instead of four, and have been fitted with a tilting mechanism similar to that on the Class 390 EMU. 44 sets were constructed for use by Virgin Trains; of these, 23 have been transferred to CrossCountry with the remaining 21 being retained by Virgin, which will be used on parts of their West Coast franchise. Ironically, none of the CrossCountry class 221s now use the tilting mechanism since the services were withdrawn from the West Coast Main Line.
[edit] Meridian/Pioneer
The Class 222 DMUs are broadly similar to the original Voyager units, but feature a number of reliability improvements
[edit] Class 222
The Class 222 was constructed using lessons learned from the 220 and 221 units in regard to the interior, specifically in regard to installing many more components under the floor of the carriages, thereby increasing space for the passengers. A total of 27 sets were constructed initially:
- East Midlands Trains - Midland Mainline ordered 23 sets, which it named as Meridians to enter service in 2004 replacing the Turbostar trains previously used. 17 sets are five car formations used for stopping services. The remaining six sets are formed of seven cars, and are used on services between London and Nottingham to supplement MML's High Speed Trains. All of Midland Mainline's units were transferred to the new franchise holder East Midlands Trains in November 2007.
- Hull Trains - Hull Trains obtained four 4-car Class 222 units in 2005 to replace the Turbostars that provided its initial services, which it named as Pioneers. These units are slightly different internally from the Meridian trains.
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