British Rail Class 175
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| British Rail Class 175 "Coradia" | |
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 Class 175, no. 175002 at Llandudno Junction on 18th April 2008 |
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| In service | 2000 - Present |
| Manufacturer | Alstom |
| Family name | Coradia |
| Number built | 27 trainsets |
| Formation | 2 / 3 cars per trainset |
| Operator | Arriva Trains Wales |
| Specifications | |
| Maximum speed | 100mph |
| Weight | 144.14 t |
| Engine | Cummins N14 diesel - 450 hp, 2100 rpm |
| Transmission | Voith T211 and ZF Voith final drive |
| Gauge | 1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) |
| Braking system | Friction/Hydrodynamic |
| Safety systems | AWS, TPWS |
The Class 175 ‘Coradia’ is a model of diesel multiple unit passenger train used in the United Kingdom. They were built from 1999–2001 by Alstom at Washwood Heath in Birmingham. The fleet is currently based at Chester Depot.
They were originally built for First North Western, but the fleet has since been transferred to Arriva Trains Wales. For a brief period, units were also sub-leased to TransPennine Express.
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[edit] Description
Eleven two-carriage and sixteen three-carriage units were built for First North Western to allow retirement of elderly Class 101 ‘heritage’ DMUs and as replacement of locomotive-hauled trains to Bangor and Holyhead.
The two-carriage units are numbered 175 001–011, with individual carriages numbered 50701–50711 and 79701–79711. The three-carriage units are numbered 175 101–116, with individual carriages numbered 50751–50766, 56751–56766 and 79751–79766.
They are part of the Coradia family along with the Class 180.
[edit] Operations
[edit] First North Western
First North Western originally operated the Class 175s, from 2000 until the franchise renewal in 2003. The units were used on the Birmingham/Crewe to Holyhead services along with the Manchester Airport to Blackpool/Cumbria services (now operated by TransPennine Express). Three-carriage 175s also operated the trains between Manchester and Llandundno via Warrington and ran one morning peak service between Chester and Manchester via Altrincham (arriving at 8:20 and then formed the 8:20 service to Llandundno). That service has since been replaced by a 142 Pacer terminating at Manchester Piccadilly and is now seriously overcrowded.
In 2003, the rolling stock transferred to the Wales and Border franchise and subsequently Arriva Trains Wales. However, under a contractual agreement, 11 units were leased back daily from Arriva Trains Wales to First North Western and then later to Transpennine Express until mid-December 2006, for use on the Manchester Airport to Blackpool and Cumbria services. The contract then expired and Class 185s have since operated all services from Manchester Airport to Cumbria and Blackpool.
The morning service between Chester and Manchester via Altrincham, mentioned above, continued to be operated by a 175, despite being a First North Western route, until December 2004. At the same time First North Western trains operated some morning trains between Manchester and Chester via Warrington. The diagrams in operation helped reduce the number of trains making journeys not in service, helped with crowding issues and had other minor advantages and disadvantages.
[edit] Arriva Trains Wales
The entire Class 175 fleet was transferred to Arriva Trains Wales when they took over responsibility for the North Wales Coast Line in 2004, even though 175s were also used on several other routes.
These units still operate Crewe and Manchester to Bangor, Llandudno, and Holyhead services. However, Arriva Trains Wales now also use them on the Manchester to South Wales service and the Holyhead to Cardiff service and many diagrams to Carmarthen with extensions to Milford Haven
Fourteen daily Class 175 diagrams are now in operation on the Marches services to South Wales from Manchester and Holyhead, whilst ten diagrams are in operation on the North Wales Inter-Urban services between Manchester/Crewe and Chester/North Wales. The 175s no longer work to Birmingham New Street via Stafford, however some units occasionally work to Birmingham, either from Chester or Holyhead via Wrexham and Shrewsbury.
The long term future status of the 175s is unclear, although they are likely to remain centralised in the North Wales/North West England region for the foreseeable future, due to the home depot being at Chester.
Repainting of these units into the standard Arriva Trains Wales scheme has begun,at the Alstom Depot in Oxley, with 175008 painted in a turquoise and white scheme that was referred to as 'ghostly' by enthusiasts[1]. This new scheme was not well received and further repainting returned to the traditional turquoise and cream colours.
As of the 24 April 2008, 175002, 175008, 175010 and 175105 are now in full service in new ATW colours. [2]
[edit] Automated PA System
175s are fitted with an automated PA system. This was initially used when 175s started passenger services in 2000. It included the North Wales routes and the Blackpool/Cumbria routes. After the 175s were fully transferred to Wales in December 2006, Arriva opted to not use this for some time due to the amount of times it went wrong. However, not using it meant that the LED destinations displays on the front and rear of the train were not illuminated. This meant passengers waiting at stations without PA systems or information screens got confused about whether the train that had arrived is the one they wanted. Arriva reprogrammed the system in 2007 to include the routes that 175s were not originally used on as well as to remove the former Blackpool and Cumbria routes which were no longer needed. The upgrade also included Welsh spellings on the information screens and a further upgrade has since been made to include a chime, signalling the start of an announcement to passengers. The system is now in operation on almost all services.
[edit] Fleet details
| Class | Operator | No. Built | Year Built | Cars per set | Unit nos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 175/0 | Arriva Trains Wales | 11 | 1999-2000 | 2 | 175 001–011 |
| Class 175/1 | Arriva Trains Wales | 16 | 1999-2001 | 3 | 175 101–116 |
[edit] Names
- 175003 - Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru
- 175004 - Mencap - Pengwern College
- 175006 - Brondyffryn Trust
- 175008 - Valhalla Blackpool Pleasure Beach (the name has been removed)
- 175103 - Mum
- 175107 - Coronation St. Rovers Return
- 175111 - Brief Encounter
- 175112 - South Lakes Wild Animal Park - Sumatran Tiger
- 175114 - Manchester 2002 - Commonwealth Cruiser
- 175116 - Peter V L Jones, Community Rail Officer Conwy Valley Line
[edit] References
- ^ North Wales Railway notice board 11 February 2007. Retrieved on 2008-03-25.
- ^ http://www.thejunction.org.uk/flist_175.html thejunction.org.uk Class 175 Status List
[edit] External links
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