RAIL users can watch a video of the new state-of-the-art trains due to serve Worcester and Malvern next year.
On-track testing has started on the 26 diesel trains – known in the rail industry as ‘Class 196s’ – operating the Birmingham to Hereford line.
The trains – being built as two and four-car trains – are part of the West Midlands Railway’s £800million investment in the region’s network and will increase capacity on the busy line. Passengers will also have access to power points, WiFi and under-floor heating.
A total of 80 carriages will be constructed under the project with the first batch now being built in Europe by manufacturer CAF.
They will arrive in the UK in the spring with the remaining trains being manufactured at a purpose-built factory in south Wales.
All units will undergo further testing here and in Europe before serving passengers in the second half of 2020.
The video of the first Class 196s – complete with West Midlands Railway branding – being track-tested in Czechia in eastern Europe can be seen by visiting the story on our website and clicking through to the link.
Jane Fisher, transition and projects director for West Midlands Railway, said: “The popularity of rail travel in the West Midlands is continuing to grow at a rapid rate, which is why we have pledged to invest £800m to help us keep up with demand.”
She added it was exciting to see the investment start to come to fruition and she was sure the smart new trains, which also had extra luggage space, would prove popular with passengers.
