British Rail Class 197

The British Rail Class 197[1] is a class of diesel multiple unit passenger train being built for Transport for Wales by CAF, based on its Civity platform. A total of 77 units are to be built, split into 51 two-car units and 26 three-car units.[8]

British Rail Class 197 Civity
Unit 197101 on test at Llandudno Junction in October 2021
In servicePlanned for 2022[1]
ManufacturerCAF
Built at
Family nameCivity
Replaced
Constructed2020 – present[2]
Formation2 or 3 cars per unit[3]
Capacity
  • 2-car: 116 seats
  • 3-car one-class: 188 seats
  • 3-car two-class: 174 seats
  • (16 first-class, 158 standard)[4]
Operator(s)Transport for Wales Rail
Depot(s)
Specifications
Train length
  • 2-car: 48.05 m (157 ft 8 in)
  • 3-car: 71.40 m (234 ft 3 in)[5]
Car length
  • DM cars: 24.03 m (78 ft 10 in)
  • MSL cars: 23.35 m (76 ft 7 in)[4]
Doors
  • Double-leaf sliding plug
  • (2 per side per car)[4]
Maximum speed100 mph (161 km/h)
Prime mover(s)
Engine typeTurbo-diesel
Cylinder count6
Power output
  • 375 kW (503 hp) per engine
  • 2-car: 750 kW (1,010 hp)
  • 3-car: 1,125 kW (1,509 hp)
TransmissionHydromechanical (ZF EcoLife) [note 1][6]
Braking system(s)
Safety system(s)
Coupling systemDellner
Multiple workingWithin class
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The new units will be used to replace Class 158 and Class 175 trains on various regional and regional express routes that form part of the Wales & Borders rail franchise, such as the Cambrian lines. They are also expected to replace Class 150 and 153 units on the Conwy Valley line, and to allow extension of services between Liverpool Lime Street to Chester into both north and south Wales.

History

Operator KeolisAmey Wales took over the Wales & Borders franchise in October 2018. As part of their franchise award KeolisAmey were required to fully replace the various fleets of trains used to operate the franchise, several of which had originally been inherited from British Rail.[9] Orders were placed with a number of manufacturers for new units, including one for 77 new Civity-family DMUs to be built by Spanish firm Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles. These would be based on the Class 195 units CAF had started delivering to Arriva Rail North earlier in 2018, and would similarly be assembled at CAF's new factory in Newport.[10] Entry into service was expected between 2021 and 2023.[10] Unlike Class 195 units, however, the TfW-ordered DMUs will have gangway connections at their ends allowing passengers and crew to move freely between coupled units.

The Class 197 designation was assigned in December 2019, and on 14 April 2021 the first completed train—a two-car unit numbered 197001—arrived at Crewe for commissioning.[11][12] Testing began soon thereafter.[13]

Fleet details
Class Operator Number Year built Cars Unit nos. Notes
Class 197 Transport for Wales Rail 30 2020– 2
  • 197001–197021,
  • 197042–197051[14]
 Without ETCS
21 TBC With ETCS
12 3 197101–197112[14] Without first class
14 TBC With first class

Variants

The order for the fleet is divided into four variants, planned to be as follows:[14]

  • 30 units formed of two cars (DMSL-DMS) with standard-class seating only, without ETCS;
  • 21 units formed of two cars (DMSL-DMS) with standard-class seating only, with ETCS;[note 2]
  • 12 units formed of three cars (DMSL-MSL-DMS) with standard-class seating only, without ETCS;[14]
  • 14 units formed of three cars (DMSL-MSL-DMC) with a small section of first-class seating in the DMC car, without ETCS. These are primarily intended for use between Swansea and Manchester.[4]

Two-car units will be able to run in multiple with up to three other two-car units, while three-car units will be able to run in multiple with up to two other three-car units.[4]

Specification concerns

In January 2020 WalesOnline reported, based on minutes from Transport for Wales board meetings, that TfW had "raised concerns" that the seats specified by KeolisAmey and CAF for the Class 197 order could be considered uncomfortable by passengers. The same model of seat is used on the Class 700 trains employed on Thameslink services in and around London, where some passengers—particularly those making longer journeys—have described them as being like "ironing boards". TfW argued that these would be "unsuitable for long distance journeys", which could last up to three hours on services operated by Class 197 trains, but noted that it did not have a "strong legal argument" to compel KeolisAmey and CAF to change the specification.[16] TfW eventually paid an additional £1.9 million to upgrade to higher-specification Fainsa Sophia seats,[17] although these seats have themselves been the subject of some criticism from passengers of Great Western Railway trains to which they are also fitted.[16][18]

Separately, a passenger advocacy group challenged the fact that TfW had specified only one toilet for each two-car Class 197 units and two for each three-car unit;[17] a reduction from the one-toilet-per-car configuration on TfW's existing long-distance Class 158 and 175 trains.[4] The group also noted that the Rail Delivery Group's industry guideline for inter-urban trains throughout the UK states that there should be at least one toilet per 85 passengers, and a minimum of two toilets per train regardless of passenger capacity; but that two-car 197s would satisfy neither of these recommendations and that three-car 197s could exceed the 85-passengers-per-toilet ratio when near to fully loaded.[17] TfW stated in response that many services would be operated by two-car Class 197s working as pairs, reducing the number of potential single-toilet services.[19]

Liveries
Illustration of a TfW Rail two-car Class 197 unit
Illustration of a TfW Rail three-car Class 197 unit

See also

Notes
  1. Combines a mechanical gearbox with a torque converter and hydraulic retarder.[7]
  2. European Train Control System (ETCS) equipment has been necessary for operation on the Cambrian lines since they were converted to use the European Rail Traffic Management System in late 2010.[15]

References
  1. "🚆 Firstly, the new Wales and Borders diesel trains that will be built here in Wales - the Class 197. These will be in service along our network from 2022.🚆". Archived from the original on 2 December 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  2. "Trains for Wales under construction". Rail Business UK. DVV Media International. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  3. "TFW Class 197s authorised for duty". Rail. No. 950. 9 February 2022. p. 12.
  4. "Table 2B - Rolling Stock Minimum Requirements and Specifications - Sprinter / Rural Service Type" (PDF). Transport for Wales. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  5. "Civity Regional Diesel Trains for Wales and Borders". Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, S.A. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  6. "First Class 197 DMUs for the Wales and Borders Network". Railvolution. Railway Public s.r.o. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  7. "EcoLife Rail - Powershift Transmission". ZF Products for Rail Vehicles. ZF Friedrichshafen AG. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  8. Clinnick, Richard (12 June 2018). "CAF confirmed for new Welsh franchise - all 77 trains to be assembled at Newport". Rail Magazine. Bauer Consumer Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  9. "KeolisAmey reveal new-look Wales trains and services". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  10. Barry, Sion (4 June 2018). "How Wales' railways will be transformed with new stations, trains and jobs through investment worth billions". WalesOnline. Cardiff: Reach plc. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  11. Michel, Julien (4 December 2019). "Transport for Wales: meet the fleet". Railcolor News. Railcolor-Ziemon. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  12. Lissenberg, Ferry (19 April 2021). "DMU for Wales: First CAF Civity diesel train outshopped". Railcolor News. Railcolor-Ziemon. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  13. "First of Class 197 on test for Transport for Wales". Rail. No. 932. 2 June 2021. p. 26.
  14. Fletcher, Steve (13 January 2022). "THE RAILWAYS (INTEROPERABILITY) REGULATIONS 2011, AS AMENDED - Class 197 Dielsel Multiple Units" (PDF). Letter to Paul Simmons (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles). Office of Rail and Road. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  15. "PIONEERING RAIL TECHNOLOGY GETS TESTED IN WALES". Network Rail (Press release). 12 February 2010. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  16. Clark, Rhodri (12 January 2020). "Taxpayers to pay £2m for better seats on Wales' new trains". WalesOnline. Reach plc. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  17. Clark, Rhodri (23 April 2020). "Concern about '197' interior spec". Modern Railways. Key Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  18. Barry, Sion (7 June 2021). "South Wales to Manchester rail services getting train quality upgrade with first class options". BusinessLive. Reach plc. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  19. "Transport for Wales defend new Welshpool trains". MyWelshpool. MyTownMedia. 8 August 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
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