British Rail Class 231
The British Rail Class 231[6] is a class of eleven diesel-electric multiple units of the FLIRT family, which have been built for Transport for Wales by Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler Rail. The first units entered service on 18 January 2023.[1]
| British Rail Class 231 FLIRT | |
|---|---|
 Class 231 unit at Lisvane and Thornhill in 2023 | |
.JPG.webp) Interior | |
| In service | 18 January 2023 – present[1] |
| Manufacturer | Stadler Rail |
| Assembly | Stadler Bussnang AG |
| Built at |
|
| Family name | FLIRT |
| Replaced | |
| Constructed | 2021–2022 |
| Number under construction | 11 |
| Formation | 4 cars per unit:[note 1] DMS-TS-PP-TSW-DMS[2] |
| Fleet numbers | 231001–231011 |
| Capacity | 170 seats, plus 36 tip-up & 180 standees |
| Owner(s) | SMBC Leasing[3] |
| Operator(s) | Transport for Wales Rail |
| Depot(s) | Canton (Cardiff) |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Aluminium |
| Train length | 80.7 m (264 ft 9 in) |
| Width |
|
| Height | 3.915 m (12 ft 10.1 in) |
| Floor height | 960 mm (3 ft 2 in) |
| Doors | Double-leaf sliding plug, each 1.300 m (4 ft 3.2 in) wide (total 6 per side) |
| Wheel diameter |
|
| Wheelbase | Bogies: 2.700 m (8 ft 10.3 in) |
| Maximum speed | 90 mph (145 km/h) |
| Traction system | IGBT |
| Prime mover(s) | 4 × turbo-diesel |
| Power output | 1,500 kW (2,000 hp) at wheel |
| Tractive effort | Starting: 160 kN (36,000 lbf) |
| Acceleration | 0.9 m/s2 (2.0 mph/s) |
| UIC classification | Bo′2′2′2′2′Bo′ |
| Safety system(s) | |
| Multiple working | Within class (max. 3 units) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Notes/references | |
| Sourced from [5] unless otherwise noted. | |
History
The previous Wales & Borders rail franchise operator, KeolisAmey Wales ordered the new trains. Although KeolisAmey was removed as the franchise operator and replaced by an operator of last resort Transport for Wales Rail, owned by the Welsh Government, the scheduled full fleet replacement continued.[7][8]
The units began testing in Switzerland in July 2021 and in November 2021 the first two units were delivered to Cardiff Canton depot.[9]
Operators
Transport for Wales
The Class 231 units are currently operating services on the Rhymney Line, though it is expected they will operate services between Maesteg and Cheltenham Spa, and between Cardiff Central and Ebbw Vale Town.
The official revenue launch of the Class 231 took place on 29 March 2023 at Caerphilly.[10]
Technical details
Class 231 units have four passenger vehicles, along with a separate "Power Pack" vehicle at the centre of the unit that contains four diesel generator sets. The diesel generators comply with EU Stage V emissions regulations. All vehicles are linked by unpowered Jacobs bogies, while the outermost bogie at each end of each unit carries the traction motors.[5]
Fleet details
| Subclass | Operator | Qty. | Year built | Passenger cars | Unit nos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 231/0 | Transport for Wales Rail | 11 | 2021–2022 | 4 | 231001–231011[2] |
Vehicle numbering
Individual vehicles are numbered as follows, with the last two digits of each vehicle number matching those of the unit to which the vehicle belongs:[2]
| DMS | TS | PP | TSW | DMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 381001–381011 | 381201–381211 | 381401–381411 | 381301–381311 | 381101–381111 |
European Vehicle Numbers for the fleet are devised by prefixing the domestic vehicle number with type code 95, country code 70, and a leading zero; "95700...".[2]
Illustration
Named units
- Unit 231001 is named Sultan.[11] It was suggested by a local school as part of a competition run by TfW, and is named after a statue at Ystrad Mynach of the pit ponies used in the local coal mines.[10]
Notes
- The Power Pack is technically a fifth vehicle, but as it contains no passenger accommodation it is excluded from the count of passenger cars.
References
- Lee Waters MS [@Amanwy] (18 January 2023). "All aboard!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Fletcher, Steve (27 June 2022). "The Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011, as amended – Stadler Bussnang AG, Class 231/0" (PDF). Letter to Anandarajah Mariadas (Stadler Bussnang AG). London: Office of Rail and Road. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- "Time to take stock as the 'bubble' bursts…". Rail Magazine. No. 989. 9 August 2023. pp. 42–47.
- Bi-Mode Multiple Unit - FLIRT - Greater Anglia, UK (PDF). Bussnang: Stadler Rail Group. 27 August 2018. FEABMU0916e. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- FLIRT Diesel-Electric Multiple Unit - Keolis Amey Operations/Gweithrediadau Keolis Amey Limited, UK (PDF). Bussnang: Stadler Rail Group. 7 May 2019. FWBDMU0519e. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- Transport for Wales Rail [@tfwrail] (2 December 2019). "The diesel-electric Metro trains that will run on the Maesteg, Ebbw Vale and Cardiff-Cheltenham lines from 2022 will be Class 231" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "KeolisAmey reveal new-look Wales trains and services". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- 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.
- Holden, Michael (28 July 2021). "New FLIRT trains for Transport for Wales begin testing in Switzerland". RailAdvent. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- "Transport for Wales launches Class 231 Flirt DMUs". Railway Gazette. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- "TfW 231s officially launched into trafic". Today's Railways UK. No. 255. May 2023. p. 58.