The Voyager diesel train fleet turns 20 this year, with service. As these trains march on, could they have been so much more? The Voyager (Class 220) and Super Voyager (Class 221) fleets were introduced in 2001 by Virgin CrossCountry and Virgin West Coast, as diesel multiple units to connect the networks that are unable to be served by electric trains. They replaced … [Read more...]

The Class 390 Pendolinos trains have been solid workhorses of the West Coast Mainline, connecting London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, and Edinburgh, and points in between, from small towns to big cities. Well, it seems the trains are getting a major upgrade. Avanti West Coast Pendolino at the Widnes facility - Image, Avanti West Coast The Pendolino … [Read more...]

The Class 707 trains by Siemens will get a new lease of life, with the type to be re-launched by Southeastern Railway. Southeastern will take over the 30 Class 707 trainsets - made up of five carriages per train. Currently, these are operated by South Western Railway, which is in the process of replacing them with their Class 701 Arterio trains. The trains will offer … [Read more...]

As some of you know, I have interests outside travel writing and my day job. Sometimes I need to get off my backside and travel to another city to do those tasks. As such, I needed to head to Nottingham for the day, to go behind the camera and shoot. My first move is normally to check the trains - mainly as I prefer to have a laptop open and look out of the window, rather … [Read more...]

Alstom and SNCF have unveiled the first complete TGV M power car at Alstom's Belfort workshops - marking the next step forward for their fleet renewal. The TGV-M Power Car - Image, Alstom The new trains are due to enter service in 2024. It has been designed in collaboration with SNCF and Alstom. The power car features more compact, simplified, and streamlined … [Read more...]

All is not well on both the Great Western and East Coast rail routes in the UK, as the Class 800 trains have had to be taken out of service en-mass. A number of Class 800 series Hitachi trains in use by several train companies have been withdrawn from service for precautionary safety checks. The decision to withdraw the trains had been taken because of cracks found on the … [Read more...]

East Midlands Railway (EMR) is on the edge of rolling out its "new" electric train fleet. Let us see what they will offer the passenger (and yes, there is an aviation angle). EMR will deploy its Class 360/1 trains into squadron service from 16th May, as part of the Midland Main Line upgrade. This has allowed electrification of the line beyond Bedford, up to Corby, with … [Read more...]

With the dust settling over the Class 442 being shunted off into history and the Class 458 taking their place in the future, there's a lot to be done. Thankfully, Porterbrook - the owner of the Class 458 trains, has signed a contract for the refurbishment of the units, extending their use to 2027. Soth Westerns Railway Class 458 (shot in 2017 in South West Trains colours - … [Read more...]

It seems that South West Railway is to bid farewell to the Class 442 "Wessex Electrics" trains, with the trains to be withdrawn and returned to the lessor South Western Railway Class 442 (Refurbished) - Image, South Western Railway The Class 442 trains were in the process of being refurbished for use on the London Waterloo to Portsmouth route, with both internal refits … [Read more...]