{"id":9777,"date":"2024-02-08T18:37:25","date_gmt":"2024-02-08T08:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=9777"},"modified":"2024-02-08T18:37:25","modified_gmt":"2024-02-08T08:37:25","slug":"west-midlands-railway-launches-new-electric-train-fleet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=9777","title":{"rendered":"West Midlands Railway launches new electric train fleet"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westmidlandsrailway.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">West Midlands Railway<\/a> has unveiled its fleet of electric trains, ushering in a new era for rail passengers in the West Midlands. <\/p>\n<p>The Class 730 fleet is set to enter service for the first time in the region next week, carrying passengers between Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Walsall. In spring 2024, it will also enter service on the busy Cross City Line, connecting Lichfield, Birmingham, Redditch and Bromsgrove.<\/p>\n<p>A special event to showcase the fleet, which comprises 48 three-carriage trains \u2013 a total of 144 new carriages \u2013 was held at Wolverhampton Station this morning (Thu 8 Feb).<\/p>\n<p>The Class 730s, built in the Midlands by Alstom, are part of a \u00a3700m investment in new fleets and infrastructure by West Midlands Railway and bring a significant capacity increase on the trains they replace. The trains also feature accessible toilets, digital information screens, air conditioning, underfloor heating and power points at every seat.<\/p>\n<p>Ian McConnell, managing director of West Midlands Railway, said: \u201cThese modern electric trains represent a huge upgrade to the experience of travelling by train in the West Midlands.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot only are the Class 730s physically longer than the trains they replace, meaning they can carry more people, the carriage interiors have been designed in a spacious, metro-style to maximise space.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith modern features such as digital information screens, power points at every seat and accessible toilets, I am certain they will prove popular and our teams are looking forward to welcoming customers on board.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dominic Booth, chief executive of Transport UK Group, said: \u201cToday marks the dawn of a new era in rail travel for passengers on West Midlands Railway.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs we modernise Britain\u2019s trains, this new state-of-the-art electric fleet offers a better journey experience for commuters and leisure travellers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs we work towards a more efficient, accessible, and sustainable rail network across the entire Transport UK group it\u2019s fantastic to see these new Class 730\u2019s being rolled out today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: \u201cIt\u2019s good news that we\u2019re seeing this \u00a3700million investment by West Midlands Trains continuing as we work together to make our rail network fit for the future.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese new trains will make a real difference to passengers right across our region \u2013 boosting capacity on some of our busiest routes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith new stations under construction and the recent announcement that Pay As You Go technology is coming down the track, the future is looking bright for rail travel in the West Midlands.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nick Crossfield, managing director of Alstom UK &amp; Ireland, said: \u201cToday is a proud day for everyone involved as our Derby-designed and built trains enter passenger service across the West Midlands. Part of the Aventra family \u2013 the country\u2019s biggest train manufacturing programme in a generation \u2013 this state-of-the-art train exemplifies Alstom\u2019s commitment to smart and sustainable mobility.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWorking in partnership with West Midlands Railway we are delighted to provide passengers across the region with a cutting-edge and comfortable travel experience that offers a much greener alternative to the car. We now look forward to seeing the Class 730 enter service on the Cross City Line later this year, where our trains will double capacity for customers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the three-carriage Class 730s, a further 36 five-carriage versions of the fleet are currently going through testing with West Midlands Railway\u2019s sister company London Northwestern Railway. These trains will come into service next winter on longer-distance routes, connecting the West Midlands with Liverpool and London.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>West Midlands Railway has unveiled its fleet of electric trains, ushering in a new era for rail passengers in the West Midlands. The Class 730 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":9778,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[7,11],"class_list":["post-9777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rail-news","tag-transport","tag-usa"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9777\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}