British Rail Class 231
FLIRT
Class 231 unit at Lisvane and Thornhill in 2023
Interior
In service18 January 2023 – present[1]
ManufacturerStadler Rail
AssemblyStadler Bussnang AG
Built at
Family nameFLIRT
Replaced
Constructed2021–2022
Number under construction11
Formation4 cars per unit:[note 1]
DMS-TS-PP-TSW-DMS[2]
Fleet numbers231001–231011
Capacity170 seats, plus 36 tip-up & 180 standees
OwnersSMBC Leasing[3]
OperatorsTransport for Wales Rail
DepotsCanton (Cardiff)
Specifications
Car body constructionAluminium
Train length80.7 m (264 ft 9 in)
Width
  • Passenger vehicles:
    2.720 m (8 ft 11.1 in)
  • Power Pack:
    2.822 m (9 ft 3.1 in)[4]
Height3.915 m (12 ft 10.1 in)
Floor height960 mm (3 ft 2 in)
DoorsDouble-leaf sliding plug, each 1.300 m (4 ft 3.2 in) wide
(total 6 per side)
Wheel diameter
  • Powered: 870 mm (34 in)
  • Unpowered: 760 mm (30 in)
WheelbaseBogies: 2.700 m (8 ft 10.3 in)
Maximum speed90 mph (145 km/h)
Weight154.3 tonnes (151.9 long tons; 170.1 short tons) (4-car set)[5]
Traction systemIGBT
Prime mover(s)4 × turbo-diesel
Power output1,500 kW (2,000 hp) at wheel
Tractive effortStarting: 160 kN (36,000 lbf)
Acceleration0.9 m/s2 (2.0 mph/s)
UIC classificationBo′2′2′2′2′Bo′
Safety system(s)
Multiple workingWithin class (max. 3 units)
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Notes/references
Sourced from [6] unless otherwise noted.

The British Rail Class 231[7] 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]

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.[8][9]

The units began testing in Switzerland in July 2021 and in November 2021 the first two units were delivered to Cardiff Canton depot.[10]

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.[11]

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.[6]

Fleet details

Subclass Operator Qty. Year built Passenger cars Unit nos.
231/0 Transport for Wales Rail 11 2021–2022 4 231001–231011[2]

Illustration

Side-profile illustration of a Class 231 unit (based on concept art)

Named units

Notes

  1. ↑ 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

Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Rail Class 231.
  1. 1 2 Lee Waters MS [@Amanwy] (18 January 2023). "All aboard!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. 1 2 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.
  3. ↑ "Time to take stock as the 'bubble' bursts…". Rail Magazine. No. 989. 9 August 2023. pp. 42–47.
  4. ↑ Bi-Mode Multiple Unit - FLIRT - Greater Anglia, UK (PDF). Bussnang: Stadler Rail Group. 1 August 2019. FEABMU0819e. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  5. ↑ "Class 231" (PDF). Transport for Wales. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  6. 1 2 FLIRT Diesel-Electric Multiple Unit - Transport for Wales (PDF). Bussnang: Stadler Rail Group. 1 April 2023. FWBDMU0423e. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ "KeolisAmey reveal new-look Wales trains and services". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ Holden, Michael (28 July 2021). "New FLIRT trains for Transport for Wales begin testing in Switzerland". RailAdvent. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Transport for Wales launches Class 231 Flirt DMUs". Railway Gazette. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "TfW 231s officially launched into trafic". Today's Railways UK. No. 255. May 2023. p. 58.
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