TRANSPENNINE has received the first of 13 ‘Nova 3’ carriage sets.
The sets are being built in Spain by CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles) and will be used on Liverpool to Scarborough and Manchester Airport to Middlesborough services. The new five-car sets have been undergoing thorough intensive testing procedures for several months, and acceptance of the first set will allow on-board crew training to begin.
There had been delays to last autumn’s planned start for the train because of brake blending issues. Introduction to service will now take place progressively over the summer. The sets will be maintained by Alstom at Longsight, Manchester, and replace Class 185 DMUs. They offer 291 seats compared to 181 on the Class 185s, and begin to address overcrowding issues.
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