British Rail Class 185
The British Rail Class 185 Desiro units are a diesel multiple-unit passenger train of the Desiro UK family built by Siemens in Germany for the train operating company First TransPennine Express. They are currently operated by TransPennine Express.
A £260 million order for 51 three-car trains and associated maintenance depots was placed in 2003, and deliveries took place between 2006 and 2007.
Background and history
In 2003, a consortium of FirstGroup and Keolis was awarded the First TransPennine Express franchise. One obligation under the franchise agreement was to introduce a new fleet of 100 mph trains.The specifications in the franchise agreement required FTPE to order 100 mph capable diesel multiple units. Also specified was air conditioning, two toilets per vehicle with one suitable for reduced mobility passengers, gangways between individual carriages, luggage and bicycle storage space, passenger compartment CCTV, provision for wheelchair passengers, and first-class seating. Additionally the train's acceleration was to be an improvement on the and comparable to the. The agreement specified 168 carriages, with an initial option to reduce the carriage order by 18.
The franchise agreement also required the construction of two depots for the new rolling stock; the main depot was to be at Manchester, with a depot for stabling and maintenance at York. In addition, a depot at Cleethorpes was to be upgraded with refuelling and controlled emission toilet servicing facilities, and a train electric auxiliary supply. The franchise agreement specified a performance aim of 37,500 miles per casualty, with entry into service between March 2006 and November 2006.
By August 2003, Siemens had been named as the preferred bidder for the trains. A contract for supply and maintenance of 56 trains was signed in September 2003. The new train requirement was reduced from 56 to 51 units by the Strategic Rail Authority by 2004.
The trains were built at Siemens' plant in Uerdingen in Krefeld; the first unit began test trials at the Wildenrath test circuit in July 2005. An official launch took place at Wildenrath in December 2005.
Construction of the Ardwick train depot began March 2005; opening in 2006. Work was started on the new York Leeman Road depot in December 2005; The opening in May 2007. In 2006, FTPE acquired two static simulators for driver training from Corys TESS.
All 51 trains were in service by January 2007. The trains replaced two- and three-car and 175 units.
Design
Each carriage contains a separate diesel powertrain driving both axles on one bogie via cardan shafts. Each powertrain consists of a Cummins QSK19 engine driving a Voith T 312 bre three-speed hydrodynamic transmission which drives two axles in one bogie via a Voith SK-485 final drive. The engine and torque converter were frame mounted underfloor and suspended from the car body by flexible mounts. A third underfloor module contains cooling systems and an electrical generator. The hydraulic converter includes an integrated retarder. Cooling fans and the electrical generator are powered via a hydrostatic drive. The electrical generator provides a 400 V 50 Hz three phase electrical supply for the train, which is transformed or rectified to a 230 V 50 Hz single phase supply, a 110 V DC auxiliary supply, and a 24 V DC battery supply. Connections bridge the main 400 V AC and 110 V DC supplies across the cars of each train set. Component suppliers included Dellner, ZF, SKF, Westinghouse Brakes.The bogies are versions of Siemens' SF5000 bogie. The design has an axle distance of, with radial arm primary suspension utilising steel coil springs with rubber elements; the secondary suspension is an air spring design supporting a bolster. Motor bogies have traction forces transmitted from bogie to frame via rods from a centre pivot. Mechanical brakes are wheel mounted discs. The Class 185 is heavier and has a stiffer suspension than the Class 158 it replaced on some routes; On some routes including the Hope Valley route, York to Scarborough Line, Hull to Selby Line, and between Northallerton and Middlesbrough the Class 185 units were not permitted to operate at the same speeds as the Sprinter type DMUs; however the higher acceleration of the Class 185 units could be used to partially offset the lower speed restriction. Between Northallerton and Middlesbrough, Class 185s and Sprinters now use the same speed limits.
As delivered each train consisted of three cars; one end car had 64 standard class seats in arrangement with a mixture of facing seats with tables and airline style arrangements, as well as luggage and bicycle facilities; the middle car had 72 standard class seats also in a mixture of arrangements in formation, and incorporated a standard toilet; the other end car had a further 18 standard class seats, and 15 arrangement first class seats, plus a wheelchair space, and a reduced mobility access toilet. Toilets were supplied by Driessen, seats by Grammer and Fainsa, and air conditioning from Air International Transit.
Eco-Mode
The trains were designed for the hilly routes; as a result the units had a high installed power, unnecessary for most of the train's route sections, leading to low fuel efficiency relative to other DMUs. In mid-2007, Siemens and First TransPennine Express began a programme, named 'Eco-Mode', to improve the efficiency of the fleet. The project involved generating driver information giving route advice allowing more efficient driving, including information on when it was feasible to shut down a diesel engine, leaving the train 'cruising' on two of the three engines. Additionally fuel consumption was reduced by performing shunting using only one engine, and automating complete engine shutdown at depots. Initial changes in working practice resulted in a 7% fuel saving. Furthermore, as the engines are idling less and thus operating less, their service life may be extended by 15%. This feature has since been removed from the 185s due to faults arising during its use caused by softwareFleet details
Future
TransPennine Express will phase in new Class 397 and Class 802s by 2020. It was originally planned and expected that 22 Class 185 units would return to Eversholt Rail Group.In September 2019, TransPennine Express revealed it would only be returning 15 with the extra sets required to operate diversionary services during upgrades to the TransPennine route. In June 2020, TransPennine Express confirmed that the return of 15 sets would be postponed until December 2020 in response to the COVID crisis. The units will be used to strengthen most 3-car services to 6-car in order to provide capacity for customers to social distance.
TransPennine Express may take over the Liverpool to Nottingham service that East Midlands Railway will cease operating in December 2021. Should this route be operated with Class 185 units, all 51 would be retained.
Operations
The 51 three-car Class 185 units, together with nine two-car Class 170 units, replaced the Class 158, Class 175 and Class 220 / Class 221 Voyager trains. To free up stock for services between Manchester Airport and destinations in Scotland when First TransPennine Express first took over these routes, the frequency of the Manchester Airport to Windermere route was reduced from December 2007.In 2014, the introduction of ten electric Class 350s on services between Manchester and Scotland allowed the displacement of Class 170 and some Class 185 units to provide additional capacity on FTPE's network. Two Class 185 units were loaned to Arriva Rail North from April 2016 until May 2019.
Overcrowding and passenger feedback
In 2007, Passenger Focus published a user survey on the Class 185. Satisfaction ratings of around 80% were given for many standard aspects of a train journey, such as availability of seats, seat comfort, ease of egression, cleanliness. Passengers gave satisfaction ratings of around only 70% on standing space availability. Lower averaged satisfaction ratings were given for wheelchair space, bicycle space and for the inability to shield the sun, as well as overall design, and position and number of bins. Frequent travellers had a low level of satisfaction with toilet cleanliness. The report concluded that overall users liked the new trains, but identified issues relating to peak crowding, particularly on evening peaks.By 2007, increased use of some of the First TransPennine Express services caused the operator to start lobbying the SRA for a fourth car to the three-car sets to increase capacity; however, the service overall was subsidised, presenting a cost barrier to further rolling stock leasing. By 2008, many of the peak-time trains operated on by Class 185s on First TransPennine Express services were suffering chronic overcrowding.