British Rail Class 180
Encyclopedia
The Class 180 is a type of British diesel multiple unit
train built by Alstom
between 2000 and 2001 for use on then-new express services by First Great Western
(FGW). They were built at Washwood Heath
in Birmingham
and are part of the Coradia 1000
family along with the Class 175
. FGW stopped using the class on 27 March 2009, and they are now employed by other operators. The Class 180s were given the name Adelante on entry into service with FGW, a name devised by First Group that they retain with First Hull Trains.
. The order reportedly cost £74.5 million; financing was organised by Wiltshire Leasing, another subsidiary of First Group.
The first unit, 180101, was unveiled on 18 April 2000. However, following a string of problems, full main line testing did not begin until December 2000, six months after it was intended to start. Despite this, Alstom claimed that the trains could enter service in time for the May 2001 timetable change. This date too was missed, and the trains did not go into squadron service until the next timetable change, in December 2001.
There are 14 Class 180 trains, numbered 180101-180114. There are five cars per unit. Each unit consists of two
Standard Class Driving Motor, two Standard Class Intermediate Motor and a First Class Intermediate Motor. All coaches are equipped with a Cummins QSK19 diesel engine which develops 560 kW at 2,100 rpm, identical to that found in the Voyager
family of DEMUs as well as in the Siemens Class 185 DMUs used by First Transpennine Express.
Unusually for such a fast train, they feature a hydraulic transmission, supplied by Voith
which is a three-speed type, with integral hydrodynamic braking
(rated at 750 kW short term, 420 kW continuous). One bogie per coach is powered, with both axles driven. Total vehicle weight is 278 tonnes.
which operated in parallel with the remaining Class 222s on services between and . In 2008, the Department for Transport
decided that First Hull Trains Class 222s should be cascaded to EMT
and replaced with Class 180s by the end of 2008.The acquired units have undergone an internal refit including the installation of laptop sockets and new coffee machines. The first of the refurbished units began operation in late January 2009. The refurbishment was completed in early 2011.
s (HSTs). The company had initially announced the two units would run as one, giving a ten-car train, but later said they would run separately for extra flexibility to the fleet.
Grand Central also acquired three additional units for its new service to . Originally the service was to be operated under the brand name Grand Northern, as part of parent company Grand Union, but is instead operating as Grand Central, so that units can be interchanged between the two routes.
The units have been modified by Railcare and fitted with wi-fi
and at-seat plug sockets. The first unit to be refurbished was 180114. One of the initial two units, number 180112, was named James Herriot
at a ceremony at and is the first to carry Grand Central's new logo and orange stripe livery. They entered service in September 2009, with the Bradford service starting on 23 May 2010. A second unit, 180107, was named Hart of the North in October 2010 following a competition in the Hartlepool Mail
.
The Class 180 fleet, given the name Adelante by FGW, was originally deployed on First Great Western services linking to via and to via . The class suffered a number of technical problems, including problems with the doors closing and locking quickly. This resulted in their replacement on most of the above services with HSTs displaced from Midland Mainline
. The Class 180s then operated express commuter services from London Paddington to , , (via the Cotswold Line
), and .
The reliability problems experienced by FGW, combined with increased passenger numbers, eventually led the operator to lose patience with the class and instead to acquire extra refurbished HST sets towards the end of 2007 as replacements to operate the express commuter services. As a consequence, First Great Western returned most of the Class 180 fleet to the leasing company Angel Trains
in early 2008.
Although FGW had planned to return the entire fleet for storage, it decided to retain three Class 180 units until it had received a cascaded HST from National Express East Coast
. These units were usually operated in multiple, with a 2x5-car train plus one 5-car unit as a spare, on the Cotswold Line from Paddington to Worcester and Hereford. The final FGW 180 ran on 30 March 2009.
Five Class 180 units were planned for use by East Coast
in 2009/10. After this proposal was abandoned, it was announced that the five units will be transferred back to First Great Western, to increase capacity on Thames Valley services. It was subsequently announced that the Adelantes would be working on the Cotswold Line
, allowing and Turbo DMUs to be released for Thames Valley services. It was confirmed via the company's Facebook page that the Adelantes would return to service with First Great Western from September 2012.
added three Class 180 units to its fleet in October 2008 for crew training with the sets entering service in December 2008 to operate services from and to and until the end of 2010. These units are sub-leased by East Coast
to Northern until it can obtain more long-term rolling stock. The three units sub-leased to Northern Rail
were to have transferred to East Coast
after the 18-month contract finishes in November 2010. However, East Coast has changed its plans and no longer requires them, so they will stay with Northern until May 2011 when it is hoped Northern will have taken delivery of ex-London Midland Class 150 DMUs.
requested additional services to a number of destinations in its application for access rights on the East Coast Main Line
(ECML) in March 2008, stating that, in addition to its existing InterCity 125 and InterCity 225
sets, it would require as many as nine Class 180s. The routes proposed to use class 180s were London to Lincoln
(with one train per day extended to Cleethorpes
) and London to Harrogate
via York
. Although NXEC no longer exists, its successor East Coast
pressed ahead with the plans, and managed to secure five units, three of which were temporarily sub-leased to Northern (see above). However, it recently announced that, due to government cuts, it would no longer be introducing a regular all-day service to and from Lincoln, which the units had been planned to operate.
had aimed to use 180s on an Aberdeen to London service, if its track access application was approved. However, the application was refused in January 2009.
leased two units from Angel Trains in 2008, intending to use them as standby units on the West Coast Main Line
following the loss of a Class 390 Pendolino
unit in the Grayrigg derailment
. The units, described as 'strategic standby' units by the company, were returned to Angel Trains without being used following a decision to use a Class 90
locomotive and Mark 3
coaching stock instead.
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
train built by Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
between 2000 and 2001 for use on then-new express services by First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
(FGW). They were built at Washwood Heath
Washwood Heath
Washwood Heath is a ward in Birmingham, within the formal district of Hodge Hill, roughly two miles north-east of Birmingham city centre, England...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and are part of the Coradia 1000
Coradia (train)
The Alstom Coradia family range of Inter-city trains and regional trains includes multiple unit diesel or electric as well as double-decker trains that can carry up to 900 passengers. There are a number of variants of this series, used in several countries.-United Kingdom:In the United Kingdom,...
family along with the Class 175
British Rail Class 175
The Class 175 Coradia is a type of diesel multiple unit passenger train used in the United Kingdom. The fleet of 27 sets were built from 1999 to 2001 by Alstom at Washwood Heath in Birmingham. They are part of the Coradia family of trains along with the Class 180.The entire fleet is owned by the...
. FGW stopped using the class on 27 March 2009, and they are now employed by other operators. The Class 180s were given the name Adelante on entry into service with FGW, a name devised by First Group that they retain with First Hull Trains.
Background
In the late 1990s, FGW was keen to increase to half-hourly the frequency of its express service from to South Wales. This required extra high-speed rolling stock, but there was little available. FGW therefore decided to order 14 new 125 mph diesel multiple units from Alstom, similar to the 26 Class 175s already under construction for sister company First North WesternFirst North Western
First North Western was a train operating company in the United Kingdom serving North West England. It operated from 1997 to 2004.The company when first privatised was known as North Western Trains and was owned by Great Western Holdings, a partnership between Great Western's management, First...
. The order reportedly cost £74.5 million; financing was organised by Wiltshire Leasing, another subsidiary of First Group.
The first unit, 180101, was unveiled on 18 April 2000. However, following a string of problems, full main line testing did not begin until December 2000, six months after it was intended to start. Despite this, Alstom claimed that the trains could enter service in time for the May 2001 timetable change. This date too was missed, and the trains did not go into squadron service until the next timetable change, in December 2001.
Description
Standard Class Driving Motor, two Standard Class Intermediate Motor and a First Class Intermediate Motor. All coaches are equipped with a Cummins QSK19 diesel engine which develops 560 kW at 2,100 rpm, identical to that found in the Voyager
Bombardier Voyager family
The Voyager series is a group of express diesel-electric multiple-unit trains built by Bombardier Transportation for service on the UK railway network.-Class 220:...
family of DEMUs as well as in the Siemens Class 185 DMUs used by First Transpennine Express.
Unusually for such a fast train, they feature a hydraulic transmission, supplied by Voith
Voith
The Voith GmbH, which is headquartered in Germany, is a family-run corporation in the mechanical engineering sector with worldwide operations....
which is a three-speed type, with integral hydrodynamic braking
Dynamic braking
Dynamic braking is the use of the electric traction motors of a railroad vehicle as generators when slowing the Locomotive. It is termed rheostatic if the generated electrical power is dissipated as heat in brake grid resistors, and regenerative if the power is returned to the supply line...
(rated at 750 kW short term, 420 kW continuous). One bogie per coach is powered, with both axles driven. Total vehicle weight is 278 tonnes.
Current operators
First Hull Trains
First Hull Trains acquired two Class 180 units to replace a damaged Class 222 PioneerBritish Rail Class 222
The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation....
which operated in parallel with the remaining Class 222s on services between and . In 2008, the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
decided that First Hull Trains Class 222s should be cascaded to EMT
East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London...
and replaced with Class 180s by the end of 2008.The acquired units have undergone an internal refit including the installation of laptop sockets and new coffee machines. The first of the refurbished units began operation in late January 2009. The refurbishment was completed in early 2011.
Grand Central
Grand Central operates a pair of Class 180s for use on its London to Sunderland route, having secured the rights to a fourth daily service in each direction. The two 180s join the company's three high-speed trainInterCity 125
The InterCity 125 was the brand name of British Rail's High Speed Train fleet. The InterCity 125 train is made up of two power cars, one at each end of a fixed formation of Mark 3 carriages, and is capable of , making the train the fastest diesel-powered locomotive in regular service in the...
s (HSTs). The company had initially announced the two units would run as one, giving a ten-car train, but later said they would run separately for extra flexibility to the fleet.
Grand Central also acquired three additional units for its new service to . Originally the service was to be operated under the brand name Grand Northern, as part of parent company Grand Union, but is instead operating as Grand Central, so that units can be interchanged between the two routes.
The units have been modified by Railcare and fitted with wi-fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
and at-seat plug sockets. The first unit to be refurbished was 180114. One of the initial two units, number 180112, was named James Herriot
James Herriot
James Herriot was the pen name of James Alfred Wight, OBE, FRCVS also known as Alf Wight , an English veterinary surgeon and writer, who used his many years of experiences as a veterinarian to write a series of books of stories about animals and their owners...
at a ceremony at and is the first to carry Grand Central's new logo and orange stripe livery. They entered service in September 2009, with the Bradford service starting on 23 May 2010. A second unit, 180107, was named Hart of the North in October 2010 following a competition in the Hartlepool Mail
Hartlepool Mail
The Hartlepool Mail is a newspaper serving Hartlepool and the surrounding area. It has an average daily circulation of 14,198.The paper was founded in Hartlepool in 1877 as The Northern Daily Mail and continued to be printed in the town until August 2006, when the printing staff were told they...
.
First Great Western
Midland Mainline
Midland Mainline was a British train operating company owned by the National Express Group and based in Derby. It was created after the privatisation of British Rail. Midland Mainline services operated from April 1996 to November 2007....
. The Class 180s then operated express commuter services from London Paddington to , , (via the Cotswold Line
Cotswold Line
The Cotswold Line is an railway line between and in England.-Route:The line comprises all or part of the following Network Rail routes:*GW 200 from Oxford*GW 310 from Wolvercot Junction*GW 300 from Norton Junction*GW 340 from Worcester Shrub Hill...
), and .
The reliability problems experienced by FGW, combined with increased passenger numbers, eventually led the operator to lose patience with the class and instead to acquire extra refurbished HST sets towards the end of 2007 as replacements to operate the express commuter services. As a consequence, First Great Western returned most of the Class 180 fleet to the leasing company Angel Trains
Angel Trains
Angel Trains is an English Rolling Stock Operating Company created in 1994 as part of the privatisation of British Rail. It was one of three ROSCOs...
in early 2008.
Although FGW had planned to return the entire fleet for storage, it decided to retain three Class 180 units until it had received a cascaded HST from National Express East Coast
National Express East Coast
National Express East Coast was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running high speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland, as part of the East Coast passenger franchise...
. These units were usually operated in multiple, with a 2x5-car train plus one 5-car unit as a spare, on the Cotswold Line from Paddington to Worcester and Hereford. The final FGW 180 ran on 30 March 2009.
Five Class 180 units were planned for use by East Coast
East Coast (train operating company)
East Coast is a British train operating company running high-speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland...
in 2009/10. After this proposal was abandoned, it was announced that the five units will be transferred back to First Great Western, to increase capacity on Thames Valley services. It was subsequently announced that the Adelantes would be working on the Cotswold Line
Cotswold Line
The Cotswold Line is an railway line between and in England.-Route:The line comprises all or part of the following Network Rail routes:*GW 200 from Oxford*GW 310 from Wolvercot Junction*GW 300 from Norton Junction*GW 340 from Worcester Shrub Hill...
, allowing and Turbo DMUs to be released for Thames Valley services. It was confirmed via the company's Facebook page that the Adelantes would return to service with First Great Western from September 2012.
Northern Rail
Northern RailNorthern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
added three Class 180 units to its fleet in October 2008 for crew training with the sets entering service in December 2008 to operate services from and to and until the end of 2010. These units are sub-leased by East Coast
East Coast (train operating company)
East Coast is a British train operating company running high-speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland...
to Northern until it can obtain more long-term rolling stock. The three units sub-leased to Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
were to have transferred to East Coast
East Coast (train operating company)
East Coast is a British train operating company running high-speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland...
after the 18-month contract finishes in November 2010. However, East Coast has changed its plans and no longer requires them, so they will stay with Northern until May 2011 when it is hoped Northern will have taken delivery of ex-London Midland Class 150 DMUs.
East Coast
National Express East CoastNational Express East Coast
National Express East Coast was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running high speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland, as part of the East Coast passenger franchise...
requested additional services to a number of destinations in its application for access rights on the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
(ECML) in March 2008, stating that, in addition to its existing InterCity 125 and InterCity 225
InterCity 225
The InterCity 225 is a locomotive-hauled domestic train in the United Kingdom, comprising a Class 91 electric locomotive, nine Mark 4 coaches and a Driving Van Trailer...
sets, it would require as many as nine Class 180s. The routes proposed to use class 180s were London to Lincoln
Lincoln Central railway station
Lincoln Central railway station serves the city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, England. The station is operated by East Midlands Trains, who provide services along with Northern Rail and East Coast....
(with one train per day extended to Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes railway station
Cleethorpes railway station is a rail terminus serving the seaside town of Cleethorpes in North East Lincolnshire. The station is operated by First TransPennine Express, and is also served by Northern Rail and East Midlands Trains....
) and London to Harrogate
Harrogate railway station
Harrogate railway station serves the town centre of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line north of Leeds railway station. Northern Rail operate the station and provide all passenger train services except a daily East Coast service to and from London Kings...
via York
York railway station
York railway station is a main-line railway station in the city of York, England. It lies on the East Coast Main Line north of London's King's Cross station towards Edinburgh's Waverley Station...
. Although NXEC no longer exists, its successor East Coast
East Coast (train operating company)
East Coast is a British train operating company running high-speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland...
pressed ahead with the plans, and managed to secure five units, three of which were temporarily sub-leased to Northern (see above). However, it recently announced that, due to government cuts, it would no longer be introducing a regular all-day service to and from Lincoln, which the units had been planned to operate.
Platinum Trains
Platinum TrainsPlatinum Trains
Platinum Trains was a proposed new open access train operating company that intended to run limited-stop train services from Scotland to London via the East Coast Main Line...
had aimed to use 180s on an Aberdeen to London service, if its track access application was approved. However, the application was refused in January 2009.
Virgin Trains
Virgin TrainsVirgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
leased two units from Angel Trains in 2008, intending to use them as standby units on the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
following the loss of a Class 390 Pendolino
British Rail Class 390
The Class 390 Pendolino is a type of train used in Great Britain. They are electric multiple units using Fiat's tilting train pendolino technology and built by Alstom. Fifty-three 9-car units were originally built for Virgin Trains from 2001 to 2004 for operation on the West Coast Main Line , with...
unit in the Grayrigg derailment
Grayrigg derailment
The Grayrigg derailment was a fatal railway accident that occurred at approximately 20:15 GMT on 23 February 2007, just to the south of Grayrigg, Cumbria, in North West England. The initial conclusion of the accident investigation is that the derailment was caused by a faulty set of points ,...
. The units, described as 'strategic standby' units by the company, were returned to Angel Trains without being used following a decision to use a Class 90
British Rail Class 90
The British Rail Class 90 electric locomotives were built by BREL at Crewe from 1987-1990. Each locomotive weighs 84.5 tonnes and has a top speed of . They operate from 25 kV AC overhead wires and produce...
locomotive and Mark 3
British Rail Mark 3
British Rail's third design of standard carriage was designated 'Mark 3' , and was developed primarily for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train...
coaching stock instead.
Fleet details
| Class | Operator | No. in service | Year Built | Cars per set | Unit numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 180/1 | First Hull Trains | 4 | 2000–2001 | 5 | 180109, 180110, 180111, 180113 |
| Northern Rail | 3 | 180103, 180106, 180108 | |||
| Grand Central | 5 | 180101, 180105, 180107, 180112, 180114 | |||
| Stored | 2 | 180102, 180104 |