The British Rail Class 730 Aventra is a type of electric multiple unit passenger train built by Alstom for West Midlands Trains. Two separate batches of the fleet were built; 48 three-car units and 36 five-car units.
In October 2017, West Midlands Trains were awarded the franchise to operate local rail services around Birmingham and the West Midlands, suburban services to London Euston, and long-distance inter-urban services operating from both Euston and Birmingham New Street.[13] At the time the franchise was awarded, the company announced that it would procure more than 100 new trains at a cost of £680million to replace older rolling stock and enhance its fleet.[14] Of these, a total of 81 EMUs were ordered from Bombardier Transportation from its Aventra product range.[15] They were built at Derby Litchurch Lane Works.[16] The first completed train was unveiled in September 2020.[14]
In 2022, the order was amended to increase the proportion of three-car units in the fleet, which will result in the delivery of 48 three-car units and 36 five-car units instead of the original plan for 36 three-car units, Class 730/0, and 45 five-car units, Class 730/1 and Class 730/2 – a total of 324 vehicles in 84 units.[17][5]
Testing and introduction into service
London Northwestern Railway Class 730/2 undergoing testing at Nuneaton
The Class 730 trains entered service on 13 November 2023[18] and were the second new fleet to be introduced by West Midlands Trains, following the Class 196 which entered service on 17 October 2022.[19]
The introduction of the Class 730 on the Cross-City line in 2024 will allow the Class 323 units to be withdrawn,[20] 17 of which will be cascaded to Northern Trains.[21] It will also allow for the withdrawal of the Class 350/2 units on the West Midlands Trains network.
The Class 730 was tested in Velim in the Czech Republic, as well as in the UK.[22] Testing of Class 730 units on the West Midlands Trains network began in March 2021,[23] and in February 2022 the then full order of 36 Class 730/0 units received authorisation for service from the Office of Rail and Road.[2]
The three-car Class 730 units are currently being used on West Coast Main Line services out of London. This allowed for the withdrawal of Class 319s.[24] The first three-car Class 730 entered passenger service on the Wolverhampton-Birmingham-Walsall services in February 2024,[25] with the units being introduced on Cross-City Line services in the Spring.[4][18][26][27] The first pair of Class 730 units entered service on the Cross-City Line on 15 April 2024.[28]
The three-car Class 730/0 units will be maintained at Soho Depot in Birmingham which is the home depot of the Class 323s[7] and the five-car Class 730/2 units will be maintained at Bletchley Depot in Milton Keynes. In 2020, West Midlands Trains planned to maintain them at Bescot Depot in Walsall.[8][17]
Fleet details
The two separate batches were constructed to operate at different maximum speeds to suit different uses. The three-car Class 730/0 trains—designed for Cross-City Line and Birmingham local services— operate at up to 90 mph (140 km/h),[14] and were built to double capacity on the Cross-City Line. The five-car Class 730/2 trains will operate on outer suburban and long-distance LNR services and will operate at up to 110 mph (180 km/h).[14][16][29]
Officially named on 23 May 2024 to celebrate Birmingham Pride. This was the first Class 730/0 to be named. The unit has also had a pride livery applied, with the faded diamond motif in pride colours.[32]
^ abFender, K.; Sheratt, P. (June 2018). "West Midlands prepares for new fleets". Modern Railways. Vol. 75, no. 837. Stamford: Key Publishing. p. 78. ISSN0026-8356.
^"Class 730 Fleet". West Midlands Railway. Birmingham: West Midlands Trains. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
^"Class 323 EMUs to remain in traffic with Northern". Rail Magazine. No. 886. Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media. 28 August 2019. p. 30. ISSN0953-4563.
^"West Midlands Trains turns back the clock with retro repaint for Class 323". Today's Railways UK. No. 252. Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing. February 2023. p. 55. ISSN1475-9713.
