One of the brand new trains for West Midlands Railway has entered service today, Monday 17th October.
Passengers and a small group of railway enthusiasts were on Class 196, No. 196101, at Shrewsbury this morning ready for its maiden voyage to Birmingham New Street.
The new trains feature air conditioning, phone chargers and offer 25% more capacity than WMR's outgoing fleet.
The fleet will first run on the Shrewsbury line. Initially, only a small number of services will be operated by a Class 196 as the new trains are “drip-fed” into service.
Jonny Wiseman, WMR customer experience director, said: “I am delighted to see our Class 196 trains carrying passengers for the first time today.
“With smart air conditioning, power points at every seat and extra space on board, I am certain these trains will prove a hit with passengers.”
For more information visit www.wmr.uk/newtrains
West Midlands Trains should also start introducing the Class 730 trains before the end of this year or from early next year. The Class 196 does look really nice.
It’s good to see a DMU with an end corridor connection that looks quite good. Not sure how they’ve done it – most end corridor connections, while beneficial for flexible working, make the front of the unit look ugly.