The first of 36 new Class 730/2 trains built by Alstom in Derby for the London Northwestern Railway entered service yesterday, Monday, 9 June.

The first service operated by a Class 730/2 was with units 730213 and 730233 on the 4.19 pm departure from London Euston to Northampton.

This followed an official launch last Friday, 6th June at Euston attended by Alstom’s UK and Ireland Managing Director Rob Whyte, UK and Ireland Rolling Stock and Components Managing Director Andy Butters, UK and Ireland Commercial Director Peter Broadley, and Customer Director Adrian Grigg.

The Class 730/2 electric multiple units have five carriages, and the 36 new trains will provide an overall increase of 20% in seating capacity on routes to and from London Euston railway station.

There are charging points at every seat, and with open gangways and intelligent air conditioning, passengers will have a more comfortable journey.

The new trains will initially be used on services between London Euston and Northampton, with stops including Watford Junction, Tring, and Milton Keynes Central, but later this year will be introduced on services on the Trent Valley line to Crewe, calling at stations including Rugby, Nuneaton and Lichfield Trent Valley.

The new Class 730/2s are part of the Aventra family of electric multiple-unit trains, and with 406 seats, the five-car Class 730/2 has significantly more seats than the average of 233 seats on the Class 350 trains they are replacing.

Many services will see Class 730/2s operating in pairs, to provide ten carriages with 812 seats, considerably more than a 12-carriage Class 350.

London Northwestern Railway is part of West Midlands Trains, which also operates West Midlands Railway services.

Three-carriage versions of the Class 730/2, Class 730/0s, are already in use across the West Midlands Railway network, operating services on the popular Cross-City Line in Birmingham, between Wolverhampton and Walsall, and between Rugeley and Birmingham International.

A Class 730 train will be among a host of other exhibits at the ‘Greatest Gathering’ at Alstom’s Litchurch Lane works in Derby in August.

“Our fantastic Class 730/2 fleet is the cornerstone of our £1 billion investment into the railway. They will make a real difference, bringing more capacity and modern features to the millions of commuters and leisure travellers who use our services to and from London each year. We are excited to bring these new electric trains onto our network, with the whole fleet expected to be rolled out by the end of 2026.”

Ian McConnell, Managing Director at London Northwestern Railway.