Great Western Railway has outlined a three-phase approach to renewing its rolling stock fleet.
The operator used HSTs for the final time on December 13, when the last three short-formed ‘Castle’ sets were withdrawn.
Great Western Railway has outlined a three-phase approach to renewing its rolling stock fleet.
The operator used HSTs for the final time on December 13, when the last three short-formed ‘Castle’ sets were withdrawn.
They are being replaced by Class 175 diesel multiple units (DMUs), although the introduction of the 26-strong fleet is taking longer than hoped owing to the amount of work needed to make them ready after some 18 months in storage.
This will mean a slight reshuffle of other DMU fleets until sufficient ‘175s’ are available for traffic.
Deploying the ex-Transport for Wales units is the short-term phase of GWR’s strategy.
Once enough are in traffic, they could help alleviate overcrowding on the Barnstaple and Okehampton lines, with selective door opening at stations with short platforms. This isn’t possible with existing units, restricting the length of trains used in North Devon.
GWR is also exploring whether a Hitachi IET train could be used when needed, if there is sufficient availability.
The medium-term plan is to look at ways of using battery or battery-electric trains on branches in the eastern section of its network.
While the unique battery-operated Class 230 has been tested between West Ealing and Greenford since 2024, with rapid-charging technology at each end of the branch, all other branches east of Reading and the Reading-Basingstoke service rely on diesel traction.
GWR would likely need to install infrastructure on the routes to allow for alternatives.
While no decisions have been made, the government’s rolling stock and infrastructure policy is likely to see calls for manufacturers to offer packages that include the trains themselves and ways to power/charge them.
This would allow the remaining Class 165 DMUs to move west to bolster resources.
Finally, the long-term plan is to then explore ways to decarbonise South West services, which will remain in the hands of Class 150/158/165/166/175 units for the foreseeable future.
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