Good use for good trains?!

It may be a cast-off from down south but this “319” was given a quality refurbishment and and glossy branding by the previous Northern franchise. 86 of these 4-car trains used to work the Bedford-London-Brighton “Thameslink” route that now has a completely new fleet. 32 are now Northern’s, plus eight more that will have diesels added so they can work on both electric and non-electric routes. Good idea? Maybe. But an electro-diesel “bimode” train working, say, the Windermere branch will also have to run to Manchester Airport using power from the 25kV overhead supply, carrying its diesel engines there and back as energy-wasting dead weight.

Sister company Arriva Trains Wales is also, we hear, to acquire bimodes converted from the same fleet. That still leaves about half of the 319 fleet, looking for good work to do. More electro-diesel conversions in prospect?

Is that what we want in a world where we should be saving energy and combatting climate change?

Meanwhile, TransPennine Express has ordered brand new electric trains to use on Liverpool/Manchester-Scotland services, making redundant a small fleet of modern “Class 350” units, pure electrics built just four years ago. The 350s were going to go to the Midlands, but the new operator of the West Midland train operation has ordered new trains instead. So that’s another 10 good, modern pure electric trains that could be put to good use in the North of England, if only more routes were electrified.

Header Image: “Liverpool & Manchester (101)” flickr photo by Rept0n1x https://flickr.com/photos/121958154@N04/16766158856 shared under a Creative Commons (BY-SA) license