The British Rail Class 170 ''Turbostar'' is a British
diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian-German rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry ...
at
Derby Litchurch Lane Works
Derby Litchurch Lane Works (formerly Derby Carriage and Wagon Works) is a railway rolling stock factory in Derby, England. It was opened in the 19th century by the Midland Railway. The plant has produced rolling stock under the ownership of the ...
. Introduced after privatisation, these trains operate regional as well as long-distance services, and to a lesser extent suburban services. A total of 139 units were built, but some were later converted to and units. These trains are currently in use with West Midlands Trains (formerly
London Midland
London Midland was a train operating company in England which operated the West Midlands franchise between 11 November 2007 and 10 December 2017. It was owned by the British transport group Govia.
London Midland was created as a result of Govi ...
), CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Transport for Wales Rail, ScotRail and Northern Trains.
Design
The class is a development of the design used in the
British Rail Class 165
The British Rail Class 165 ''Networker Turbo'' is a fleet of suburban diesel multiple-unit passenger trains (DMUs), originally specified by and built for the British Rail Thames and Chiltern Division of Network SouthEast. They were built by B ...
and
166
Year 166 ( CLXVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pudens and Pollio (or, less frequently, year 919 ''Ab urbe condita' ...
British Rail Engineering Limited
British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) was the railway systems engineering subsidiary of British Rail. Established in 1970, the maintenance arm was split as British Rail Maintenance Limited in 1987, and the design and building of trains was pr ...
and later ABB Transportation Ltd before that company became part of Bombardier.
Notable features shared are the aluminium alloy frame and
Voith
The Voith Group is a German manufacturer of machines for the pulp and paper industry, technical equipment for hydropower plants and drive and braking systems. The family-owned company, which operates worldwide and has its headquarters in Hei ...
transmission as well as the general body shape (the cab ends are similar to those of the Class 168, but not Class 165/166), interior design and door fittings. The final drive is sourced from ZF instead of
Gmeinder
Gmeinder GmbH was a German locomotive and engineering company based in Mosbach. Its products included diesel engines, small locomotives (shunters) and other railway locomotive parts. Much of its business came through the German railways, though it ...
and the diesel-engine supplier is MTU.
The engine and transmission are located under the body. One
bogie
A bogie ( ) (in some senses called a truck in North American English) is a chassis or framework that carries a wheelset, attached to a vehicle—a modular subassembly of wheels and axles. Bogies take various forms in various modes of transp ...
per coach is powered. All coaches in the set are powered when in use (there are no unpowered trailers). The units can work in multiple with trains in the 15X series, i.e. '' Sprinters'' and 14X '' Pacers'' (the latter empty only), and with other units of the same class. They are unable to operate in multiple with units in the 16X series due to different wiring arrangements.
Seating arrangements are of both 2+1 (first class) and 2+2 (standard class) formation, and give a seated passenger capacity of between ~100 and ~200 per three-car set (depending on the specifications of the operator). 2-car sets are also operated.
Subclasses
Class 170 units have been categorised into six (originally seven) sub-classes; the basic specifications remain the same (engine, length, transmission, etc.), the differences being the seating arrangements specified by the different operators. Because of the different interior fittings the sub-classes differ in weight from one another by a small amount, up to around 2tonnes.
All the sub-classes were built at Derby works either under Adtranz or
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian-German rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry ...
ownership. The change of ownership occurred in 2001, but early Bombardier units (such as the 2002 two-car 170/2 Phase 2 units) still display ADtranz branding, such as on the window glazing, due to use of backstocked parts.
Present operations
Most units are owned by
Porterbrook
Porterbrook is a British rolling stock company (ROSCO), created as part of the privatisation of British Rail. Together with Angel Trains and Eversholt Rail Group, it is one of the three original ROSCOs.
Porterbrook was established in March 199 ...
, although units 170416–424 are owned by
Eversholt Rail Group
Eversholt Rail Group is a British rolling stock company (ROSCO). Together with Angel Trains and Porterbrook, it is one of the three original ROSCOs created as a result of the privatisation of British Rail.
Eversholt was established in March 1994 ...
. They are leased to the
train operating companies
A train operating company (TOC) is a business operating passenger trains on the railway system of Great Britain under the collective National Rail brand. TOCs have existed since the privatisation of the network under the Railways Act 1993.
The ...
.
ScotRail
ScotRail
ScotRail Trains Limited, trading as ScotRail ( gd, Rèile na h-Alba), is a Scottish train operating company that is publicly owned by Scottish Rail Holdings on behalf of the Scottish Government. It has been operating the ScotRail franchise a ...
is the largest operator of the Class 170, with a fleet which formerly comprised 55 3-car sets but has been reduced to 30 sets. All units are allocated to Edinburgh Haymarket depot.
The first Class 170s in Scotland were 24 units built for
ScotRail (National Express)
ScotRail was a train operating company in Scotland owned by National Express that operated the ScotRail franchise from March 1997 until October 2004. Prior to March 1997 ScotRail (British Rail) ran the trains and after October 2004 First ScotR ...
between 1999 and 2001 (170401–170424), which had first-class accommodation for use on ScotRail Express services (i.e. the Edinburgh–Glasgow Queen Street shuttle) and Aberdeen/Inverness–Glasgow/Edinburgh services. A further ten similar units (170425–170434) were built in 20032004 to complete the conversion of ScotRail Express services from Class 158 to Class 170 operation. By the time the second batch entered service the franchise had passed to
First ScotRail
First ScotRail was a train operating company in Scotland owned by FirstGroup which operated the ScotRail franchise from October 2004 until March 2015. Prior to October 2004, trains were run by ScotRail (National Express). First ScotRail was s ...
.
Two standard-class only units were provided for
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) is a regional transport partnership for the Strathclyde area of western Scotland. It is responsible for planning and coordinating regional transport, especially the public transport system in the are ...
(SPT) services from Glasgow Queen Street in 2001 (170470–170471), followed in 20042005 by seven more units for SPT (170472–170478) and 12 similar units for Edinburgh commuter services (170450–170461). In December 2008, six of the standard-class-only units (170450–170455) were fitted with first-class sections, and two more (170456 and 170457) were fitted with first class in December 2011.
A further four three-car sets (170393–170396) with first class accommodation and 'mini-buffets', were obtained from
Hull Trains
Hull Trains is an open-access railway operator in England owned by the multinational transport company FirstGroup. It operates long-distance passenger services between Hull / Beverley and London King's Cross. It has a track-access agreement ...
in 2005, bringing the First ScotRail Class 170 fleet up to a peak of 59 three-car sets. The former Hull Trains units were initially used on ScotRail Express services to Inverness, but by 2012 the buffets were out of use and all four units were converted to standard class only.
The nine units built for SPT services were delivered in SPT livery, whereas the rest of the fleet carried First ScotRail livery (170401–170424 having originally worn the National Express ScotRail 'swoosh' livery). In September 2008, the Scottish Government's agency
Transport Scotland
Transport Scotland ( gd, Còmhdhail Alba) is the national transport agency of Scotland. It was established by the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005, and began operating on 1 January 2006 as an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government.
Organisat ...
announced that all ''ScotRail'' trains (including from the
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) is a regional transport partnership for the Strathclyde area of western Scotland. It is responsible for planning and coordinating regional transport, especially the public transport system in the are ...
) would eventually be repainted in a new blue livery with white
Saltire
A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross, like the shape of the letter X in Roman type. The word comes from the Middle French ''sautoir'', Medieval Latin ''saltator ...
markings on the carriage ends.
In April 2015, the ScotRail franchise passed from First to Abellio, and the 9 units owned by Eversholt went off-lease. Five of these units (170416–170420) remained in Scotland on short-term lease to Abellio ScotRail (albeit with ScotRail branding removed) until their transfer to
East Midlands Railway
Abellio East Midlands Limited, trading as East Midlands Railway (EMR), is a train operating company in England, owned by Abellio, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise.
History
In March 2017, the Department for Transport a ...
in 2020, whilst the other four units (170421–170424) were converted into Class 171s for their new operator Southern.
As a result of the electrification of the Edinburgh to Glasgow Queen Street line in 2018 and the conversion of ScotRail Express services to Aberdeen and Inverness to HSTs in 20182019, the Class 170s are being displaced from ScotRail Express routes. Additionally, electrification of most of the Glasgow Queen Street (High Level) commuter lines and of the Edinburgh to Dunblane route will see Class 170s displaced from these services once the Class 385 EMU fleet is fully operational. Some of the surplus Class 170s will be cascaded to other Abellio ScotRail services replacing older Class 156 and 158 units, but 16 units were transferred to
Arriva Rail North
Arriva Rail North, branded as Northern by Arriva (legal name Arriva Rail North Limited) was a train operating company in Northern England which began operating the Northern franchise on 1 April 2016 and inherited units from the previous operato ...
(170453–170461 and 170472–170478). The first four of these units moved to Northern in March 2018, followed by a further four in August 2018.
Northern Trains
Arriva Rail North
Arriva Rail North, branded as Northern by Arriva (legal name Arriva Rail North Limited) was a train operating company in Northern England which began operating the Northern franchise on 1 April 2016 and inherited units from the previous operato ...
began operating the Class 170 in 2018, with a total of 16 three-car units due from
Abellio ScotRail
Abellio ScotRail, operating services under the name ScotRail, was the national train operating company of Scotland. A subsidiary of Abellio, it operated the ScotRail franchise from 1 April 2015, taking over from predecessor First ScotRail ...
by the end of the year. All 16 units had transferred to Northern by January 2019, and can now be seen operating services between Sheffield and Scarborough via Hull and have diagrams around the Harrogate Loop. The units are maintained at
Neville Hill TMD
Neville Hill is a railway train maintenance depot in Osmondthorpe, Leeds, England on the Leeds to Selby Line. The depot is situated to the east of Leeds railway station on the north side of the line.
The TOPS depot code is NL.
History
In ...
and
Botanic Gardens TMD
Botanic Gardens TMD is a traction maintenance depot in Kingston upon Hull in Yorkshire, England. As built it was one of the principal steam engine sheds in the Hull area, Botanic Gardens was the one closest to the main Hull Paragon station and it ...
as well as light maintenance at Sheffield.
On 1 March 2020, these units transferred to new operator
Northern Trains
Northern Trains, branded as Northern, (legally Northern Trains Limited) is a State-owned enterprises of the United Kingdom, publicly owned train operating company in England. It is owned by DfT OLR Holdings for the Department for Transport (DfT) ...
.
East Midlands Railway
From 23 March 2020,
East Midlands Railway
Abellio East Midlands Limited, trading as East Midlands Railway (EMR), is a train operating company in England, owned by Abellio, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise.
History
In March 2017, the Department for Transport a ...
received its first two Class 170 units in the form of three-car 170416 and 170417, when they moved from
Abellio ScotRail
Abellio ScotRail, operating services under the name ScotRail, was the national train operating company of Scotland. A subsidiary of Abellio, it operated the ScotRail franchise from 1 April 2015, taking over from predecessor First ScotRail ...
. The former was seen in EMR livery on 30 April 2020.
In June 2020, unit 170416 began operating driver training runs between Leicester and Newark Castle.
Unit 170417, named '' The Key Worker'', was the first unit to enter service, doing so on 2 November 2020 on the Robin Hood line, as part of EMR’s soft launch of the class.
Alongside units 170418–170420 (also from ScotRail), EMR plans to become the largest operator of the Class 170, with a further 23 units due from
West Midlands Trains
West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates passenger trains on the West Midlands franchise between London and the English Midlands under two trade names: West Midlands Railway (WMR) (within the ...
and 12 from
Transport for Wales Rail
Transport for Wales Rail Limited, branded as Transport for Wales and TfW Rail ( and ), is a Welsh publicly owned train operating company, a subsidiary of Transport for Wales (TfW), a Welsh Government-owned company. It commenced operations of t ...
. The 170s will replace units of classes
153
Year 153 ( CLIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rusticus and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 906 '' Ab urbe cond ...
,
156
Year 156 ( CLVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Silvanus and Augurinus (or, less frequently, year 909 '' Ab urbe co ...
and
158
Year 158 ( CLVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Tertullus and Sacerdos (or, less frequently, year 911 '' Ab urbe ...
.
In September 2022, three Class 171s, having been reformed to three-car formations and renumbered to 170422–170424, transferred from
Southern
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
to East Midlands Railway. They were then renumbered to 170/9s before entering service in order to emphasise the difference between them and the rest of the fleet as they have Dellner couplers rather than BSI couplers so they are not compatible with the rest of the fleet. They will regain their identities as 170/4s when BSI couplers are fitted.
West Midlands Trains
West Midlands Trains
West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates passenger trains on the West Midlands franchise between London and the English Midlands under two trade names: West Midlands Railway (WMR) (within the ...
(WMT) operates two-car Class 170 Turbostars for services on the Birmingham to Hereford via Bromsgrove Line, and Birmingham - Shrewsbury via Telford Central services. Twenty-three (17 two-carriage 170/5s and six three-carriage 170/6s) were inherited from WMT's predecessor
London Midland
London Midland was a train operating company in England which operated the West Midlands franchise between 11 November 2007 and 10 December 2017. It was owned by the British transport group Govia.
London Midland was created as a result of Govi ...
in 2017. WMT is to replace all of its 170s with 26 new Class 196 ''Civity'' units. The entire fleet will move to East Midlands Railway, with the first moving in February 2021. The centre coach of WMT's six Class 170/6s moved to
CrossCountry
CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the Cross Country franchise.
The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) ...
in 2021 to enable it to strengthen some of its two-car sets.
CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the Cross Country franchise.
The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) ...
currently operates 29 Class 170 Turbostars (seven two-car and 22 three-car) on services between Cardiff Central and Nottingham, and between Birmingham, Leicester, and Stansted Airport. After being acquired in 2007, these units were refurbished in 2008 with the then-three-car units repainted at Marcroft Engineering,
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...
Toton
Toton is a large village in the Borough of Broxtowe, Nottinghamshire, England. The electoral ward of Toton and Chilwell Meadows population of this ward was 7,298 in the 2001 census. It increased to 8,238 at the 2011 census.
Until 1974 Toton ...
depot and the interiors done by Transys Projects,
Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea is a seaside town in the Tendring District in the county of Essex, England. It is located on the Tendring Peninsula and is the largest settlement in the Tendring District with a population of 56,874 (2016). The town is situated a ...
including the fitting of first-class seating to the Class 170/5s and 170/6s. CrossCountry's 170s were previously configured as 13 two-car and 16 three-car units; ex-West Midlands Trains centre cars are used on all of the 170/6's to make them three-car units.
The centre cars from the six
West Midlands Trains
West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates passenger trains on the West Midlands franchise between London and the English Midlands under two trade names: West Midlands Railway (WMR) (within the ...
170/6s were transferred to CrossCountry and inserted into six of its two-car units in 2021.
Transport for Wales
In September 2019
Transport for Wales
Transport for Wales (TfW; cy, Trafnidiaeth Cymru; cy, TrC, label=none) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consi ...
received three Class 170/2s (one three-car unit and two two-car units) from Greater Anglia, with driver training following. In November 2019, three more units (two three-car and one two-car) transferred depots from Norwich Crown Point to
Cardiff Canton
Canton ( cy, Treganna) is an inner-city district and community in the west of Cardiff, capital of Wales, lying west of the city's civic centre. Canton is one of the most ethnically diverse of Cardiff's suburbs, with a significant Pakistani and I ...
, with a further four three-car units delivered in December 2019, the last three-car unit delivered in January 2020 and the last two-car unit delivered in February 2020. This means that current operator
Transport for Wales Rail
Transport for Wales Rail Limited, branded as Transport for Wales and TfW Rail ( and ), is a Welsh publicly owned train operating company, a subsidiary of Transport for Wales (TfW), a Welsh Government-owned company. It commenced operations of t ...
now leases the entire 12-strong 170/2 subclass of eight three-car units and four two-car units.
These are the first Class 170s on the
Wales & Borders franchise
, image_filename =
, image_size =
, caption =
, nameforarea = service area
, regions = Wales, North West England, the West Midlands, and Gloucestershire.
, operator = Transport for Wales Rail
, dates = 14 O ...
and they are initially being used on services between Cardiff / Bridgend and Ebbw Vale, and services between Maesteg and Cheltenham/Gloucester. On 12 December 2019, three-car unit 170202 worked TfW Rail's first Class 170 passenger services (between Bridgend and Ebbw Vale Town via Cardiff Central) and the units started to enter service in multiple quantities on 16 December 2019 with 5 units (three three-car and two two-car) running in passenger service on that day. All units had entered service by April 2020 when three-car unit 170206 was the last to enter service.
These were originally due to stay with TfW for the duration of the franchise, however following a revision of TfW’s long-term rolling stock strategy, all are to transfer to
East Midlands Railway
Abellio East Midlands Limited, trading as East Midlands Railway (EMR), is a train operating company in England, owned by Abellio, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise.
History
In March 2017, the Department for Transport a ...
.
Past operations
First TransPennine Express
From late 2006 to 2016,
First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express was a British train operating company jointly owned by FirstGroup and Keolis which operated the TransPennine Express franchise. First TransPennine Express ran regular Express regional railway services between the major ...
operated nine Class 170s, used on the
Manchester Piccadilly
Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. Opened as Store Street in 1842, it was renamed Manchester London Road in 1847 and became Manchester Piccadilly in 1960. Located to the south-east of Manchester city ...
to
Hull
Hull may refer to:
Structures
* Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle
* Fuselage, of an aircraft
* Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds
* Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship
* Submarine hull
Mathematics
* Affine hull, in affi ...
route. Originally Class 185s were set to operate the route but a combination of weight-restriction problems on the
Selby
Selby is a market town and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse, with a population at the 2011 census of 14,731.
The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until ...
to Hull Line, chronic overcrowding on several of the company's services and the government reducing the amount of money available to First TransPennine Express for new trains resulted in Class 170s coming into service.
First TransPennine Express received eight Turbostars from
South West Trains
Stagecoach South Western Trains Limited, trading as South West Trains (SWT), was an English train operating company owned by Stagecoach Group, Stagecoach, which operated the South Western franchise between February 1996 and August 2017.
SWT op ...
, 170301–308 at the end of 2006 and the start of 2007, as well as 170399 from
Central Trains
Central Trains was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by National Express that operated a variety of local and inter-regional trains from 2 March 1997 until 11 November 2007.
Overview
Created out of the Central division of ...
in November 2007, which was renumbered 170309.
From September 2009, two Class 170s were used Sundays to Thursdays on the Cleethorpes–Manchester Airport service.
The units were maintained by Bombardier Crofton. The 170s have since been fully refurbished to include
CCTV
Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly t ...
, power sockets throughout, replacement carpets and seat covers and the removal / declassification of one of the two first-class sections, providing more seats. The work was carried out by Transys at
Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea is a seaside town in the Tendring District in the county of Essex, England. It is located on the Tendring Peninsula and is the largest settlement in the Tendring District with a population of 56,874 (2016). The town is situated a ...
.
However, in March 2014 it was revealed that the nine Turbostars would move to
Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways, formally The Chiltern Railway Company Limited, is a British train operating company that has operated the Chiltern Railways franchise since July 1996. Since 2009, it has been a subsidiary of Arriva UK Trains.
Chiltern Railw ...
. MP
Stephen Hammond
Stephen William Hammond (born 4 February 1962) is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wimbledon since 2005.
On 4 September 2012, Hammond was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Sta ...
revealed on 12 March 2014 that all the Class 170/3s would remain with First TransPennine Express until the May 2015 timetable change, when Chiltern would take five of the 170s with the remaining four remaining with First TransPennine Express until the end of the franchise in March 2016 later changed to 8 July 2016. Upon delivery, the Class 170s were modified in
Brush Traction
Brush Traction is a manufacturer and maintainer of railway locomotives in Loughborough, England. It is a subsidiary of Wabtec.
History
Hughes's Locomotive & Tramway Engine Works
Henry Hughes had been operating at the Falcon Works since t ...
to allow them to be used with Chiltern's existing units, and were subsequently reclassified as Class 168/3s. Today, the unit numbers are 168321–168329.
However it was confirmed in November 2018 that
TransPennine Express
TransPennine Express (TPE), legally First TransPennine Express Limited, is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that operates the TransPennine Express franchise. It runs regional and inter-city rail services between the major c ...
would be hiring one Class 170 per day from Northern to run services on the Manchester/Leeds and Huddersfield local services to allow more Class 185s to be used on other busier services until the new Nova Fleets arrive in 2019. This arrangement ended in May 2019 when Northern’s subleased Class 185 units returned to TPE.
Hull Trains
Hull Trains
Hull Trains is an open-access railway operator in England owned by the multinational transport company FirstGroup. It operates long-distance passenger services between Hull / Beverley and London King's Cross. It has a track-access agreement ...
began its to Hull services in September 2000 using Turbostars, initially with four sets on short-term lease from
Anglia Railways
Anglia Railways was a train operating company in England, owned by GB Railways and later FirstGroup, that operated the Anglia franchise from January 1997 until March 2004.
History
The InterCity Anglia franchise was awarded by the Director of P ...
. In 2004, it received four of its own three-car Class 170/3 units, and returned the original units to Anglia.
In 2005, following its acquisition by
FirstGroup
FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland.Class 222/1 ''Pioneer'' units and transferred the Turbostars to its sister company
First ScotRail
First ScotRail was a train operating company in Scotland owned by FirstGroup which operated the ScotRail franchise from October 2004 until March 2015. Prior to October 2004, trains were run by ScotRail (National Express). First ScotRail was s ...
.
Midland Mainline
Midland Mainline
Midland Mainline was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by National Express that operated the Midland Main Line franchise from April 1996 until November 2007. Midland Mainline ran fast and semi-fast passenger services fro ...
(MML) was the first operator to order Turbostars, the first being delivered in November 1998 and entering service in May 1999. The Class 170/1 units were built immediately after the Class 168/0 units were built for
Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways, formally The Chiltern Railway Company Limited, is a British train operating company that has operated the Chiltern Railways franchise since July 1996. Since 2009, it has been a subsidiary of Arriva UK Trains.
Chiltern Railw ...
. MML ordered a fleet of 17 two-car Class 170 units, although the first ten were subsequently made up of three cars each instead. These were numbered 170101–117. The units were introduced on stopping services from
London St Pancras
St Pancras railway station (), also known as London St Pancras or St Pancras International and officially since 2007 as London St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden. It is ...
to , and . They were also used on summer Saturday services from London to , which later became a year-round service with summer extension to . Class 170s were also used on direct services between London St Pancras and , these services ended upon the replacement of the Class 170s with new Class 222 ''Meridian'' units due to weight restrictions on the Derwent Valley line to Matlock.
In 2004, Midland Mainline introduced new Class 222 ''Meridian'' units, which started to replace the ''Turbostars''. As a result, the fleet was transferred to sister company
Central Trains
Central Trains was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by National Express that operated a variety of local and inter-regional trains from 2 March 1997 until 11 November 2007.
Overview
Created out of the Central division of ...
. Ten units (170101–170110) are three-car units, and the remaining seven units (170111–170117) are two-car units. As with the three spot-hire units from Porterbrook, these 17 units had first-class accommodation, which was declassified.
Central Trains
Central Trains
Central Trains was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by National Express that operated a variety of local and inter-regional trains from 2 March 1997 until 11 November 2007.
Overview
Created out of the Central division of ...
operated a fleet of 53 Class 170 units from various subclasses. In 1999, Central received its first batch of twenty-three two-car Class 170/5 and ten three-car Class 170/6 units. These were used to replace Class 156 units on various longer-distance services.
From late 2004, Central also took three Class 170/3 on lease from
Porterbrook
Porterbrook is a British rolling stock company (ROSCO), created as part of the privatisation of British Rail. Together with Angel Trains and Eversholt Rail Group, it is one of the three original ROSCOs.
Porterbrook was established in March 199 ...
. Units 170397–8 are three-car units and 170399 is a two-car unit. All three of these units contained first-class accommodation, which was declassified (allowing standard-class use throughout the train), as
first class travel
First class is the most luxurious and most expensive travel class of seats and service on a train, passenger ship, airplane, bus, or other system of transport. Compared to business class and economy class, it offers the best service and most co ...
was not provided on Central Trains services. The two three-car units' interiors were of Central Trains style, except the MML-style first class, and the two-car unit had a South West Trains interior. After the
Central Trains
Central Trains was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by National Express that operated a variety of local and inter-regional trains from 2 March 1997 until 11 November 2007.
Overview
Created out of the Central division of ...
franchise ended, the two three-car units (170397 and 170398) remained with the new operator, CrossCountry. The one two-car unit was returned to Porterbrook, which subsequently leased it to
First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express was a British train operating company jointly owned by FirstGroup and Keolis which operated the TransPennine Express franchise. First TransPennine Express ran regular Express regional railway services between the major ...
who renumbered the unit to 170309.
All Class 170 units in service with Central were used on a variety of services (mostly long-distance) including
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
–
Stansted Airport
London Stansted Airport is a tertiary international airport serving London, England, United Kingdom. It is located near Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, England, northeast of Central London.
London Stansted serves over 160 destinations acros ...
,
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
–
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
and Birmingham–
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
. Class 170 units have been replaced by Class 350''Desiro'' units on to services.
When Central Trains lost its franchise in 2007, 23 of Central Trains' units (17 two-coach and six three-coach) were transferred to
London Midland
London Midland was a train operating company in England which operated the West Midlands franchise between 11 November 2007 and 10 December 2017. It was owned by the British transport group Govia.
London Midland was created as a result of Govi ...
, which took over the West Midlands franchise and continued to use Class 170s for services on the
Chase Line
The Chase Line is a suburban railway line in the West Midlands region of England. It runs from its southern terminus, Birmingham New Street, to Walsall, and then Rugeley in Staffordshire, where it joins the Trent Valley Line. The name of the lin ...
, Birmingham to Hereford via Bromsgrove Line and Shrewsbury services. 29 out of the remaining 30 units (including the ex-Midland Mainline units and two out of the three spot hire units) were transferred to
CrossCountry
CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the Cross Country franchise.
The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) ...
, which took over the Cardiff-Birmingham-Nottingham and Birmingham-Leicester-Stansted Airport services.
One of Central Trains' 170s (170399) went to
First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express was a British train operating company jointly owned by FirstGroup and Keolis which operated the TransPennine Express franchise. First TransPennine Express ran regular Express regional railway services between the major ...
and was subsequently renumbered 170309;
East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains (EMT) was a British train operating company owned by the transport group Stagecoach, which operated the East Midlands franchise between November 2007 and August 2019.
Following the Department for Transport (DfT) award ...
did not receive any, despite taking over the previously Class-170-operated
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
-to-
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
route. This route is now operated by refurbished units.
Greater Anglia
Anglia Railways
Anglia Railways was a train operating company in England, owned by GB Railways and later FirstGroup, that operated the Anglia franchise from January 1997 until March 2004.
History
The InterCity Anglia franchise was awarded by the Director of P ...
ordered two batches of Turbostars. The first batch of eight three-car Class 170/2 units were built between 1999 and 2000 for
London Liverpool Street
Liverpool Street station, also known as London Liverpool Street, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, in the ward of Bishopsgate Without. It is the t ...
to
Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...
,
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
,
Lowestoft
Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and sou ...
and
Bury St. Edmunds
Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a historic market, cathedral town and civil parish in Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton A ...
services. These supplemented the existing Class 86 locomotive-hauled trains from London to Norwich. Four of these units were later hired to
Hull Trains
Hull Trains is an open-access railway operator in England owned by the multinational transport company FirstGroup. It operates long-distance passenger services between Hull / Beverley and London King's Cross. It has a track-access agreement ...
from 2002–2004, before that company acquired its own Turbostars.
Other units, including the spot-hire set 170399, were used on Anglia's short-lived
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
to
Basingstoke
Basingstoke ( ) is the largest town in the county of Hampshire. It is situated in south-central England and lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon, at the far western edge of The North Downs. It is located north-east of Southa ...
'
London Crosslink
London Crosslink was a passenger train service operated by Anglia Railways between Norwich and Basingstoke, using the North London Line to bypass central London. Class 170 ''Turbostar'' diesel multiple units were used, and the service operat ...
' service. In 2002, Anglia introduced a new
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
to
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
direct service, and acquired four two-car units dedicated to working these services.
In 2004, the Greater Anglia franchise was won by
National Express
National Express Group is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Birmingham, England. It operates bus, coach, train and tram services in the United Kingdom, Ireland (National Express operates Eurolines in conjunction ...
subsidiary One, rebranded as
National Express East Anglia
National Express East Anglia (NXEA) was a train operating company in England owned by National Express that operated the Greater Anglia franchise from April 2004 until February 2012. Originally trading as ''One'', it was rebranded National Exp ...
in 2008, and passed onto
Abellio Greater Anglia
Greater Anglia (legal name Abellio East Anglia Limited) is a train operating company in Great Britain owned as a joint venture by Abellio (transport company), Abellio, the international arm of the state-owned Dutch national rail operator Neder ...
in 2012. Since then, two-car Turbostars have been used for the Cambridge to Norwich route, and also on new through services including
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
(via Ipswich),
Bury St Edmunds
Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a historic market town, market, cathedral town and civil parish in Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – ...
(via Ipswich),
Peterborough
Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...
(via Ipswich) and
Lowestoft
Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and sou ...
(via Ipswich and East Suffolk Line or Ipswich and Norwich) -
London Liverpool Street
Liverpool Street station, also known as London Liverpool Street, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, in the ward of Bishopsgate Without. It is the t ...
via
Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...
, although with a new timetable all Class 170 London services ended in December 2010, in favour of connecting branch line trains with GEML expresses.
The three-car trains used to include a buffet and larger first-class area, but because more seating was needed, the buffet area has been removed and the number of first-class seats reduced.
In late 2019, these units were displaced by Class 755s and transferred to
Transport for Wales
Transport for Wales (TfW; cy, Trafnidiaeth Cymru; cy, TrC, label=none) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consi ...
by February 2020.
South West Trains
South West Trains
Stagecoach South Western Trains Limited, trading as South West Trains (SWT), was an English train operating company owned by Stagecoach Group, Stagecoach, which operated the South Western franchise between February 1996 and August 2017.
SWT op ...
(SWT) acquired a fleet of eight two-car Class 170/3 units in 2000 (later to nine units supplemented by ex-Southern 170392), to supplement its existing Class 159 fleet. Units operated on
London Waterloo
Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Underground station of ...
to , to ,
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
local services, and occasionally on services to Exeter St Davids, though this was not a regular route for these units, as they do not feature end gangways, making it difficult to provide trolley services, and they lacked selective door opening for the short platforms at stations on the route west of Salisbury. All but one of these units were transferred to First TransPennine Express at the end of 2006, in exchange for some Class 158 Express Sprinters. Unit 170392 was transferred back to its original intended operator Southern and has since been reclassified and renumbered from 170392 to 171730.
Govia Thameslink Railway
Southern
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
obtained six two-car Class 170/7 units, along with six four-car Class 171/8 units, in 2003 to replace its slam-door Class 205 and Class 207 units on services on the
Marshlink Line
The Marshlink line is a railway line in South East England. It runs from Ashford, Kent via Romney Marsh, Rye and the Ore Tunnel to Hastings where it connects to the East Coastway line towards Eastbourne. Services are provided by Southern.
T ...
and
Oxted Line
The Oxted line is a railway in southern England and part of the Southern franchise. The railway splits into two branches towards the south and has direct trains throughout to London termini.
It was opened jointly by the London, Brighton and ...
to
Uckfield
Uckfield () is a town in the Wealden District of East Sussex in South East England. The town is on the River Uck, one of the tributaries of the River Ouse, on the southern edge of the Weald.
Etymology
'Uckfield', first recorded in writing as ...
.
Southern later fitted these units with the Dellner type coupler used on its Class 171s, reclassifying its two-car units as Class 171/7, replacing the standard BSI coupler fitted to Class 170s. This was done to allow them to couple to Class 377s in an emergency.
Southern later acquired 170392 from South West Trains, which became its tenth for-car, 171730. This unit had already carried Southern livery, being ordered as an add-on to a Southern order to save costs, and was delivered accordingly in Southern livery as 170727. It was renumbered and reliveried at Ashford Chart Leacon Works before entering traffic.
At the end of the
First ScotRail
First ScotRail was a train operating company in Scotland owned by FirstGroup which operated the ScotRail franchise from October 2004 until March 2015. Prior to October 2004, trains were run by ScotRail (National Express). First ScotRail was s ...
franchise in March 2015, 170416 to 170424 were returned to Eversholt Rail Group. The first five units then remained on hire to
Abellio ScotRail
Abellio ScotRail, operating services under the name ScotRail, was the national train operating company of Scotland. A subsidiary of Abellio, it operated the ScotRail franchise from 1 April 2015, taking over from predecessor First ScotRail ...
via a sublease arrangement until March 2020, while 170421 to 170424 moved to
Wolverton Works
Wolverton railway works, known locally as Wolverton Works or just The Works, was established in Wolverton, Buckinghamshire, by the London and Birmingham Railway Company in 1838 at the midpoint of the route from London to Birmingham. The line w ...
in April 2015. They were overhauled and converted to Class 171s intended for Southern. Following issues with the conversion and reliability issues, the remaining units were then handed back to Eversholt Rail Group where they were then re-leased to
East Midlands Railway
Abellio East Midlands Limited, trading as East Midlands Railway (EMR), is a train operating company in England, owned by Abellio, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise.
History
In March 2017, the Department for Transport a ...
. Two became two-car 171/2s and two four-car Class 171/4s. All four were returned to Eversholt in 2022 and leased to East Midlands Railway. Having been reformed back into their original three-carriage formations, the first three were transferred in September 2022. They will be converted back to Class 170s and resume their original identities, while the fourth will remain on sublease to
Govia Thameslink Railway
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is a train operating company that operates the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) rail franchise in England. Within the franchise, GTR runs the Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern (Govia Thameslin ...
.
Future
The 23
West Midlands Trains
West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates passenger trains on the West Midlands franchise between London and the English Midlands under two trade names: West Midlands Railway (WMR) (within the ...
Class 170 units are in the process of moving to
East Midlands Railway
Abellio East Midlands Limited, trading as East Midlands Railway (EMR), is a train operating company in England, owned by Abellio, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise.
History
In March 2017, the Department for Transport a ...
A number of units been named:
* 170417: '' The Key Worker''
* 170622: ''Pride of
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
''
Accidents and incidents
* 13 November 2005, unit 170207 collided with a car at a
level crossing
A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, overpass ...
in
Swainsthorpe
Swainsthorpe is a village in the English County of Norfolk in England. It lies on the A140 road, approximately 5 miles south of Norwich, and just north of Newton Flotman. It covers an area of and had a population of 374 in 159 households at t ...
,
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
, on the
Great Eastern Main Line
The Great Eastern Main Line (GEML, sometimes referred to as the East Anglia Main Line) is a major railway line on the British railway system which connects Liverpool Street station in central London with destinations in east London and t ...
. The car driver was killed. The front of the train was damaged by the consequent fire from the wrecked car.
* 26 November 2005, unit 170431 hit a landslide near Moy on the
Highland Line
The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...
. The front of the train was derailed and damaged by the debris, the other two coaches remained railed. Six passengers, the driver and conductor were injured.
* 12 September 2006, unit 170206 was derailed as it crossed the level crossing at
Croxton, Norfolk
Croxton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, within the district of Breckland. Croxton is located 2.2 miles north of Thetford and 26 miles south-east of Norwich.
History
Croxton's name is of mixed Anglo-Saxon and Vikin ...
, on the
Breckland Line
The Breckland line is a secondary railway line in the east of England that links in the west to in the east. The line runs through three counties: Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk. It takes its name from the Breckland region of Norfolk, a ...
. A panel that formed part of the level crossing had become dislodged and fouled both railway and road.
* 27 July 2011, unit 170393 derailed after crossing over a set of faulty points at Princes Street Gardens on the approach to Edinburgh. The train was occupied only by two members of crew - neither of whom was injured.
* 14 July 2013, unit 170272 collided with a car towing a trailer on a level crossing at
Woodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge is a port and market town in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. It is up the River Deben from the sea. It lies north-east of Ipswich and forms part of the wider Ipswich built-up area. The town is c ...
, on the East Suffolk Line.
* 10 April 2016, unit 170204 collided with an agricultural tractor on a level crossing at
Roudham
Roudham is a small settlement in Norfolk, England, part of the civil parish of Roudham and Larling in the district of Breckland. It was once home to Roudham Junction railway station. There are remains of a medieval
In the history o ...
, on the Breckland line. The tractor driver was seriously injured; the train driver and some passengers sustained minor injuries. An investigation revealed that the tractor driver had obtained permission to cross the line.
* 15 October 2017, unit 170272 collided with a car on a level crossing at , on the East Suffolk Line. The car driver was airlifted to hospital.
* 10 October 2018, unit 170402 derailed at
Stonehaven
Stonehaven ( , ) is a town in Scotland. It lies on Scotland's northeast coast and had a population of 11,602 at the 2011 Census.
After the demise of the town of Kincardine, which was gradually abandoned after the destruction of its royal cast ...
, from Aberdeen to Dundee.
* 3 March 2019, unit 170520 collided with a fallen tree on the line running from Lydney to Gloucester and derailed. The front cab was severely damaged.
* 23 March 2020, unit 170107 collided with locomotive 66057, which had run through a
buffer stop
A buffer stop, bumper, bumping post, bumper block or stopblock (US), is a device to prevent railway vehicles from going past the end of a physical section of track.
The design of the buffer stop is dependent, in part, on the kind of couplings ...
at the end of a siding at and ended up foul of the running line. None of the two crew and four passengers on board were injured.
170
Year 170 ( CLXX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Clarus and Cornelius (or, less frequently, year 923 ''Ab urbe condita ...