BR Class 170

The British Rail Class 170 ''Turbostar'' is a British diesel multiple unit (DMU) passenger train built by Adtranz and later Bombardier Transportation at Derby Litchurch Lane Works. 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), 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 and 166 DMUs known as the ''Networker Turbos'' and built by British Rail Engineering Limited and later ABB Transportation Ltd before that company became part of Bombardier.

Notable features shared are the aluminium alloy frame and Voith 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 and the diesel-engine supplier is MTU.

The engine and transmission are located under the body. One bogie 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 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, although units 170416–424 are owned by Eversholt Rail Group. They are leased to the train operating companies.

ScotRail

ScotRail 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) 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.

Two standard-class only units were provided for Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (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 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 announced that all ''ScotRail'' trains (including from the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport) would eventually be repainted in a new blue livery with white Saltire 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 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 (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 began operating the Class 170 in 2018, with a total of 16 three-car units due from Abellio 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 and Botanic Gardens TMD as well as light maintenance at Sheffield.

On 1 March 2020, these units transferred to new operator Northern Trains.

East Midlands Railway

From 23 March 2020, East Midlands Railway received its first two Class 170 units in the form of three-car 170416 and 170417, when they moved from Abellio 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 and 12 from Transport for Wales Rail. The 170s will replace units of classes 153, 156 and 158.

In September 2022, three Class 171s, having been reformed to three-car formations and renumbered to 170422–170424, transferred from Southern 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 (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 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 in 2021 to enable it to strengthen some of its two-car sets.

CrossCountry

CrossCountry 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, the then-2-car units at EWS' Toton depot and the interiors done by Transys Projects, Clacton-on-Sea 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 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 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, 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 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 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.

Past operations

First TransPennine Express

From late 2006 to 2016, First TransPennine Express operated nine Class 170s, used on the Manchester Piccadilly to Hull route. Originally Class 185s were set to operate the route but a combination of weight-restriction problems on the Selby 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, 170301–308 at the end of 2006 and the start of 2007, as well as 170399 from Central Trains 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, 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.

However, in March 2014 it was revealed that the nine Turbostars would move to Chiltern Railways. MP Stephen Hammond 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 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 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 began its to Hull services in September 2000 using Turbostars, initially with four sets on short-term lease from Anglia Railways. 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

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