EAST MIDLANDS Railway introduced its first Class 170 DMU on the Robin Hood line on 2 November.
‘170s’ are planned to be the mainstay of the future EMR Regional fleet. Initially EMR has received five three-car units from ScotRail, the last of which transferred south for repainting on 2 November. Prior to the introduction, No 170417 was named The Key Worker in a ceremony at Derby station. A slightly aborted introduction saw the unit withdrawn after its first day in traffic to rectify a door fault.
An hourly service is currently operating on the Robin Hood line throughout (rather than the usual half-hourly service south from Mansfield), requiring three units in service. By early December EMR expected all services on the line to be operated by ‘170s’, which offer benefits including air conditioning and free Wi-Fi. Derby to Crewe is expected to be the second line to be served by ‘170s’, with three units ultimately in service across the two routes, a fourth used for driver training and a fifth as a maintenance spare. While they have been repainted, an interior refurbishment of the ‘170s’ is planned next year, including provision of power sockets, improved CCTV, enhanced information systems and new seats.