MK 4s COULD WORK WITH HST POWER CARS

SOLUTION TO MML MK 3 ACCESSIBILITY COMPLIANCE MOOTED

New arrival in the East Midlands: power car No 43467 is one of six which has moved to East Midlands Trains from Grand Central. On 12 February 2018, one month after the fire at Nottingham station, it was named in honour of Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service and British Transport Police Nottingham, recognising these organisations’ work in the aftermath of the fire. It is seen at Leicester the same day working its first public service with EMT, the 15.32 Nottingham to St Pancras, carrying its newly-acquired EMT livery and nameplates. Philip Sherratt
Heroes: (from left) Superintendent Sandra England, PC Beth Sykes, Chief Inspector Stuart Middlemass and PC Adam Ashton (all from British Transport Police), Jake Kelly, Managing Director of East Midlands Trains, Councillor Brian Grocock, Chair of the Nottinghamshire Fire Authority, Paul Crowther, Chief Constable, British Transport Police, and John Buckley, Chief Fire Officer, at the naming event for No 43467. Courtesy EMT

TRANSPORT SECRETARY Chris Grayling has admitted a ‘patch and mend’ solution will be needed for the HSTs operated by East Midlands Trains on the Midland main line from 2020. Industry sources report one solution currently under consideration involves Mk 4 coaches displaced from the East Coast main line working between HST power cars (‘Pan Up’, p40).

The conversion would involve fitting an inverter in the guard’s space of the Class 43 power cars to convert the variable voltage/variable frequency auxiliary power supply to the constant voltage required by the Mk 4 coach. Design of the conversion is understood to be well advanced. The Class 91/Mk 4 sets are due to be displaced by new Class 800/801 units on the East Coast from next year.

EMT’s HSTs are not compliant with accessibility regulations, which come into force at the end of 2019. The work required on them to meet these regulations would include modifying the Mk 3 coaches and fitting power doors, which is currently underway for HSTs to be retained by CrossCountry, Great Western Railway and ScotRail. However, no plans have been announced for any modifications to the EMT fleet, nor have any new trains been ordered to replace them.

Mr Grayling was addressing the House of Commons Transport Committee’s inquiry into cancelled electrification schemes. He emphasised to the committee that no passengers would suffer a dis-benefit as a result of the cancellation of electrification north of Kettering and the decision to procure bi-mode trains, and that bidders for the next East Midlands franchise would be instructed to introduce the first bi-mode trains on the MML in late 2021. EMT currently has nine HST sets in 2+8 formation, which are to be joined in passenger service by three further 2+6 sets transferred from Grand Central in time for the timetable change in May.

Speaking to committee chair and Nottingham South MP Lilian Greenwood, Mr Grayling said: ‘As you know, because it is your own line, we have an issue with the existing trains from 2020. Whatever happens, even with 2021 and 2022, we are going to have to patch and mend for a while. I want to get new trains on your railway line as quickly as we can.’ Industry figures have suggested a derogation for EMT’s current HSTs to continue operating into 2020 may now be unavoidable.