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British Rail Class 756
FLIRT
White and red train on display
Class 756 unit at InnoTrans 2022, Berlin
In servicePlanned for 2024[1]
ManufacturerStadler Rail
AssemblyStadler Bussnang AG
Built atBussnang, Switzerland[2]
Family nameFLIRT
Replaced
Constructed2021–2023[3]
Number under construction24
(7 × 3-car, 17 × 4-car)
Formation
Fleet numbers
  • 756/0: 756001–756007
  • 756/1: 756101–756117[3]
Capacity
  • 3-car: 118 seats,
    plus 24 tip-up & 148 standees
  • 4-car: 158 seats,
    plus 32 tip-up & 204 standees
OwnersSMBC Leasing[4]
OperatorsTransport for Wales Rail
DepotsCanton (Cardiff)
Specifications
Car body constructionAluminium
Train length
  • 3-car: 65.0 m (213 ft 3 in)
  • 4-car: 80.7 m (264 ft 9 in)
Width
  • Passenger vehicles:
    2.720 m (8 ft 11.1 in)
  • Power Pack:
    2.822 m (9 ft 3.1 in)[5]
Height3.915 m (12 ft 10.1 in)
Floor height960 mm (3 ft 2 in)
DoorsDouble-leaf sliding plug, each 1.300 m (4 ft 3.2 in) wide
(total 5 per side per 3-car, 7 per side per 4-car)
Wheel diameter
  • Powered: 870 mm (34 in)
  • Unpowered: 760 mm (30 in)
WheelbaseBogies: 2.700 m (8 ft 10.3 in)
Maximum speed75 mph (121 km/h)
Traction systemIGBT
Power output
  • On AC power:
  • 2,600 kW (3,500 hp)
  • On battery power:
  • 1,300 kW (1,700 hp)
  • On diesel power:
  • 480 kW (640 hp)
Tractive effortMaximum starting:
200 kN (45,000 lbf)
AccelerationMaximum starting:
1.1 m/s2 (2.5 mph/s)
Electric system(s)25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead
Current collector(s)Pantograph
UIC classification
  • 3-car: Bo′2′2′2′Bo′
  • 4-car: Bo′2′2′2′2′Bo′
Safety system(s)
Multiple workingWithin class (max. 2 units)
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Notes/references
Sourced from [6] unless otherwise noted.

The British Rail Class 756 FLIRT[7] is a class of tri-mode multiple units being built for Transport for Wales Rail by Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler Rail. They are closely related to the Class 755 bi-mode units delivered by Stadler to Greater Anglia between 2018 and 2020, which can be powered either by overhead electric lines or on-board diesel generators. The Class 756 units will also carry batteries as an additional source of traction power.[8]

A total of 24 units are to be built, split between 7 three-car units and 17 four-car units.[6]

History[edit]

The Wales & Borders rail franchise, awarded to KeolisAmey Wales with effect from 14 October 2018, included a commitment requiring that the operator oversee a full fleet replacement during the franchise period.[9] As part of this process, KeolisAmey placed an order with Stadler in February 2019 for the 24 FLIRT tri-mode units that came to be designated Class 756. The tri-mode capabilities are intended to facilitate operations over lines that have only been partially electrified. Production of the fleet was underway by mid-2021,[2] and entry into service is planned for 2024.[1]

Operators[edit]

Transport for Wales[edit]

When built, Transport for Wales Rail Class 756 units will operate services on the Rhymney line and Vale of Glamorgan Line.

Technical details[edit]

Class 756 units have three or four passenger vehicles, along with a separate "Power Pack" vehicle near the centre of the unit that contains a diesel generator set and three battery modules.[10] The diesel generator produces 480 kW (640 hp), while the batteries are capable of supplying up to 1,300 kW (1,700 hp).[6] All vehicles are linked by unpowered Jacobs bogies, while the outermost bogie at each end of each unit carries the traction motors.[6]

Fleet details[edit]

Subclass Operator Qty. Year built Passenger cars Unit nos.[3]
756/0 Transport for Wales Rail 7 2021–2023 3 756001–756007
756/1 17 4 756101–756117

Illustration[edit]

Illustration of a four-car Class 756 unit (based on concept art)

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b The Power Pack is technically a fourth or fifth vehicle in these units, but as it contains no passenger accommodation it is excluded from the count of passenger cars.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Tfw confirms Class 756 introduction for this year". Headline News. Rail Express. No. 334. March 2024. p. 11.
  2. ^ a b "Testing Begins on New FLIRTs for TfW". Railvolution. Praha: Railway Public s.r.o. 29 July 2021. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Pritchard, Robert (2022). British Railways Pocket Book No. 4: Electric Multiple Units (36th ed.). Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing. pp. 132–133. ISBN 978-1-909-43183-6.
  4. ^ "Time to take stock as the 'bubble' bursts…". Rail Magazine. No. 989. 9 August 2023. pp. 42–47.
  5. ^ Bi-Mode Multiple Unit - FLIRT - Greater Anglia, UK (PDF). Bussnang: Stadler Rail Group. 27 August 2018. FEABMU0819e. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d FLIRT Trimodal Multiple Unit - Transport for Wales (PDF). Bussnang: Stadler Rail Group. 6 September 2022. FWBBMU0922e. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  7. ^ Transport for Wales Rail [@tfwrail] (2 December 2019). "Lastly, our innovative tri-mode Metro trains which will enter service on the Rhymney, Coryton & Vale of Glamorgan lines in 2023, will be Class 756" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ "What's Happening in South East Wales". Transport for Wales. Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  9. ^ "KeolisAmey reveal new-look Wales trains and services". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  10. ^ Fender, Keith; Sherratt, Philip (20 September 2022). "Stadler shows trains for the UK at InnoTrans". Modern Railways. Stamford: Key Publishing. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_756