British Rail Class 196

British Rail Class 196
Civity
Orange and black train stationary at a platform
Class 196 at Coventry
Train carriage interior with dark grey seats backed with a plastic shell in a 2+2 layout
Class 196 interior
In service17 October 2022 – present
ManufacturerCAF
Built atNewport, Wales (final assembly)
Family nameCivity
ReplacedClass 170/5
Constructed2019–2022
Number built
  • 26
  • (12 x 196/0, 14 × 196/1)
Formation
  • 2 cars per 196/0 unit:
  • DMSL-DMS
  • 4 cars per 196/1 unit:
  • DMSL-MS-MSL-DMS
Fleet numbers
  • 196001–196012
  • 196101–196114
Capacity
  • 196/0: 141 seats
  • 196/1: 311 seats
Owners
  • Current:
  • Porterbrook
  • Former:
  • Corelink Rail
Operators
Depots
Lines served
Specifications
Doors
  • Double-leaf sliding plug
  • (2 per side per car)
Maximum speed100 mph (160 km/h)
Prime movers
  • 2 or 4 × MTU 6H 1800 R85L
  • (one per car)
Engine typeInline-6 turbo-diesel
Displacement12.8 L (780 cu in) per engine
Power output
  • 196/0: 780 kW (1,050 hp)
  • 196/1: 1,560 kW (2,090 hp)
  • (390 kW (520 hp) per engine)
Safety systems
Coupling systemDellner
Multiple workingWithin class (max. 8 cars)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The British Rail Class 196 Civity is a class of diesel multiple unit built for West Midlands Trains by Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF. A total of 26 units have been built; 12 two-car units and 14 four-car units.

They are the first train of the Civity family to feature end gangways.

History

Shortly after the announcement that a consortium of Abellio, Mitsui and JR East had been awarded the West Midlands franchise, West Midlands Trains confirmed they had placed an order for 26 diesel multiple units based on CAF's Civity platform.

The first completed unit started testing at the Velim railway test circuit in December 2019.

The first vehicle arrived at Tyseley TMD in Birmingham on 17 April 2020, having travelled by ship from Cuxhaven to Hull. Revenue services using the new fleet began on 17 October 2022, on services between Shrewsbury and Birmingham.

Operators

West Midlands Trains

West Midlands Trains use the Class 196 fleet to replace their 23 Class 170/5 Turbostar units on services between Birmingham and Shrewsbury via Telford. They also run on Birmingham to Hereford services from 2023, the Leamington-Nuneaton line. and have occasional appearances on the Snow Hill Lines (Dorridge & Stratford-upon-Avon to Worcester). Since 2026, they also run the Camp Hill line.

Chiltern Railways

Chiltern Railways Class 196 at Milton Keynes Central

Six 2-car units will be allocated to the initial services operated on the East West Rail route between Oxford and Milton Keynes. The service was planned to start in 2025 but has since been delayed.

Fleet details

Class Operator Qty. Year built Cars per unit Unit nos.
196/0 West Midlands Trains 12 2019–2022 2 196001–196012
196/1 14 4 196101–196114

Named units

Some units have received names:

  • 196001: Graiseley Wolves
  • 196002: Jess Carter
  • 196004: Sir Edward Elgar
  • 196101: Charles Darwin
  • 196102: The Shropshire Flyer

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ In passenger service, up to four units may work together so long as the train contains no more than eight vehicles. When out of service, the maximum number of units remains four but the maximum permissible length increases to ten vehicles.

References

  1. 1 2 Fletcher, Steven (26 August 2020). "The Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011, as amended - CAF WMT Class 196 Diesel Multiple Unit -Technical File: RTV-T41340-R004" (PDF). Letter to Paul Simmons (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles). London: Office of Rail and Road. UK/51/2020/0049. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  2. ↑ Moore, Kyle. "Video: First glimpse of brand new West Midlands Railway trains". Birmingham Updates. Updates Media. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  3. ↑ "Class 196 fact sheet" (PDF). Birmingham: West Midlands Trains. 12 October 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  4. ↑ Stubbings, David (8 January 2026). "Porterbrook acquires West Midlands Trains' '196' and '730' fleets". Rail Magazine. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  5. ↑ "New maintenance contract for 170s". News. Today's Railways UK. No. 268. June 2024. p. 10.
  6. 1 2 "West Midlands Trains Launches CAF '196'". Modern Railways. No. 890. Stamford: Key Publishing. November 2022. pp. 12–13.
  7. ↑ Booth, Janine (18 April 2023). "West Midlands Railway: new train fleet enters service on Hereford Line". RailAdvent. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  8. ↑ "May Timetable Change: Sunday 21 May 2023". Birmingham: West Midlands Trains. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  9. 1 2 Vosman, Quintus (13 January 2020). "New British fleets undergo testing in Velim". International Railway Journal. Falmouth: Simmons-Boardman Publishing. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 Powerpacks with 6H 1800 for Railcar Applications (PDF) (01/20 ed.). MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH. 20 April 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  11. ↑ Fender, Keith; Sheratt, Philip (June 2018). "West Midlands prepares for new fleets". Modern Railways. Vol. 75, no. 837. Stamford: Key Publishing. p. 78.
  12. ↑ Briginshaw, David (12 December 2017). "New West Midlands franchise orders 107 trains". International Railway Journal. Falmouth: Simmons-Boardman Publishing. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  13. ↑ "West Midlands Trains reveals first Class 196 DMU". Rail Business UK. Sutton: DVV Media International. 18 December 2019. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  14. ↑ Clinnick, Richard (19 May 2020). "First brand new CAF train delivered to West Midlands Trains". Rail Magazine. Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  15. ↑ "New West Midlands Railway fleet enters passenger service". Birmingham: West Midlands Trains. 17 October 2022. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  16. ↑ "West Midland Railways launches Class 196 fleet". Rail Magazine. No. 969. Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media. 2 November 2022. pp. 12–13.
  17. 1 2 "[Class 196 Fact Sheet]". West Midlands Railway. Retrieved 20 March 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ↑ "New Trains - Class 196". Birmingham: West Midlands Trains. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  19. ↑ "Chiltern Railways selected as operator for the first stage of East West Rail - Oxford to Milton Keynes". www.chilternrailways.co.uk (Press release). Chiltern Railways. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  20. ↑ "No date for passenger services on EWR". News Front. Modern Railways. Vol. 83, no. 928. January 2026. p. 18.
  21. ↑ "Naming Update". Railways Illustrated. No. 243. May 2023. p. 23.
  22. ↑ Butlin, Ashley (August 2025). "Multiple Units". Stock update. The Railway Magazine. Vol. 171, no. 1493. p. 79.
  23. ↑ "West Midlands Railway Class 196s named". Today's Railways UK. No. 255. May 2023. p. 58.
  24. ↑ "Shed Talk". Units. Rail Express. No. 332. January 2024. p. 24.

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