Passengers will soon have a new train fleet to enjoy as West Midlands Railway launch their Class 196 fleet.
A total of 25 trains will soon be in service, running on the Shrewsbury line and serving passengers in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Telford.
A special event was held at Wolverhampton, with confirmation that the first train in the fleet will be named Charles Darwin in honour of the Shrewsbury-born naturalist.
Construction of the new trains took place in South Wales and Spain and will soon serve the Hereford line, serving passengers in Bromsgrove, Droitwich and Worcester.
Ian McConnell, West Midlands Railway managing director, said: “These brand new trains will provide a much-improved travelling experience for our customers with smart air conditioning and power points at every seat.
“We have had to wait a little while to introduce these trains due to the pandemic but I am delighted our customers will soon be able to experience the trains for themselves.”
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said:“I want to see a golden era for rail travel in our region and this £690m investment from West Midlands Railway is a vital and very welcome element in realising that overall vision.
“These fantastic new trains will make a real difference for passengers – improving the travel experience, connecting communities and providing extra capacity – which is much needed as public transport usage continues to climb post-pandemic.
“This announcement celebrates a genuine success story and is a great example of what public-private partnership working at its best can achieve for local residents.”
The West Midlands Railway Class 196 looks like a very angry hornet but they do look nice and brand new.
hope you change the colours for the trains , the current purple and orange make you feel sick and why are we buying Spanish train sets , support Derby and UK plants
How long until these Spanish trains develop serious faults? You’d have thought the Mayor would have learnt after the Metro cracks disaster. Obviously money talks.
You’d think that – with the benefit of 100 years experience – it might be possible for someone to invent a gangway connection system which isn’t so spectacularly ugly, and doesn’t dominate the look of train set fronts in such an overwhelming fashion??