British Rail Class 730
Aventra
Interiorimage730234 Standard Class DM Interior.jpg
InteriorcaptionClass 730/2 interior
StocktypeElectric multiple unit
Service13 November 2023 – present (730/0)[1]
9 June 2025 – present (730/2)[2]
Manufacturer
FactoryDerby Litchurch Lane Works
FamilyAventra
Yearconstruction2020–2024[3]
Numberbuilt84
Formation
  • 3 cars per 730/0 unit:
  • DM1-PMLW-DM2[4]
  • 5 cars per 730/2 unit:
  • DM-M1L-PMLW-M2L-DMC[5]
Diagram
  • 730/0 units:[4]
  • DM vehicles: EL249
  • PMLW vehicles: ER250
  • 730/2 units:[5]
  • DM vehicles: EL251
  • M1L vehicles: ER256
  • PMLW vehicles: ER255
  • M2L vehicles: ER254
  • DMC vehicles: EA316
Capacity
  • 3-car: 201 seats[6]
  • 5-car: 406 seats[7]
Owner

[8]

OperatorWest Midlands Trains
Depots
Lines
Carlength24 m (79 ft)
Doors
  • Double-leaf sliding plug
  • (2 per side per car)
Maxspeed
  • 3-car:
  • 90 mph (145 km/h)
  • 5-car:
  • 110 mph (180 km/h)
Electricsystemoverhead
CollectionmethodPantograph
BogiesBombardier Flexx-Eco
Safety
CouplingDellner
Multipleworking
  • Within class;
  • 730/0: max. 3 units[15]

The British Rail Class 730 Aventra is a type of electric multiple unit passenger train built by Alstom for West Midlands Trains. Two separate batches of the fleet were built; 48 three-car units and 36 five-car units.

History

In October 2017, West Midlands Trains were awarded the franchise to operate local rail services around Birmingham and the West Midlands, suburban services to , and long-distance inter-urban services operating from both Euston and .[16] At the time the franchise was awarded, the company announced that it would procure more than 100 new trains at a cost of £680 million to replace older rolling stock and enhance its fleet.[17] Of these, a total of 81 EMUs were ordered from Bombardier Transportation from its Aventra product range.[18] They were built at Derby Litchurch Lane Works.[19] The first completed train was unveiled in September 2020.[17]

In 2022, the order was amended to increase the proportion of three-car units in the fleet, which will result in the delivery of 48 three-car units and 36 five-car units instead of the original plan for 36 three-car units, Class 730/0, and 45 five-car units, Class 730/1 and Class 730/2 – a total of 324 vehicles in 84 units.[7][20]

Testing and introduction into service

The Class 730/0 trains entered service on 13 November 2023[21] and were the second new fleet to be introduced by West Midlands Trains, following the which entered service on 17 October 2022.[22]

The introduction of the Class 730 on the Cross-City line in 2024 enables the withdrawal of units,[23] 17 of which will be cascaded to Northern Trains.[24] It will also allow for the withdrawal of the units on the West Midlands Trains network.

The Class 730 was tested in Velim in Czechia, as well as in the UK.[25] Testing of Class 730 units on the West Midlands Trains network began in March 2021,[26] and in February 2022 the then full order of 36 Class 730/0 units received authorisation for service from the Office of Rail and Road.[4]

The three-car Class 730 units are currently being used on West Coast Main Line services out of London. This allowed for the withdrawal of s.[27] The first three-car Class 730 entered passenger service on the Wolverhampton-Birmingham-Walsall services in February 2024,[28] with the units being introduced on Cross-City Line services in the Spring.[6][21][29][30] The first pair of Class 730 units entered service on the Cross-City Line on 15 April 2024.[31] The three-car Class 730/0 units will be maintained at Soho Depot in Birmingham which is the home depot of the s[9] and the five-car Class 730/2 units will be maintained at Bletchley Depot in Milton Keynes. In 2020, West Midlands Trains planned to maintain them at Bescot Depot in Walsall.[11][20]

The first of the Class 730/2 trains entered service on 9 June 2025.[2][32]

Fleet details

The two separate batches were constructed to operate at different maximum speeds to suit different uses. The three-car Class 730/0 trains—designed for Cross-City Line and Birmingham local services— operate at up to 90 mph (140 km/h),[17] and were built to double capacity on the Cross-City Line. The five-car Class 730/2 trains will operate on outer suburban and long-distance LNR services and will operate at up to 110 mph (180 km/h).[17][19][33]

SubclassOperatorQty.[34]Year builtCars per unitUnit nos.
730/0
482020–20243730001–730048
730/2West Midlands Trains365730201-730236[35]

Named units

All 48 West Midlands Railway Class 730/0 units, dubbed the Landmark Class are to be named after landmarks within the West Midlands.[36]

NumberNameNotes
730018Hurst StreetOfficially named on 23 May 2024 to celebrate Birmingham Pride. This was the first Class 730/0 to be named. The unit has also had a pride livery applied, with the faded diamond motif in pride colours.[37]

References

  1. ^ "Class 730 EMUs enter service with London Northwestern Railway". Rail Business UK. 14 November 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  2. ^ "New London Northwestern Railway fleet to transform travel for millions of Euston passengers". MyNewsDesk - West Midlands Trains. 9 June 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  3. ^ Clinnick, Richard (May 2024). "Production lines stop at Litchurch Lane". Rail Express. No. 336. p. 10.
  4. ^ Fletcher, S. (2 February 2022). "www.orr.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2022-02/2022-02-02-bombardier-transportation-uk-limited-alstom-class-730-vehicles-authorisation-letter.pdf" (PDF). London: Office of Rail and Road. UK/51/2022/0004. Archived 4 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ^ Hines, R. (29 January 2024). "www.orr.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-02/alstom-aventra-class-730-0-class-730-2-emu-trains-authorisation-letter-2024-01-29.pdf" (PDF). London: Office of Rail and Road. Archived 29 March 2024 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ^ "New era of rail travel to begin as West Midlands Railway unveils electric train fleet". West Midlands Railway. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Class 730 fact sheet". Birmingham: West Midlands Trains. 7 June 2023. Archived from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  8. ^ Stubbings, David (8 January 2026). "Porterbrook acquires West Midlands Trains' '196' and '730' fleets". Rail Magazine. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  9. ^ Plisner, Peter (17 April 2024). "A found farewell to Cross City stalwarts". Rail Magazine. No. 1007. pp. 38–43.
  10. ^ "West Midlands Railway unveils major £5m investment in Coventry maintenance facility for new electric train fleet". West Midlands Trains. 24 January 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  11. ^ "New Electric Train Stabling Sidings". West Midlands Railway. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  12. ^ "West Midlands Trains Launches CAF '196'". Modern Railways. No. 890. Stamford: Key Publishing. November 2022. pp. 12–13. ISSN 0026-8356
  13. ^ "Class 730 fact sheet". West Midlands Railway. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  14. ^ Booth, Janine (5 November 2024). "Class 730 welcomed on a new route". RailAdvent. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  15. ^ Fletcher, S. (18 November 2022). "www.orr.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2022-11/alstom-class-730-upgrade-multiple-units-operation-orr-authorisation-letter-2022-11-18.pdf" (PDF). London: Office of Rail and Road. UK/51/2022/0010. Archived 18 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine.
  16. ^ Jones, T. (17 October 2017). "Over 100 new trains West Midlands trains – with wi-fi and speeds up to 110mph". Birmingham Post. Trinity Mirror Midlands. Archived 30 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine.
  17. ^ "Class 730 EMU for Birmingham's Cross-City Line revealed". Rail Business UK. Sutton: DVV Media International. 9 September 2020. Archived 27 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine.
  18. ^ "Bombardier and CAF win West Midlands train contracts". Railway Gazette International. Sutton: DVV Media International. 17 October 2017. Archived 20 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine.
  19. ^ Fender, K. & Sheratt, P. (June 2018). "West Midlands prepares for new fleets". Modern Railways. Vol. 75, no. 837. Stamford: Key Publishing. p. 78. ISSN 0026-8356
  20. ^ "West Midlands Trains launches CAF '196s'". Modern Railways. Stamford: Key Publishing. 14 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  21. ^ "Happy Monday, all - Serenity & Lauren here until 7pm today. It's an exciting day today... Our BRAND NEW 730's are making their official debut! Weather is wet & miserable today, so please take extra care when boarding & alighting your train. Down on the Stour". No. 1723960456946081859. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  22. ^ "New West Midlands Railway fleet enters passenger service". Birmingham: West Midlands Trains. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  23. ^ "Class 730 Fleet". West Midlands Railway. Birmingham: West Midlands Trains. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  24. ^ "Class 323 EMUs to remain in traffic with Northern". Rail Magazine. No. 886. Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media. 28 August 2019. p. 30. ISSN 0953-4563
  25. ^ "Aventra for WMT on Test at Velim". Railvolution. Praha: Railway Builder s.r.o. 13 August 2020. Archived 22 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine.
  26. ^ "New 'Aventra' train pays a visit to Redditch as it builds up the miles". Redditch Standard. Wolverhampton: Bullivant Media. 19 March 2021. Archived 24 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine.
  27. ^ "West Mids '730s' to debut out of Euston". Modern Railways. No. 899. Stamford: Key Publishing. October 2022. p. 88. ISSN 0026-8356
  28. ^ Thompson, Victoria (13 February 2023). "New electric trains begin operating in West Midlands". Rail Advent. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  29. ^ "West Midlands Trains turns back the clock with retro repaint for Class 323". Today's Railways UK. No. 252. Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing. February 2023. p. 55. ISSN 1475-9713
  30. ^ "Class 730 fact sheet". West Midlands Railway. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  31. ^ "West Midlands Railway: New trains enter service on Birmingham's iconic Cross City Line". West Midlands Railway. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  32. ^ Dumitru, Andrei (2025-06-10). "New trains for London Northwestern Railway". Railway PRO. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
  33. ^ "WMT targets autumn debut for '730s'". Modern Railways. No. 899. July 2023. p. 100. ISSN 0026-8356
  34. ^ "Autumn start for Class 730/0s on London Euston diagrams". Rail Express. No. 327. August 2023. p. 10.
  35. ^ "Two more 730s to Doncaster". Today's Railways UK. No. 260. October 2023. p. 62.
  36. ^ "This splendour shall remain! 'Hurst Street' is the first of the 730 Class to have been officially named as part of the 'Landmark Class', with the rest of the fleet following suit, being named after other landmarks within West Midlands.". No. 1793689011422114151. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  37. ^ "West Midlands Railway: New train named "Hurst Street" ahead of Birmingham Pride". West Midlands Railway. 23 May 2024. Archived 23 May 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 23 May 2024.