EWR/Chiltern Class 196 Build and Implementation

[Peter Mugridge]

The 196s ( and the 730s ) have been sold from Corelink to Porterbrook; this was announced on LinkedIn this morning:

Today, we have completed a deal to acquire 404 vehicles owned by Corelink Rail Infrastructure Limited.

The fleet of 324 Class 730 Aventra electric and 80 Class 196 diesel units, operated by West Midlands Trains (WMT), serve passengers on regional and long-distance routes between London, Birmingham and Liverpool. Together, they account for 60% of WMT’s network operations.

Mary Grant, Porterbrook CEO, said: “West Midlands Trains has been one of our largest customers for over 15 years and this latest transaction solidifies that partnership for the future. It also completes a programme of more than £1bn of capital deployed during the last five years in new trains, fleet upgrades, traction innovation and rail infrastructure.”

Today, we have completed a deal to acquire 404 vehicles owned by Corelink Rail Infrastructure Limited. The fleet of 324 Class 730 Aventra electric and 80 Class 196 diesel units, operated by West… | Porterbrook

Today, we have completed a deal to acquire 404 vehicles owned by Corelink Rail Infrastructure Limited. The fleet of 324 Class 730 Aventra electric and 80 Class 196 diesel units, operated by West Midlands Trains (WMT), serve passengers on regional and long-distance routes between London...

www.linkedin.com

 

[westcoaster]

Anyone able to confirm the class 196's have returned to the Midlands. A colleague saw one today in Birmingham, the Chiltern branding taped over.

 

[D365]

Anyone able to confirm the class 196's have returned to the Midlands. A colleague saw one today in Birmingham, the Chiltern branding taped over.

I don't recall that 007-012 were all stabled at Bletchley TMD at the same point in time. Unless your question is whether all of the subleased 196/0s have moved back to Tyseley.

 

[Jacob Porrett]

Anyone able to confirm the class 196's have returned to the Midlands. A colleague saw one today in Birmingham, the Chiltern branding taped over.

They are based at Tyseley when not in use.

 

[45076]

Not sure if this is the correct place to post this, please move or append to correct thread elsewhere if it isn't.

Report on the BBC website today about Winslow station opening (or not opening soon) that includes the comment from Diana Blamires, who sits on the town council. "Blamires said: "Now we are told there are no trains and the rolling stock has gone elsewhere."

Anyone know what is happening?

Delay to opening makes Winslow's new station a 'laughing stock'

A councillor says residents are "furious" a station completed a year ago is still not in operation.

www.bbc.co.uk

The last time this got mentioned on Green Signals it was all about the unions being in dispute with Chiltern and that was only a few weeks ago. The general "normal" press never get anything correct when they talking about railways.

 

[DavidGrain]

According to realtimetrains, 196009 was route learning on the Camp Hill Line in Birmingham today.
This photo taken at New Street last Friday by Iron_Duke on the Camp Hill Line Progress Updates thread on this forum.
Personally I think the Chiltern livery looks better on these units than the WMR livery.

 

[trundlewagon]

Anyone able to confirm the class 196's have returned to the Midlands. A colleague saw one today in Birmingham, the Chiltern branding taped over.

One of them has been being used as the Camp Hill route learner, which might explain why the branding has been covered up.

Edit: There we are, see post above!

 

[Chorley Cake]

According to realtimetrains, 196009 was route learning on the Camp Hill Line in Birmingham today.
This photo taken at New Street last Friday by Iron_Duke on the Camp Hill Line Progress Updates thread on this forum.
Personally I think the Chiltern livery looks better on these units than the WMR livery.

Looks great that livery. Far better than that awful West Midlands livery.

 

[Russel]

Why go to the effort of covering over the Chiltern branding, it's not as if it's in passenger service?

 

[DavidGrain]

Why go to the effort of covering over the Chiltern branding, it's not as if it's in passenger service?

West Midlands Trains became WM Trains under government control a week ago so perhaps they are pasting over all the logos.

 

[Russel]

West Midlands Trains became WM Trains under government control a week ago so perhaps they are pasting over all the logos.

Doubt that's the reason, these are sub-leased to Chiltern.

 

[800002]

Why go to the effort of covering over the Chiltern branding, it's not as if it's in passenger service?

One would have thought it bad etiquette for the lessor (WMT, now DfTO) to be out and about in the leased and branded vehicles which so far are late into passenger service when their effectively borrowing back their own stock.

 

[Chorley Cake]

Does anybody know which units are in Chiltern livery now ?

And whether any are stabled at Bletchley TMD ?

 

[Jacob Porrett]

Does anybody know which units are in Chiltern livery now ?

And whether any are stabled at Bletchley TMD ?

007/009 are two i know off. Either at Bletchley or Tyseley.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Does anybody know which units are in Chiltern livery now ?

007, 011, and 012 are in Chiltern livery (seen at Tyseley over the last couple months)

 

[tfw756rider]

007, 011, and 012 are in Chiltern livery (seen at Tyseley over the last couple months)

And 009, as seen above? And 008, as seen here:

 

[Whybother]

007-12 are all in Chiltern livery. 010 was the last one completed in January.

4 should be in Bletchley with the other 2 currently in Tyseley (or on the Camp Hill lines)

 

[Chorley Cake]

Thanks for the replies folks

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Feb 2026 ==

007-12 are all in Chiltern livery. 010 was the last one completed in January.

4 should be in Bletchley with the other 2 currently in Tyseley (or on the Camp Hill lines)

Are the units visible at Bletchley ? From the road ? Or from a passing train on the Bedford line ?

 

[DavidGrain]

I saw 196009 route learning on the Camp Hill Line yesterday in Chiltern Livery. It had been doing that duty since last Friday (except for the weekend). A WMR allocated 196 is working today. The Camp Hill Line in Birmingham is expected to open within the next few weeks. It would be ironic if it opens using Chiltern stock.

 

[westcoaster]

Do these 196's that Chiltern have sit idle alot, looking at movements to and from Bletchley TMD. There have been no registered movements since the 3rd February.

They must pay alot of leasing for units essentially sitting around.

Training runs seem to now use a 165 that comes from Banbury.

 

[CR165022]

Do these 196's that Chiltern have sit idle alot, looking at movements to and from Bletchley TMD. There have been no registered movements since the 3rd February.

They must pay alot of leasing for units essentially sitting around.

Training runs seem to now use a 165 that comes from Banbury.

They've used 165s from the start alongside the 196s.

 

[tfw756rider]

May take this with a pinch of salt, but I've heard this from several reliable sources, and now seen this tweet attached saying tha possibly different traction to the 196 will be used on the EW line.

I've started a new speculative thread for the discussion of this.

 

[Russel]

The boy who cried 'Wolf', springs to mind.

You'd need 4 diagrams dedicated on a daily basis. Unless you venture into the realms of inter-working the London trains.
Do they have these units spare, possibly - post Mk5 in December.
Will they have capacity issues, requiring the use of these 'released' units, possibly.
Will they be able to achieve the Wants/ needs of everyone, doubtful (my own opinion).


And yes. Resolve the DOO debacle it does not.
*debate.

Another question is what will WMT do with the extra 196 units freed up and who will pay to put them back into WMT livery?

 

[800002]

Another question is what will WMT do with the extra 196 units freed up and who will pay to put them back into WMT livery?

I suggest looking at the contract.
It's a known fact of when the lease expires (Subject to any renewal, naturally). There  is an end date to the existing lease.

Side question: which will come first? End of contract to hire the 196 fleet / units or the start of passenger services?

I'm sure WMT could do plenty with them. They're learning the Camp Hill lines currently (for whichever reason, I forget), with 196 traction.

 

[tfw756rider]

Who will pay to put the 196s back into WMT livery?

Why would they need putting back into the orange and purple livery? It's all going to be Great British Railways anyway, and the "Chiltern" colours would be better-suited for that. Just remove the "Chilternrailways" text/logos (properly) and be done with it.

 

[172007]

Another question is what will WMT do with the extra 196 units freed up and who will pay to put them back into WMT livery?

172333 and 172336 worked New Street Herefords today which should be class 196's!

 

[tfw756rider]

172333 and 172336 worked New Street Herefords today which should be class 196's!

Still, wow - I remember seeing both 172s and 196s at Hereford in September 2023.

 

[Russel]

Why would they need putting back into the orange and purple livery? It's all going to be Great British Railways anyway, and the "Chiltern" colours would be better-suited for that. Just remove the "Chilternrailways" text/logos (properly) and be done with it.

I believe the WMR livery is similar to the Manchester Bee Network yellow so may not be replaced by GBR. The Chiltern livery is probably only vinyl anyway thinking about it.

 

[tfw756rider]

I believe the WMR livery is similar to the Manchester Bee Network yellow so may not be replaced by GBR. The Chiltern livery is probably only vinyl anyway thinking about it.

Oh yeah, I forgot about the West Midlands travel authority stuff.

 

[Russel]

172333 and 172336 worked New Street Herefords today which should be class 196's!

Good point and if the Snow Hill lines ever go back to pre-Covid service levels then the 172s will be needed there.