Chiltern MK5s Starting 2026 (non speculative updates thread)

[Snow1964]

Dft has issued update as part of its news story on Sundays Chiltern nationalisation

• More services and seats: a new timetable from December will provide 25 extra services each weekday including half hourly service throughout the day on the Chiltern Mainline between London and Birmingham. This will provide almost 10,000 extra seats every weekday, nearly 5,000 on Saturdays and more than 3,000 on Sundays, helping to tackle overcrowding.

• New modern trains: 6 more state-of-the-art Chiltern Explorer trains will enter service as part of the December 2026 timetable, completing a fleet of 13. The new trains will increase capacity and provide improved accessibility, air conditioning and enhanced wifi for passengers between London and the West Midlands.

So appears the trains are named Chiltern Explorer

Chiltern Railways brought into public ownership

Chiltern Railways brought into public ownership with more daily services and more reliable journeys.

www.gov.uk

 

[xotGD]

You shouldn't 'hope' to get one. They're awful, there aren't enough seats, and the ride quality is abysmal.

They've got a Class 68 on the front. That's what matters.

 

[Snow1964]

You shouldn't 'hope' to get one. They're awful, there aren't enough seats, and the ride quality is abysmal.

Apparently 10,000 extra seats on weekdays from December timetable with half hourly service (rather smaller numbers of extra seats at weekends though)

 

[VT118]

Apparently 10,000 extra seats on weekdays from December timetable with half hourly service (rather smaller numbers of extra seats at weekends though)

That's great news and fingers crossed it makes a big difference

 

[172007]

Chiltern will still use 168s and probably 7 or 8 coaches on the busy trains to / from the West Mids. 13 x 5 coach trains on top of the existing fleet less 2 mk3 sets is a considerable uplift if the fleets are used carefully.

 

[800002]

Hopefully things improve when the full fleet is in use, and I still have hope that I may one day be able to find a seat, but until then I dread seeing a MK5 set pull into the station.

They'll be more opportunities to see one come the start of October.

Speaking of the full fleet, I assume the amended timetable is due to be released soon? It was promised to be introduced in December iirc

And it'll be released when it's finished. It's a new timetable, technically, not amended (If we go by planning spaleak).
All the timetable is published, in systems, but I suspect you want to see the unit diagrams/ formations? (These will be along shortly, no doubt).

 

[RUK]

Have the operators' had their announcements amended to sound "GBR (Brand) Service"?

My sample size is very small, but I’ve been on one Greater Anglia Class 720 which has had “Greater Anglia” removed from the audio announcements, so there’s just a bit of a pause instead of the TOC name, so “This is a… service to London Liverpool Street”, but I don’t use Greater Anglia very much at the moment, and I don’t think “c2c” has been removed from the audio announcements on the Class 357s, as far as I can remember, but I haven’t been on one for several weeks now.

 

[Wolfie]

My sample size is very small, but I’ve been on one Greater Anglia Class 720 which has had “Greater Anglia” removed from the audio announcements, so there’s just a bit of a pause instead of the TOC name, so “This is a… service to London Liverpool Street”, but I don’t use Greater Anglia very much at the moment, and I don’t think “c2c” has been removed from the audio announcements on the Class 357s, as far as I can remember, but I haven’t been on one for several weeks now.

As of yesterday 'C2C' was still being used on 357s.

 

[Mikey C]

Chiltern will still use 168s and probably 7 or 8 coaches on the busy trains to / from the West Mids. 13 x 5 coach trains on top of the existing fleet less 2 mk3 sets is a considerable uplift if the fleets are used carefully.

Yes, the silly length of 5 carriages, including 1 first class one, makes them too short for the busiest services.

The 168s ride nicer anyway.

 

[CyrusWuff]

Yes, the silly length of 5 carriages, including 1 first class one, makes them too short for the busiest services.

I'm sure this has been covered earlier in the thread, but the tl;dr answer to that is: That's the length TPE ordered and it would be too expensive to either reform the sets or have the First Class carriages converted to Standard.