tbtc
Veteran Member
That's the plan as it currently stands. The only question is what sort of EMU will be procured to run the services, will it be 350s or a new design entirely? We don't have the definitive answer to that yet as far as I know.
Ideally it'd be the same 125mph tilting EMU that is aquired for Birmingham - Glasgow/Edinburgh (and also for the "fast" Northampton services, to avoid eating up fast WCML paths). But when did things work that logically?
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If e.g. London Midland acquire further 350s, the 323s used in the Birmingham area could go to Northern?
The maths work well, the 26 units would cover the number of diagrams (with a handful to spare). Having a common fleet of Lancashire EMUs for local service could be a good thing too (witness the problems at Northern's Leeds depot when one of the three 321s is out of action)
However, as has been pointed out to me, the three coach 323 would have fewer seats than a four coach Sprinter on the few diagrams that have that capacity, and some stations wouldn't cope with a six coach 323. I hope the electrification means platforms are lengthened.