British Rail Class 185

The Class 185 is a diesel multiple-unit passenger train of the Desiro type built by Siemens in Germany for the British train operating company First TransPennine Express.

51 units were acquired, representing an investment of £250 million.

The Siemens "Desiro UK" family also includes units of Classes 350, 360, 380, 444 and 450.

Background and history
Fifty-one of these three-carriage 185s, together with nine two-carriage 170s, have replaced the Class 158s (North and South Transpennine Express routes), Class 175s (Manchester Airport to Blackpool/Cumbria routes) and Class 220/221 Voyager trains (operated by Virgin Trains on Manchester to Scotland routes).

The trains are members of the Desiro family, of which electric variants were already serving in Britain as Classes 350, 360, 444, and 450 at the time of their introduction

The first train started operating on 14 March 2006 and the full roll-out of all 51 was completed by December 2006. Two depots have been built in Manchester and York to maintain the trains, along with a new fuelling facility in Cleethorpes.

Design


These trains are powered by Cummins QSK19-R engines through a Voith 3 speed hydrodynamic transmission powering both axles on one bogie per car with the other bogie unpowered. Mechanically the trains are very similar to Alstom's Class 180 Coradia DMUs although the 185s have a lower top speed of 100 mph.

The Class 185 trains are designed to be quick accelerators and faster at climbing hills; First TransPennine Express expect these trains to be able to make up time more easily than the 158s should they be delayed due to the higher acceleration afforded by the 2250 hp provided by a 185's engines (as compared with a Class 158 with 1050 hp provided by a 3 car set).

However, they have higher axle weight and lower route availability (RA 5 compared to the RA 2 of a Class 158) which means they are too heavy to run at the faster speed limits designed for sprinter class trains that are in place on some parts of the First TransPennine Express network. Therefore they can only run at the lower standard speed limits. Due to the higher acceleration of the Class 185 they are still able to run to the Class 158 timings on these routes.

The first units were delivered from Siemens in the old First livery, these were converted to the new First 'Dynamic lines' livery using vinyl wraps upon arrival in the United Kingdom. Later arrivals were delivered blank and given vinyls at Ardwick Depot, Manchester.

Eco-Mode
Class 185 units can be operated in 'Eco-Mode', which allows one or more of the units' engines to be shut down when not needed to save fuel, without affecting journey times or passenger comfort.

Each of the three carriages in the unit has an engine and all three are used when accelerating out of stations. However, when travelling downhill or running at line speed, only two are needed. Additionally, the train uses only one engine in empty stock moves to depots, and automatically turns off all idling engines when the train is stationary. The result is that the units require 7% less fuel. For the entire fleet of 51 units, carbon emissions are reduced by 12 t each day; over 12 months, 1800000 l of fuel is saved. Furthermore, as the engines are idling less and thus operating less (engine hours reduced by two hours a day per train), their service life may be extended by 15%.



Passenger comfort
The general ambience of the trains is rather more commuter-like than the 158s, with wide double doors at 1/3 and 2/3 of the way down the carriages, rather than the usual long-distance train narrow doors at the carriage ends. There is increased standing room, and around half of all seats are arranged around tables of four.

The loss of seats relative to an equivalent three-coach 158 means that more passengers have to stand at peak times. An increase in passenger numbers since the trains were brought in to operation has meant that some passengers are unable to board 185s at peak times due to them being seriously overcrowded.

The air conditioning on board these trains has, in the past, attracted many complaints from passengers as it was set too cold. A software modification has now been completed and the temperature is somewhat improved: complaints from passengers regarding the temperature have decreased. In the recent cold weather this was a much more serious problem.

Like on 175s, the amount of leg room is good because the backs of the seats are thinner and firmer than on trains such as the 158 and the 170. Additionally there are dedicated wheelchair areas and disabled toilets, additional capacity for bicycles as well as on board CCTV and emergency call points.

The new trains have proved popular with commuters who regularly use the 185s on short journeys. However, they have proved unpopular with long distance travellers who find the standard class seating too firm to sit on for up to four hours, and find the engines to be noisy.

There are reclining seats in First Class, in 2+1 layout, an improvement on the 2+2 layout on the Transpennine Class 158s which they replaced.

Operations
Almost all First Transpennine Express Services are operated by 185s, except for the Manchester Piccadilly – Hull service which are mostly run by a Class 170 Turbostar train. This is due to the speed and weight problems between Selby and Hull. Class 170's also operate a few of the services between Manchester Airport and Cleethorpes via Doncaster and on some Sunday only services between Manchester and York but this has met with criticism as this has resulted in further overcrowding on an already congested route.

To free up stock for Manchester Airport to Scotland services, First TransPennine Express dramatically decreased the frequency of the Manchester Airport to Windermere route from 9 December 2007. This means that 185s are now used on the relatively short journeys of Preston to Windermere, approximately one hour in length, and the shorter journey of Oxenholme to Windermere of twenty minutes.

However, the 185s are seen as too small for TransPennine Express services, and it is likely eight-carriage units will be needed by 2014 which will need to have a top speed of at least 100 mph to meet targets for reducing journey times.

Class 185s are also used on the Liverpool Lime Street to Scarborough service.