First Class 197 DMUs For The Wales And Borders network

The transformation of the Wales and Borders network has moved another step closer with the first of the brand-new Class 197 trains coming off the production line in factory at Celtic Business Park near Llanwern Steelworks in Newport, using the bodyshells built in Beasain.

Testing for the two new trains, 197 001 and 002, is currently taking place in North Wales and the north of England. The new trains are due to begin entering service from next year on long-distance services, serving destinations as varied as Holyhead, Fishguard and Liverpool. There are 51 two-car (197 001 - 051) and 26 three-car (197 101 - 126) units on order.

These new trains will provide enhanced comfort for TfW customers with features such as leather seats (first class), stain resistant seats and a modern air conditioning/heating system. The Class 197 trains also come equipped with a smart seat reservations system. Seat reservations will be downloaded from the reservation computer each time train crew change ends on the train.

The 160 km/h DMUs are fitted the 375 kW MTU PowerPacks, incorporating the 12.8 litre, six-cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine, with ZF EcoLife hydromechanical transmission. Each car has one trailer and one powered bogie, the latter with the ZF final drive gearboxes. Friction braking is by pneumatic disc brakes, controlled by Knorr-Bremse’s EP2002 brake control system. To minimise brake pad wear, the friction braking effort is augmented by a hydrodynamic retarder integrated into each ZF EcoLife transmission.

Length of the Class 197/0 DMUs is 48.052 m, that of the Class 197/1 DMUs is 71.402 m. Of 51 two-car Class 197/0 units 21 will be fitted with ETCS for use on the Cambrian routes. Of 26 three-car Class 197/1 units 14 will have a first class seating section. In the Class 197/0s there are 116 seats, in the Class 197/1s are 188 seats and in the Class 197/1s with first class section are 174 seats. Each car has two double-leaf sliding-plug doors on each sidewall (at ‘one third‘ and ‘two third’ positions). In the Class 197/0s there is one PRM toilet, in the Class 197/1s one PRM and one standard toilet.