WEST Midlands Railway (WMR) launched its‘Aventra’ Class 730/0 trains in theWest Midlands on February 8, ahead of their introduction into service from February 12.
The 48 three-car trains represent part of an overall £700 million investment for the operator in new rolling stock, which over the next 12 months will replace the 30-year-old Class 323s on the Cross-City line as well as the Class 350/2s on its other routes. All of the three-car sets have been accepted by WMR.
The first route to see the Class 730s will beWolverhampton to Walsall, with a single diagram initially replacing a Class 350. Introduction of the class on this first diagram will be a step towards introducing the sets on Birmingham’s busy Cross-City line between LichfieldTrentValley and Redditch or Bromsgrove. Other Wolverhampton toWalsall diagrams will soon switch to Class 730s.The Alstom-built units were first launched at Milton Keynes on June 30, 2023, and four pairs currently work suburban services at peak hours out of London Euston.