In service TBC Constructed 2014–2015 | Manufacturer Vossloh España Family name Citylink Number under construction 7 units | |
 | ||
The Class 399 Citylink is a type of rail vehicle being built by Vossloh for operation by Sheffield Supertram. Although the type will be a low floor tram, it will be operated as the United Kingdom's first tram-train type, as part of an initial pilot of the operation of such vehicles.
Contents
History
In 2008, the Department for Transport announced plans to operate a trial tram-train service using the Penistone Line in South Yorkshire. This route is an unelectrified route that would have required the procurement of a number of specially built vehicles, which would have required them to be diesel powered, as there were no plans to include electrification as part of the trial. The trial was intended to start operating for two years from 2010, but, in 2009, the proposal was changed, as the original plan did not include any on-street running. The revised proposal envisaged the use of the Supertram network, with a new link constructed to connect it to the Dearne Valley Line to Rotherham, that would then allow trams to operate on both heavy rail and light rail lines. As part of the project, the line would be electrified, allowing more cost-effective electric vehicles to be procured. Approval for the tram-train trial came from the DfT in May 2012, with a commitment of £58m to go towards the construction of a 400m chord between the Network Rail and Supertram networks, electrification of 8 miles of the route to Rotherham and the purchase of seven new tram-train vehicles.
In 2013, it was announced that Vossloh España had been selected to construct the new tram-trains for Supertram, with the first scheduled for delivery in September 2015, although this was subsequently put back to December 2015. Under Supertram's numbering system, the seven units were numbered as 201-207; however, because part of their operation is on the National Rail network, they are required to be registered under the Total Operations Processing System used for main line rail vehicles, which led them to be allocated under TOPS as Class 399. The first Class 399 unit finally left the factory at Valencia in November 2015, and was due for delivery to Sheffield by the beginning of December. The last class 399 vehicle was delivered overnight on 20 November 2016.
Operation
The primary purpose of the Class 399 units is to operate the tram-train service between Sheffield and Rotherham. As a consequence, they will be dual voltage vehicles capable of operating on both the 750 V OHLE of Supertram's network, and the 25 kV OHLE that is the standard on the National Rail network. Although the route to Rotherham will be electrified to the 750 V standard used on the rest of the Supertram network, the installation of dual voltage capability is to allow the vehicles to be "future-proofed" for use as and when the Midland Main Line north of Sheffield is electrified. Additionally, because they will be operating on a heavy rail line, they will be subject to higher crashworthiness standards than the rest of Supertram's fleet, meaning that these units will be the only ones capable of operating the tram-train service to Rotherham. However, they will also be used to strengthen Supertram's existing fleet, which has not been expanded since it was originally commissioned in 1992. The vehicles will be fully integrated into Supertram's fleet, and will be maintained by the manufacturer at the main Nunnery depot. The Rotherham service is envisaged to operate every 20 minutes between Cathedral and Rotherham Central, before terminating at a new stop at Rotherham's Parkgate retail park, with a total journey time of approximately 25 minutes. A total of three vehicles will be required for this service level; three of the remainder will be used to increase capacity on the rest of the network, with the seventh in maintenance. Initially however, four of the seven vehicles will be dedicated to the Rotherham service, with the other three used for fleet expansion. This is owing to the different wheel profile required for running on National Rail tracks as opposed to Supertram's own. This is envisaged to be the case until Supertram has completed its full track replacement programme.
Fleet details
The seven tram-trains, numbered 399201–207 under TOPS, are three-section articulated units in the formation DMOSW+MOS+DMOSW, and all seven units were built between 2014 and 2015. The two end sections each have two sets of plug doors on either side of the unit, while there are no doors in the centre section. Wheelchair space is provided between the two sets of doors in the end sections, and the units are low-floor throughout.