British Rail Class 170

British Rail Class 170
Turbostar
A ScotRail Class 170 at Kirkcaldy
The interior of a ScotRail refurbished Class 170
In service30 May 1999 – present
Manufacturer
Built atDerby Litchurch Lane Works
Family nameTurbostar
Replaced
Constructed1998–2005
Number built139
Number in service
Formation2 or 3 cars per unit
Owners
Operators
Depots
Specifications
Car body constructionWelded aluminium, with steel body ends[5]
Car length
  • DM vehs.: 23.62 m (77 ft 6 in)
  • MS vehs.: 23.61 m (77 ft 6 in)[6]
Width2.69 m (8 ft 10 in)[6]
Height3.77 m (12 ft 4 in)[6]
DoorsDouble-leaf sliding plug (2 per side per car)
Maximum speed100 mph (160 km/h)[7]
Prime mover(s)2 or 3 × MTU 6R 183 TD 13H[8] (one per car)
Engine typeInline-6 4-stroke turbo-diesel
Power output315 kW (422 hp) per engine
TransmissionVoith T 211 rzze hydrokinetic (one per vehicle)
Accelerationmax. 0.5 m/s2 (1.6 ft/s2)[7]
Bogies
  • Adtranz/Bombardier
  • Powered: P3-23
  • Unpowered: T3-23
Braking system(s)Electro-pneumatic (disc)
Safety system(s)
Coupling systemBSI[9]
Multiple workingWithin class, plus Classes 14x and 15x
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge

The British Rail Class 170 Turbostar is a British diesel-hydraulic multiple unit passenger train designed and built by Adtranz, and later by Bombardier Transportation, at Derby Litchurch Lane Works.

The Class 170 was derived from the British Rail Class 165 and 166 DMUs, known as the Networker Turbos, of the 1990s. The first units were introduced to service in 1999, shortly after the privatisation of British Rail; they have been commonly used to operate regional as well as long-distance services, and to a lesser extent suburban services. A total of 139 units were built, but some were later converted to Class 168 and Class 171 units. These trains are currently in use with CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Northern Trains and ScotRail.

  1. ^ "Turbostar refurbishment to extend beyond 2040?". Network News. Rail Magazine. No. 1009. 15 May 2024. p. 14.
  2. ^ "New maintenance contract for 170s". News. Today's Railways UK. No. 268. June 2024. p. 10.
  3. ^ Sherrat, Philip (April 2024). "Northern builds for the future". Modern Railways. Vol. 81, no. 907. pp. 66–70.
  4. ^ Pickering, Graeme (May 2024). "Neville Hill
    125 years old and still evolving". The Railway Magazine. Vol. 170, no. 1478. pp. 47–51.
  5. ^ "Turbostar – United Kingdom". Bombardier Transportation. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Class 170 & 171 Diesel Multiple Unit (PDF) (1A ed.). Derby: Porterbrook Leasing Company. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Class 170 and 171". London: Eversholt Rail Group. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  8. ^ MTU Rail Power for the UK & Ireland (PDF). MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH. September 2018. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  9. ^ System Data for Mechanical and Electrical Coupling of Rail Vehicles in support of GM/RT2190 (PDF). London: Rail Safety and Standards Board. 22 June 2011. p. 4. SD001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2022.