| British Rail Class 231 FLIRT | |
|---|---|
 Class 231 unit at Lisvane and Thornhill in 2023 | |
.JPG) Interior | |
| In service | 18 January 2023 – present[1] |
| Manufacturer | Stadler Rail |
| Assembly | Stadler Bussnang AG |
| Built at |
|
| Family name | FLIRT |
| Replaced | |
| Constructed | 2021–2022 |
| Number under construction | 11 |
| Formation | 4 cars per unit:[note 1] DMS-TS-PP-TSW-DMS[2] |
| Fleet numbers | 231001–231011 |
| Capacity | 170 seats, plus 36 tip-up & 180 standees |
| Owners | SMBC Leasing[3] |
| Operators | Transport for Wales Rail |
| Depots | Canton (Cardiff) |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Aluminium |
| Train length | 80.7 m (264 ft 9 in) |
| Width |
|
| Height | 3.915 m (12 ft 10.1 in) |
| Floor height | 960 mm (3 ft 2 in) |
| Doors | Double-leaf sliding plug, each 1.300 m (4 ft 3.2 in) wide (total 6 per side) |
| Wheel diameter |
|
| Wheelbase | Bogies: 2.700 m (8 ft 10.3 in) |
| Maximum speed | 90 mph (145 km/h) |
| Weight | 154.3 tonnes (151.9 long tons; 170.1 short tons) (4-car set)[5] |
| Traction system | IGBT |
| Prime mover(s) | 4 × Deutz 16-litre V8 turbo-diesel |
| Power output | 1,500 kW (2,000 hp) at wheel |
| Tractive effort | Starting: 160 kN (36,000 lbf) |
| Acceleration | 0.9 m/s2 (2.0 mph/s) |
| UIC classification | Bo′2′2′2′2′Bo′ |
| Safety system(s) | |
| Multiple working | Within class (max. 3 units) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Notes/references | |
| Sourced from [6] unless otherwise noted. | |
The British Rail Class 231[7] is a class of eleven diesel-electric multiple units of the FLIRT family, which have been built for Transport for Wales by Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler Rail. The first units entered service on 18 January 2023.[1]
- ^ a b Lee Waters MS [@Amanwy] (18 January 2023). "All aboard!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Fletcher, Steve (27 June 2022). "The Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011, as amended – Stadler Bussnang AG, Class 231/0" (PDF). Letter to Anandarajah Mariadas (Stadler Bussnang AG). London: Office of Rail and Road. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ "Time to take stock as the 'bubble' bursts…". Rail Magazine. No. 989. 9 August 2023. pp. 42–47.
- ^ Bi-Mode Multiple Unit - FLIRT - Greater Anglia, UK (PDF). Bussnang: Stadler Rail Group. 1 August 2019. FEABMU0819e. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ "Class 231" (PDF). Transport for Wales. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ^ FLIRT Diesel-Electric Multiple Unit - Transport for Wales (PDF). Bussnang: Stadler Rail Group. 1 April 2023. FWBDMU0423e. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- ^ Transport for Wales Rail [@tfwrail] (2 December 2019). "The diesel-electric Metro trains that will run on the Maesteg, Ebbw Vale and Cardiff-Cheltenham lines from 2022 will be Class 231" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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