Since its takeover by the Department for Transport in mid-2023, TransPennine Express has been making some questionable decisions, with the withdrawal of their brand new intercity Nova 3 trains after just 4 years of use on the network. But what is it that made these trains get withdrawn? Find out as we take one last ride in this video!
Journey details:
Date of Travel – September 2023
Operator – TransPennine Express
Train Type – Class 68 + Mk5a “Nova 3”
Origin – Scarborough
Destination – Manchester Piccadilly
Price – £27.25 (Advance first single, including Railcard discount of 1/3)
Duration – 2 hours, 23 minutes
Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoyed the video!
Music from EpidemicSound and is used under license.
A massive thanks goes to Steven Hughes for recording my Nova 1 service arriving and departing York station, do check out his channel here: https://youtube.com/@UCRGwVzGnePFEUgpv6nCA3EQ
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Link to the TPE menu: https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/travelling-with-us/onboard-facilities/food-and-drink
#class68 #transpennineexpress #nova3 #tpe #manchester #scarborough #tripreport #trains #vlog
46 Comments
Once again we see that privatisation leads to utter chaos. The whole lot needs to be taken back into a publicly owned integrated system.
The class 68s are new locos which were designed to meet many of the emissions requirements DRS's owner (Nuclear Decommissioning Authority) want for all of DRS fleet of loco's. The class 68 will probably get used for types of DRS contracts to replace the class 37s recently sold by DRS.
Big question. What if you don't want to change your baby and keep the one you have?
chlltern and scotrail are likely to get them
Some great shots in this video and your quality just gets better each week. I'd recommend ensuring your fade the audio between clips to avoid the popping sounds.
I took a ride on these last month, and it's a real shame these are getting discontinued so soon as these seem like nice trains!
The trains are always just too busy, thats the biggest headache
I'm sure they could get extra capacity by buying back those PACERS from the scrap man!!!!
I still don’t understand why TPE bought so many small fleets. Better to buy 2 kinds max
I agree. If you don't like trains, don't buy a house next to the railway. The railway is under no obligation to obtain consent from every resident every time they want to change rolling stock. That would be unreasonable and unworkable.
I like the Nova 3 sets. Rode one from Scarborough to York and one from Leeds to Liverpool Lime Street. Went out in their last weeks and did Manchester Piccadilly to York. Absolute stupidity to scrap or store 4 year old trains, that are actually very nice.
A shame but the class 185 is a reliable and trustworthy loco that has served the north since 2006. It is simply comfier, more well equipped and versatile. And now thanks to the Nova 2 and Class 800, these units can now be coupled to form 6 car units and alleviate the previous issues of overcrowding. These locos will outlive any of the new stock as they are so poorly built and already falling apart in addition to the inconvenient door layout which is inappropriate for the routes TPE have. Long live Siemens and the Class 185.
Went second class to york from seaside town went back first class what smooth ride 😊
I love the exterior paint scheme on the TransPenineExpress but I'll have to rewatch this video to understand why these trains are being withdrawn becaue I'm in multi-tasking overload.
That makes the C751B retirement seem very reasonable
there was another issue that people felt the units vibrate and noise the place up near the depot, being someone who lives near the depot ive seen it first hand, i absolutely love trains so it didnt bother me but i can understand why some people dont like it, riding the trains where fantastic, i absolutely hated the IET train i got from peterborough upto york so being on one of these afterwards was brilliant! absolutely loved the journey on this thing, and you cant beat a good ol loco, the class 37 and the class 68, two different generations, though both very very iconic sounds, its such a shame to see them go, though the 185s are very quiet and smooth, it woulda been nice to see the class 88 jumping on ship when [more like if] the scarborough branch gets electrified
Many comments about TPE decisions but if you speak to industry insiders they’ll tell you it’s a DfT decision (or DafT as it’s know by the industry). I would like to know if TPE will continue to pay for the leasing of the coaches as presumably they signed a contract that would of had a term so the leasor could get a RoI.
I thought the BR Standards had it bad.
More proof that whatever the government gammons touch, goes to shit
I'm sure South Africa will take them. We need High Speed Rail to happen. "Nova sounds like a good name ".
The British rail network is a complete joke.. What with all the delays, cancellations and breakdowns.. and now they are withdrawing perfectly good train sets you wonder what clowns are in charge…
Because they are absolute GARBAGE.
EVERY time I have use a train hauled (or pushed) by one of these contraptions, it has FAILED causing me (and others) considerable inconvenience.
Good riddance to them. Let's have some units that are guaranteed to complete a journey.
Trains are for commuters, not parka clad train spotters.
Wow! Named! That will stop them failing …. not.
Achilles? Didn't he have a heel?
Good riddance to the Euro garbage.
They aren’t being scrapped.
Whilst not as nice to ride on as a 185 I do like these trains. It is sad to see them go after such a short time. You can bet if they were running around London they would of kept them going until replaced but no This is the Northern Powerhouse where we only get the best over crowding cancellations and timetable reductions in the country and nothing to replace the withdrawn trains adding to our misery. I hardly use TPE any more they have become so unreliable. I feel sorry for those who have no choice but to use their trains.
They cancel most services from Liverpool Lime Street anyway, so who would notice? Today, the cancelled services TPE services at Lime Street are: 06:14, 08:19, 09:19, 10:19, 12:19, 14:19
Your comments about why people live near a railway are incorrect as there are no legal noise limits from railways and complaints will be handle by the local authority as if from any other source. The rail companies still have a duty of prevent and minimise nuisance.
I've been on the CAF TPE Mk 5s and they are OK, albeit the ride quality all over the place and in hindsight would be classed as stopgap.
"scarbados" 😂
I’m an odd one. I prefer the ironing board seats 😂😂
Brand new? They were built in 2017!
Ignoring the railway enthusiasts (of which I'm one) sentimentality, these Mk5s have been nothing but a pain in the seating area. They've been plagued with various reliability and structural issues for both TPE and Caledonian Sleeper. The fact the whole fleet has never entered service says a lot too. Then you have what is a small fleet that requires additional type training for both crew and maintenance staff. Crews having to be rostered so they can keep their knowledge up to date. Do the Nova 3 sets DVTs and the 68s count as two different types when it comes to driver training and cab knowledge, so requiring separate training? Then you have the additional service items that are class specific that the depots have to keep in their stores inventory. I can fully understand why, especially when only there a few are in service, they are keen to see the back of them. With the Trans Pennine electrification it would make more sense for TPE to lease five or so additional bi-mode 802s. A type both the crews and depot staff are already familiar with.
Complaing About a Train Engine Noise 🙂 ,I Worked on Aircraft and The Locals Complained About them As Well,No wonder This Country is Now Going Backwards at A Fast Pace .
Top ten stupidist disstions commitied by the goverment, number one getting rid of the nova 3. I know that the nova 3 was a bit troublesome but replacing them with nothing is down right stupid and idiotic, there only so much that a 3 car class 185 can do.
also the videos have increase in equity
I'm only really getting back into railways after a forty year break, so the many [many, many] new types of loco's and rolling stock are taking a bit of getting used to. I was, therefore, quite surprised to discover that the 68's which I thought were nothing more than a fancy version of a 25, are actually 3000 hp! Small wonder that they make a bit of noise.
The ludicrous withdrawal of these trains, with their 5-coach capacity and superior comfort, is typical of government run railway – take the cheapest decision regardless of the awful effects it will have on passengers. It is a warning to those clamouring for a return of complete rail nationalisation.
seems like caterpillar not really well suited for passenger train locomotive, it's loud, unreliable, and high fuel consumption
same thing happen in my country
should've gone with the cummins or mtu
If the MK5s do go to the Scrapyard then that is the biggest waste of money that the rail network has made
I took a train ride from Oxford to Banbury three years ago. There was a Chiltern Railways train powered by a Class 68. I was amazed at how quiet it was as it left the station. I would only have the GM locomotives at home in Ireland to compare with but I certainly wouldn’t complain about the noise.
The class 68 replaced the class 67 on the chiltern line in 2014? Within a month the complaints were pouring in over locomotive noise! I live about 200 yards from the lineside near an uphill cutting and the 68s are much more noisy than the 67s were! The only locomotive that can out cry them is the class 56 that also have returned to the chiltern line, but only twice daily!
Its been a long battle for chiltern rail with these 68s and its rumoured that they are handing them back also?
Surely its not beyond ability to put a better silencer on these engines ? Its weird but when you are a few hundred feet away from them the rumble is very obvious?
I find it mind-boggling that these sets have performed as they have. Pity that TPE couldn't work out the bugs.
Iv been told the sets are being used to accommodate asylum seekers on midland and wolverton works and the interiors changed to static compartments
I think these first class TPE Mk5 carriages are the best first class carriages going: the seat alignment with the windows, design, decor and colour scheme are all perfect and comfortable. Living near the railway in Leeds city centre the 68 loco's are noisy and I can hear them even with my windows closed and nine floors up. When you think TPE ran a reasonably reliable service with what were new 185's back then for it all to go disastrously wrong when the new Nova fleets were introduced is very disappointing and a missed opportunity (and don't blame the pandemic)! I’m planning a Nove 3 first class day out on Wednesday before they go!
To be honest I was going to ride on them if they came and did the Cleethorpes to Manchester via Scunthorpe and Doncaster but they didn't and it's sad to see them go as they only started running a few year ago.
Those coaches look great and modern and the engines also look great so I can't see what the fuss is about maybe you should come out to South Africa to try some vintage rail travel with all the old rail problems of the 1970's.
The TPE livery – the choice of colours, the design itself and its application – is magnificent. I cannot recall experiencing such joy at the appearance of a train livery before. I have little reason to use that line but having previously had the experience – twice – of having to stand on a nasty class 185 the entire journey between Manchester and Leeds, I will not be using it again.
These would be better going to ScotRail, Grand Central or Cross Country although it’ll probably not happen.
But it's one of my favourite UK trains!