West Midlands Railway's SURPRISINGLY AMAZING BRAND NEW DIESEL Train, The Class 196 "Civity"!

[@networkerfan]

7:37 I saw Jen On The Move in the reflection

[@telemachus53]

West Midlands has my favourite livery - the dark orange and purple, with the netting effect in the middle of each carriage. The purple perhaps needs to be a bit different from EMR's purple, maybe a bit lighter. I never noticed the resemblance to Sainsbury's before but you're right!

[@somax1259]

yeah personally i cant tell if the 170s are ex EMR units from the livery because its basically the same

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

The netting effect has nothing to do with the train livery but is a reference to the West Midlands transport authority of the West Midlands County transport as this netting effect you are referring to is also present on the West Midlands Metro Trams and on Network West Midlands buses, it is a repeated WM insignia as is the WM badge next to the West Midlands Trains name on the side of the train. Andy Street when he set up the combined transport network for the West Midland county chose this livery for the local trains, a light blue for the trams and a Red livery for the Bus network of which they all have this WM netting effect and the WM badge on them.

[@kai325d3]

@@peterwilliamallen1063 It's still on the train as livery what the fuck do you mean it doesn't have anything to do with the livery

[@WMeridian]

THE SAINSBURRY TRAIN!!!!

[@MigcoconutThePortugueseBusDude]

Yes Sainsbury train 😂😂😂😂😂

[@MartinEdwards26]

Can I get nectar points for riding it?

[@WMeridian]

@@MartinEdwards26 yeah sure mate

[@Jamming_Jimmy]

wonder if the diesel used to fuel this is cheaper than diesel right now....

[@WMeridian]

@@Jamming_Jimmy yeah maybe

[@joemercedeschannel196]

I'm loving the brand new 196.

[@jth385]

The new CAF Class 196s' and 197s' are officially known by the CAF branding "Civity" but I think due to their angular front end looks the should be affectionately nicknamed "The Krytons"......

[@bb-3653]

They look like mk3s i.e 317s but modernised

[@UKTransport232]

@@bb-3653 to me they remind me of a more modern version of the 158s

[@bb-3653]

@@UKTransport232 I see I see. I can understand where you'd get that comparison from. I guess for me it's the squared top and Windows that resemble 317/455s.

[@UKTransport232]

@@bb-3653 yeah, the front looks good on them. Not bad for modern stock, although not much will beat the 317/455s!

[@bb-3653]

@@UKTransport232 yeah, I used to sketch.modern depictions of these units for fun , and I'd say my sketches look better than the designs we see on most modern units nowadays. And I don't even draw that good lol.

[@sgthree]

Looks like Sainsbury’s are running your local trains from the livery. I’m sure I saw one of these trains on someone’s video well over a year ago.

[@Yawwie]

I'm quite late watching this but a very well informed and enjoyable video. The trains do look lovely and modern in the inside with those nice seat designs and great information screens, (and I love those new announcements), but man I can't stand taking a peek at that cab front. Plus since it's CAF, I wouldn't be surprised if the ride quality is somewhat identical to the Class 195s. Still though, I'm sure they'll live up to their job regardless. Also, I wonder when I start buying Sainsbury's meal deals off these trains 🤔

[@jasonmoffat679]

I always thought you were verified

[@WMeridian]

Now you yawwie created the name SAINSBURY TRAIN!!!!

[@KJLovesRoblox]

That was worth the wait! It's so cool

[@ReubenAshwell]

Brilliant video, look forward to trying these units out when I get around to it.

[@ace-paidinfull5240]

5:27 😂😂 i didnt think of that till you said that! “We’re sorry to announce that the 1322 taste the difference service to ______ has been cancelled due to a shortage of produce”

[@amslincity]

These are nice comfortable trains.

[@LiamsTransport1]

Mega video, and thanks for using my clip 👀

[@OMtheRails]

Anytime mate, and many thanks!

[@kieranstravels]

Great video midland - These are truly what I wish the 195s were like interior wise, as the interior is very impressive indeed.

[@Sim0nTrains]

Nice video, the luggage space was an compromise in the design modifications of the trains same as the arm rests but they can be modified in the future.

[@TransportCambs]

good video, those 196s don't seem as bad as I expected.. what app are you using at 13:59?

[@downonthestour]

Cool looking guy in the reflections of the window ;). Great Video as per midland.

[@OMtheRails]

Wonder who that was? 😉 Many thanks DOTS!

[@ace-paidinfull5240]

16:34 shout out to the class 323s i drive on train sim 4. Would be nice if they gave us the 196s also.

[@andyguy0610]

Great video, I had the pleasure of catching a 196 from Shrewsbury to Telford Last night, very impressive. Oh by the way, the hill you mentioned is pronounced reek-in not wreck-in 🙂

[@99weather]

A great video I really enjoyed it very informative and clear. Can't wait to travel on the Class 196. Especially impressed by the interconnecting doors that have sensors to open.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

Excellent introduction to the new trains. Does seem odd there’s no luggage racks, but I’m guess WM know what their passengers bring on in general. Suppose we’ll see if they are wrong. Once trains get old, like the 170s, then its pretty much down to how they’ve been refurbished. ScotRail ones seem ok, whilst Cross Country ones are a travesty.

[@alanshelly7068]

Awesome video and awesome looking train buddy from Alan in Lowestoft

[@barbaralcharles]

You have a good personality for video presentations. Nice subtitles as well.

[@RedCatTrain]

5:22, it looks a lot like Sainsbury’s lol

[@ghighlandchieftain4462]

Great video class 196 look really nice yeah lively does look like sainsbury

[@manomaylr]

7:36 is that JenOnTheMove in the reflection?

[@Saismee]

interesting that the seats are exactly the same as the greater anglia ones, even matching the grooves in the folding tables and the socket locations

[@Debbiestrainsandtoys]

One of your friends on twitter said that the broken down freight was an RHTT

[@comicbookguygamecat]

Great video I really enjoy your videos.

[@EdgyNumber1]

Going to miss the Turbostars, they've been a really good train - regularly used them on Chiltern. Still a very serviceable train. The class 158 however.......

[@amanda_wm_3261]

First one! For a first class video

[@samhayes6558]

Wonder if they sorted the cracks in the bogeys issue the other CAF units had.

[@devon896]

I'd really like GWR to order some of these especially for Portsmouth - Cardiff as let's be honest the current fleet is very mixed getting older and is a lot older than the 170s. If they ordered Bi-modes then in theory the 387s/769s could be replaced too so they have a standard commuter fleet across the network which would also allow Paddington to Oxford stoppers to return(instead of terminating at Didcot) and Bedwyn to Paddingtons to come back.

[@Mgameing123]

Didn't Bedwyn to Paddington get replaced with 800/802's? Also 769s can not be replaced with a Bi-mode train because its tri-mode. I think 387's should be cascades to Thames Valley Branches if they get electrified and also do some services in Cardiff.

[@devon896]

@@Mgameing123 It was until last year then Grant Shapps axed them during the IET cracking saga. It's now 387s to Newbury calling at Reading, Theale & Thatcham. Followed by a swap to a DMU shuttle service to Hungerford & Bedwyn. The 3 IET's that used to operate the route have now moved down to Devon to replace 3 Castle sets. To be fair it's only tri mode because of the 3rd rail shoes which could probably be installed to the 196 style fleet or they could just use diesel power. It's unlikely the Thames Valley branches will ever be electrified as their isn't enough money (but strangely loads of HS2 and vanity projects up North). Electrifying Oxford should be a priority although if they had a common commuter fleet the 387s could all go to Southern/SWR and allow more electric units to go up North.

[@Mgameing123]

@@devon896 Wouldn't say HS2 is a bad project. Shall give the West Coast Mainline more space for stopping & freight services.

[@devon896]

@@Mgameing123 Could have easily done that by bringing back the New North Mainline using GWR IET's and scrapping the Chiltern Mainline services though.

[@Mgameing123]

@@devon896 Uhh no thank you. Am not willing to take a shitty IET to Birmingham1

[@Sarahbryson321]

When’ll the 730s be in service?m(on the wcml though)

[@cooltrain-ce9ze]

Great video mate! They look like great trains to me. I love the overall design of the train in general, they look very smart indeed. I think that when they fully roll out, they will become a great success like the Class 755s on Greater Anglia.

[@southerntransport466]

WMR should rename themselves to Sainsbury’s but copyright exists so it won’t be easy

[@physiocrat7143]

OK-ish but why didn't they fit more table bays - they take up the same amount of space and you get luggage space. If the bay seats are specifically as bay seats, the weight can be considerably reduced and there is the luggage space between the seat backs. Over-styled front ends will look out of date before the trains are half-way through their service life.

[@andrewreynolds4949]

Tables take a lot more space than airline style seats

[@physiocrat7143]

@@andrewreynolds4949 A table bay takes 1.8 metres; they are spaced about 1.5 metres in the class 158 which is too cosy. Airline seats can be spaced at 75 cm. This gives 4 or 8 more seats depending on the length of the vehicle, in theory. But if you look at this particular train you will see that the spacing of the airline seats and the bay seating is the same. I said in theory more seats can be fitted. If the seating is mostly airline then space must be set aside for luggage shelves. They will probably have to take away some seats on these trains after complaints about the lack of luggage space. The seats themselves must also be made heavier as the backs of the seats are not supported and need some kind of sturdy frame. With 70 or 80 seats per vehicle this adds substantiallyvto the mass of the train. When new seats were fitted to one of the BR suburban train fleets they could no longer keep to the old timetables. In the case of a diesel train it adds to fuel consumption. Generalised assumptions often turn out to be wrong when the overall picture is examined, and so it is with seating in trains.

[@andrewreynolds4949]

@@physiocrat7143 From the appearance in the footage it looks like the table bays take about 50% more space than airline seats on these trains. Lumo has introduced its trains with (I think) all airline seats for just such a reason

[@physiocrat7143]

@@andrewreynolds4949 I have double checked. If you watch 5 minutes from the start you can see that each window bay has either one table bay or 8 airlines in two rows ie the spacing is the same. This is generous for airlines, as was mentioned in the commentary in the rather good video. There is a general need to review rolling stock design generally, in relation to user needs and preferences, passenger flows and circulation when boarding and alighting, and vehicle mass, which creeps up steadily. There are other weird trends such as ever smaller wheels, which ruin the ride quality and bash the track. The prototype for local trains was the PEP, which had 3 sets of sliding doors. The production version was the class 313/508 aluminium bodied series with 1/3:2/3 doors, followed by the class 317/455 family in steel based on the mark 3. This door configuration gave rise to excessive gaps on concave platforms and the next build, starting with the 365/465 Networkers, had wider doorways closer to the bogies with a 1/4:3/4 position. This was followed in the 20 metre long Electrostars and the stretched 23 metre Turbostars, which have a extra seating bay between the doors. The problems with this configuration are that the seating layout options are limited in the 4 metre compartments at the outer ends, and the congestion on alighting as passengers converge from two directions at the 1.5 metre wide vestibule and doorways. There are also issues with the steps and poorly positioned grab rails, which is also a problem with the 800 series trains. There is a need for a fresh and holistic look at rolling stock design. It is not particularly a British problem. Good designs are also rare in continental Europe. We have had some real nasties here in Sweden, including the double decker X40, the articulated suburban X61, and the X3000 inter city sets. The latter were the product of a comprehensive design study which was then ignored! Lumo is an instance of the pile them high, sell them cheap approach - a sort of Ryanair train aimed at a segment of the market. If that was all that was on offer, many people might prefer to use their cars or travel by air. Airlines provide luggage holds and handling facilities which railways do not.

[@still_guns]

Missing the armrests isn't a massive deal, given that they're totally useless on the Stadlers anyway. They're set so low that it's uncomfortable use them unless you sit like a chav

[@georgedowns4034]

Great video tho Wellington is part of Telford

[@AppleUK2000]

Still waiting for New Cross City lines and finally having air conditioning. Do you know when they will arrive please?

[@The_Music_Geek]

They had such a good start, it's a real shame they've been plagued with issues.

[@PhilSmith71]

Doesn’t Floreat Salopia translate to May Shropshire Flourish?

[@trainlagged]

Looks like the West Midlands finally getting decent trains ? It's never too late😅 Awesome video, they're just getting better and better

[@OMtheRails]

About time lol, and many thanks my friend! 😁

[@Trainman10715]

theyve had decent trains in a while in the 170s, 172s and 323s. unreliable, badly built caf trains that look and feel nice now but will be falling apart in 10 years dont count in that

[@boldford]

More new DMUs suggest electrification between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton is still a very long way off.

[@bb-3653]

@@Trainman10715 I don't think that will happen. They are designed to last or they'd probably not be allowed in service. sure there have even errors in some builds, but over time they learn, and modify the broken units as time goes on, to them prevent that issue. The older units had some kinks that likely needed fixing back in the day too , some networker units had some issues too.

[@Trainman10715]

@@bb-3653 theyre not designed to last, nothing new is, quite apart from the planned obsolecence being in the manufacturers best interest, modern trains depend on computers, and nothing with a chip in it is built to last. whether its built to last or not has naught to do with whether itll be allowed into service or not, as we know from the IETs, build quality has little to do with whether its deemed servicable or not. its not about teething issues, theyre different, these modern CAF things are a crap off-the-shelf design and just arent built to they same standards as the older stuff was, so they wont last. they may well work now, but they wont in 10 years. the reliability of the northern 195s and 331 is appalling, indicitave of poor build quality, and their reliability will only get worse with time. older units had teething issues, but they were just that, they werent issues of poor build quality or being of an overall bad design, they were genuine teething issues that were sorted out, the networkers then went on to become extremly ruggid and reliable units (iffy brush traction equipment notwithstanding). not all modern stuff has turned out rubbish, all the siemens stuff has worked out well, as has the bombardier stuff, even the alstom stuff if you can deal with slightly lower reliability. i have plenty of faith in the most recent desiro citys and aventras being built to a good design and a high standard and i expect them to last (thought the 701s are an utter shitshow currently). the hitachi and CAF stuff just has all the red flags of bad, off-the-shelf forign designes that arent suited to service in this country, as well as being built to iffy standards and i dont have much faith in either of them. the stadler stuff isnt turning out great either, at least they have a decent ride quality unlike the IETs

[@Transpennine]

Is West Midlands trains the Same as London north western Railway or are the different or what’s the situation here?

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

They are the same company running different routes actually owned by West Midlands Trains in Birmingham

[@EuroDC1990]

Looks much better than the 170s. I've long thought the 170s are pretty poor trains really - very cramped and very poor seating layout and completely unsuitable for many of the intercity and highly used commuter lines they've been used on. My only complaint is the livery. I hate the green and orange front ends of the LNWR and WMR liveries. I much prefer yellow front ends as I find that the coloured from ends make the trains look almost a bit too plastic. It almost makes them look like toys if that makes sense.

[@OMtheRails]

Fair enough - personally I think the 170s just need a decent refurbishment, especially as the last one was done by previous franchisee London Midland 13-14 years ago. I do hope that EMR give them a solid refurbishment once the whole fleet eventually transfers over next year. As for the livery, I personally like it - much better than the dull vinyl version on the 172s, but I do see what you mean about the toy reference!

[@HMStrainspotter]

Southern should buy some 196 class trains for the Eastbourne Ashford international line and uckfield to London bridge to replace the aging 171 class but I still love the 171 class

[@elmothesex]

I don’t know if i will ever be okay with train fronts not being yellow.

[@andrewreynolds4949]

Orange is still pretty close

[@danielvillanueva9937]

Not really a requirement anymore unfortunately. Used to be for visibility purposes for people working on tracks. Even newer trains don’t have day/night headlights anymore. Plain and simple headlights/taillights now. Hence why the yellow front is no longer a requirement.

[@OMtheRails]

The livery design was a lot worse when they first arrived to the UK - 101 was fitted with yellow vinyls on its front gangway temporarily to match the 172s, very much glad it was reverted to black!

[@noahguest363]

you know what though i have never seen one of these running from birmingham towards stratford though

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

Because these services are covered by West Midlands Trains other subsidary London Northwestern Railway's same company

[@cannadineboxill-harris2983]

Hello There Again it is Mr Cannadine T. Boxill-Harris, I have another interesting idea for most of you Class 313, Class 314 and that also is including those interesting Class 315 Fans out there, rather than scrapping most of those Class 313's Class 314's including the Class 315's maybe you guys can convert them and including the refurbishment into those Leyland 680 Engine, Volvo B10M Engine, Cummins M11 Engine, Gardner 6LXC Engine, Gardner 6LXB, Engine, Gardner 8LXB Engine, Class 313's, Class 314's and the Class 315's and convert all of them into a 2 Carriages and Three Carriages of the Class 313's, Class 314's and that is including those Class 315's for most of us Class 314's and the Class 315's Diesel Train Fans out there Please Are you still going to do this interesting type of Project for all of us out there Pretty Please?

[@0o128]

2nd one w

[@0o128]

one min after 1st

[@nevillesevicke-jones1227]

Viewed and approved by LeviNZ. Good looking trains although I find orange a very dated colour. Would prefer to see lime or some variation thereof.

[@BradleyBurton-v8h]

West Midlands Railway Looks Like The Sainsbury

[@stevenmoran4060]

Meanwhile on Merseyside we still have class 507 & 508 stock from 1970’s! So 20 year old stock is nowhere near getting old.

[@bfapple]

The Stadler trains are delayed too…

[@ashleyjiscool]

Sainsbury’s railway should be the name for West Midlands railway

[@Loganberrybunny]

They're pretty nice... unless you're someone with largish feet sitting in a window airline seat. That diagonal strut massively restricts comfortable legroom. As a direct result, I'd far rather spend an hour on a 172 (which doesn't suffer from this issue) than a 196. A real shame as these are perfectly fine for this kind of journey in other respects.

[@petes48]

Nice train but looks a high step up to get on board, wheelchair/disability friendly

[@OMtheRails]

That would be more to do with the platform interfaces themselves along the route, which are rather outdated for an accessible railway and is quite a shame. Looking through photos, the height of the doors appears to be similar to that of the Class 170s which the 196s are replacing.

[@bb-3653]

I'd love to see an electric version of these with a similar cab front design.

[@alivinghuman1]

The class 730s are similar

[@bb-3653]

@@alivinghuman1 in colour but have very terrible motor sounds, class 331s are CAF and would likely have the same motors installed onto these units.

[@kevinellis8869]

Looking forward to getting the 170s on EMR, anything's better than the 156s.

[@EM-yk1dw]

156s are not that bad just getting old.

[@kevinellis8869]

@@EM-yk1dw No problem with them for short trips but I've endured Warrington-Nottingham and Attenborough-Grimsby Town in the not too distant past.

[@EM-yk1dw]

@@kevinellis8869 Yes they used to be on too long journeys for what they were designed for. I had one Ely to Preston once!

[@ianbower7756]

Why, with brand new trains, are they still making them inaccessible for some people with the huge step to gat on board? Greater Anglia trains have level entry.

[@bfapple]

only Stadler sells low floor trains…

[@epender]

Low floor trains are hugely uncommon in the UK because our platforms are higher than in mainland Europe, and our trains are smaller, so they haven't bothered with making the middle of the coaches 1 step lower. Only recently have Stadler introduced them to the UK with Greater Anglia.

[@ianbower7756]

​@@epender Make the platforms higher. St Pancras had a huge restoration with new platforms yet they made the platforms about a foot too low causing a big step up to and a big step down from trains.

[@epender]

@@ianbower7756 Are you sure the lower platforms weren't to match European platform height standards for Eurostar services? One foot difference sounds about right. Also how many thousand platforms would need changed for that? Some platforms in Scotland are much lower than standard and still haven't been fixed. It would cost millions of even billions, unless it was only done with a certain part of the country, which would introduce it's own problems.

[@ianbower7756]

@@epender Why were so many platforms built too low in the first place?

[@genuinepetermorgan]

It would be great if other train operators started having strong distinctive liveries like WM - they might as well go all out in the last couple of years before Labour get in and re-nationalise!

[@OMtheRails]

Fortunately the West Midlands Railway livery and brand will remain even if sole ownership belongs to the government, as it is part of a shared branding initiative under Transport for West Midlands (i.e. the trams use the similar brand under “West Midlands Metro” with a blue livery and the hexagonal “WM” logo) - it truly is a great design!

[@genuinepetermorgan]

@@OMtheRails glad to hear it!

[@devon896]

The GWR brand is very distinctive and classy, plus the railways are already nationalised they have been since 2020 although in theory you could argue apart from between 1996 & 2002 they have been under government control since 1948.

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

@@OMtheRails This branding is also on NX West Midlands Platinum Buses

[@ping_me6391]

Im actually kinda sad that the 172 is retireing due to the fact they are my favorite class of train, although i will admit that for passenger comfort it dose show its age.

[@EM-yk1dw]

The 172s are being retained, its the 170s that are going.

[@denbaker7358]

Isn't it a bit risky buying diesel trains these days as they are set to be banned in 2040

[@MartinEdwards26]

The Turbostar is an awful excuse for a train with a cramped cabin and dreadful seating (unless you are hobbit sized). Anything else is an improvement in my opinion.

[@epender]

Really? I quite like them, but then again, they're probably the best out of the few models of diesel trains we have in Scotland.

[@Bqiles]

Whenever I'm going anywhere in the UK that isn't anywhere on Greater Anglia, Shoeburyness or London, I have to go through Birmingham to get there. This train would be such and upgrade from the awful old trains.

[@theonlybantuh]

I don’t understand why rail operators don’t make their trains step free like some did

[@EM-yk1dw]

Chiltern Railways could do with these

[@thisis_mudchute]

📢 welcome to this servce for: sainsburys

[@officialmcdeath]

Surprised that they didn't stop at Smethwick Galton Bridge, with its connections to other WM Trains services - Sandwell & Dudley is traditionally an Inter City stop and, as such, more relevant to the Avanti service \m/

[@andrewreynolds4949]

I think the WMR livery would look a lot better if the deep purple was replaced with a very deep navy blue. Blue tends to go better with orange

[@OMtheRails]

Personally, it’s one of my favourites - the brighter orange and lighter purple suits it better than the darker dull version used on the 172s in my opinion.

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

I believe the livery was decided by Transport for West Midlands

[@andrewreynolds4949]

@@peterwilliamallen1063 That still doesn't change what I think about it, I don't care who designed it. I think it doesn't look that great (on the new trains at least)

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

@@andrewreynolds4949 Thats your problem then isn't it, in the West Midlands Transport for West Midlands has a livery for Buses, Trams and local trains and the new livery is striking and stands out.

[@andrewreynolds4949]

@@peterwilliamallen1063 If you like it, I don't care. I have my own opinion and I'm allowed to state it

[@strikeyz]

These are indeed relatively nice, but the problem is: from what I can see, the difference between refurbished 172s and these 196s are barely visible. Thankfully, (for now) they're replacing the very mediocre 170s!!

[@amxgaming9153]

I disagree with the mediocracy of the 170 as they are my favourite type of train.

[@OMtheRails]

The seats on them are better than the 172s, but not the 170s. The problem with the 170s is they’re long overdue a refurb, which they will be getting when they move over to EMR and they get themselves sorted and let out the contracts 😬

[@sprinterofficial8457]

Look okay tbf, but I’m really not looking forward to the 197s replacing the 158s

[@OMtheRails]

100% agree - the 197s aren’t fit for purpose and will be a massive downgrade to the 175s and 158s based on the design spec.

[@barrieshepherd7694]

There are quite a few comments about seating layouts on these (and other) trains. It never ceases to amaze me that whoever specifies / purchases trains these days is almost religious on cramming as many seats in as possible relegating what should be a comfortable train journey, in an engaging environment, to the equivalent of a confined bus. I would hazard a guess that most trains spend 90% of their service life carrying no more than 90% loading (or less) but the seats are crammed in for that 10% of time when loadings exceed the norm. All this is no doubt driven by some magic 'KPI' from an unaccountable government department whose staff never travel on the trains they specify. No arm rests is, IMHO, a stupid idea. How 'drafty' is the area around teh plug doors BTW?

[@jefflloyd7308]

Make no bones about it insufficient laugage space with people using these from Hereford , Worcester the Shrewsbury line for onward travel ie Birmingham airport and other locations will make these units look totally cluttered.also the comfort of the 170 seats will be sorely missed .our lose EMR gain

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

You are worried about luggage space on these trains for onward travel to Birmingham Airport, you want to try the Transport for Wales services that come from Wales and terminate at Birmingham International for Birmingham Airport, they are worse.

[@ozbolli]

When’s your next video bro?

[@OMtheRails]

This Friday hopefully my man 👍

[@ozbolli]

@@OMtheRails sweet looking forward to it 🤙🏻