New electric West Midlands train fleet to carry first passengers

The trains are electric and represent a significant increase in capacity on the older trains they replace, the operator said

A new fleet of electric trains is to be introduced onto the West Midlands Trains network.

The Class 730s will begin carrying passengers between Wolverhampton and Walsall from Monday evening and can carry 546 people, compared to 387 on the existing trains.

They will then run on the Cross City Line, between Lichfield, Birmingham, Redditch and Bromsgrove, in the spring.

The 48 three-carriage fleet were part of a £700m investment, the firm said.

On the Cross City Line, the trains will be able to have 1,092 passengers on-board - an increase from the current maximum of 794 - and run four times per hour, the operator said.

Ian McConnell, managing director of West Midlands Railway, said: "These modern electric trains represent a huge upgrade to the experience of travelling by train in the West Midlands."

West Midlands mayor Andy Street said he welcomed the increased capacity given the potential of new stations opening in the region and pay-as-you-go technology to be introduced from next year.

The trains will fully run across the network from spring, the firm said

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