CLASS 730/0 Aventra electric multiple units will enter traffic from the autumn, although they will initially begin operating on the southern section of the West Coast Main Line rather than in the West Midlands where they were ordered for.
The three-car EMUs are being used, initially, to replace London Northwestern Railway (LNWR) Class 319s on diagrams between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central. West Midlands Trains (WMT) ordered the ‘730/0s’ for the West Midlands Railway (WMR) operations in the Midlands, and five-car Class 730/1s for LNWR duties, however the latter are not ready and the ‘319s’ are due an overhaul soon.
At a preview event for the EMUs at that the priority was to remove the ‘319s’ from traffic, which is why the ‘730/0s’ would start on the southern route from the autumn. He also explained that ongoing training of drivers on WMR Class 196 diesel multiple units in the Midlands would have an impact on services if training also began on the new EMUs in the same area.
