The Anonymous Widower

New Chiltern Railways Trains Set To Unlock 10,000 More Seats A Day

The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from Chiltern Railways.

This picture from Chiltern Railways shows the train at Marylebone.

These three paragraphs are from the press release and add more details.

Chiltern Railways today (Tuesday 14 October) showcased for the first time its newest (Mark 5A) trains, set to add 10,000 more seats for customers each weekday from December 2026.

The trains, to be introduced between London to West Midlands from early 2026, will enable Chiltern to deliver more capacity across each of its West Midlands, Aylesbury, and Oxford routes as part of the operator’s efforts to deliver better journeys for customers.

The newest fleet will consist of 13 modern trains set to transform customer journeys during 2026. The trains will replace Chiltern’s oldest carriages, which are nearly 50 years old, with state-of-the-art equivalents, and provide a significant improvement to the on-board experience.

Today, I also received an update from Modern Railways, which was entitled Chiltern Railways Mk 5As To Enter Traffic Early Next Year, and included this delivery schedule.

From December 2026 there will be ten Mk 5A sets in traffic each day, with one ‘hot spare’ and one undergoing maintenance. That leaves one extra set which, CR has suggested, could eventually be pressed into traffic.

I have a few thoughts.

How Do The Trains Compare Physically?

These are basic figures for the two different types of train sets.

• The current Mark 3 are five-car sets of 23 metres coaches, that weigh about 36 tonnes. The driving van trailer is 18.83 metres and 43.7 tonnes
• The future Mark 5A are four-car sets of 22.2 metres coaches, that weigh about 43 tonnes. The driving trailer is 22.37 metres and 43 tonnes.

Lengths and weights of various sets will be as follows.

• Mark 3 – five-car and driving van trailer – 133.83 metres and 223.7 tonnes.
• Mark 5A – four-car and driving trailer – 111.17 metres and 215 tonnes
• Mark 5A – five-car and driving trailer – 155.57 metres and 258 tonnes

Note.

1. Chiltern Railways and TransPennine Express use the same Class 68 locomotives.
2. The five-car Mark 3 and the four-car Mark 5A sets are quite similar in length and weight
3. This could mean that both sets would perform similarly with the same locomotives on the same route.
4. I wouldn’t be surprised that the new Platform 4 at Birmingham |Snow Hill station will be able to handle all configurations.

I almost feel that when CAF designed the Mark 5A sets for TransPennine Express, they also had Chiltern in mind as another possible sale.

How Many Trains Would Be Needed To Run Between London Marylebone And Birmingham?

Consider.

• Trains currently run half-hourly on the route between 06:00 to 23:30, which is up to 36 services per day.
• When Platform 4 is operational at Birmingham Snow Hill station, all services could probably stop at both Birmingham Moor Street and Birmingham Snow Hill stations.
• A round trip between London Marylebone and Birmingham Snow Hill stations currently takes about five hours.

I’m fairly certain that to run a half-hourly core service would need ten trains.

Could Chiltern Develop Another Network On The Other Side Of Birmingham?

Consider.

• Trains could run twice an hour from 06:00 to 23:30, which is up to 36 services per day.
• When Platform 4 is operational at Birmingham Snow Hill station, all services could probably stop at both Birmingham Moor Street and Birmingham Snow Hill stations.

• Chiltern Railways already run several services a day to Stourbridge Junction.
• Chiltern Railways have run services to Kidderminster station in the past.
• Wrexham & Shropshire used to run locomotive-hauled Mark 3 four-car sets with driving van trailers, as far as Wrexham via Shrewsbury.

It looks to me, that with the right rolling stock configurations, Chiltern’s network can be developed on the other side of Birmingham.

• Destinations could include Stourbridge Junction, Kidderminster, Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton, Chirk, Ruabon and Wrexham General.
• Some services would need longer trains.

Obviously services would only be run if they were viable.

Would It Help Growth In A Town Or Area, If It Had A Rail Connection To London And/Or The Nearest Major City?

I know Lincoln is on the other side of the country, but I asked Google AI if Lincoln’s rail link to London has brought growth to the city and received this answer.

Yes, Lincoln’s rail link to London has brought significant growth by improving tourism, business travel, and student mobility, and is expected to spur further economic benefits through faster journey times and increased services. The direct link has made Lincoln more accessible for visitors and is a key part of the city’s long-term strategy for economic growth and development.

That was fairly definite.

How would that apply to an extended Chiltern Main Line.

• Politicians are always saying growth is important.
• An extended Chiltern Main Line servicewould improve connections of a lot of places to London and Birmingham.
• Shrewsbury is the easiest connection for West Wales.
• Surely a rail connection to a major city, might tempt someone to open a branch or a new factory.

Would a rail service make people feel more included?

October 19, 2025 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Birmingham Moor Street Station, Birmingham Snow Hill Station, Chiltern Main Line, Chiltern Railways, Chirk, Chirk Station, Class 68 Locomotive, Kidderminster Station, Lincoln Station, Mark 3 Coach, Mark 5A Coach, Marylebone Station, Shrewsbury Station, Stourbridge Junction Station, TransPennine Express, Wrexham General Station