Merseyrail merseytravel are replacing their existing ageing trains with new trains.

The first of the new fleet, called the "class 777" was delivered into Folkestone through the channel tunnel last Thursday from it's journey from Switzerland where it was built.

The new trains are expected to come into service at some point later this year.

The old class 507 / 508 trains , I assume, will be scrapped like most ageing stock.

The first of the 777s will be delivered to Kirkdale Wednesday into Thursday early am.


If anyone's interested in staying up Thursday midnight, the timings are below.
https://live.rail-record.co.uk/train?c=R03576&d=15/01/2020

You can see it being hauled through Stafford, as posted bt Merseytravel, at https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=772713853225018

Lovely video of it at Stafford , thanks for sharing. I understand around 50 will be delivered over the coming months.

Was reading the accident investigation into the derailment on the Liverpool Loop many years ago. It will be interesting how the new trains cope with it because at the time they said there were no trains that were suitable for that section of line.

Just found it, interesting reading about the level of neglect

https://www.gov.uk/raib-reports/derailment-near-liverpool-central-underground-station

Merseyrail have stated that the new trains will still squeal .....



That report doesn't really emphasise the fact that the design of the Liverpool Loop was wrong and that was the prime cause of the derailment. The loop was designed knowing what trains were going to be used. With them tightening up rails on the loop the squealing is worse than ever, you don't get anything like this on the modern London Tube system, I find it an embarrassment to Merseyside when visitors hear it..

Bit of a geeky question - if a Merseyrail train is needed to swap from the Wirral line to the Northern line do they need to go the long way round via the national network (being towed too a guess) or is there a connector tunnel left behind when the loop was built?

There are interconnections between the Wirral Line and Northern line at both Liverpool Central and Moorfields.

Diesel ? I thought diesel trains were to be phased out. Must have excess stock in Europe they want to get rid of. Does the rolling stock on Northern line belong to Arriva (German) ?

Electric, third rail but with an option to have pantographs fitted to operate from overhead. They are based on a standard unit but with considerable design changes for Merseyrail. They can also operate from battery which gives three options for electrifying the Helsby and Preston lines.

That doesn't explain why the trains still squeal very bad leaving Moorfields on the Northern line to Sandhills. That track is dead straight.

It also has a very steep gradient (1:29), so the squealing is most likely caused by wheel slippage from the trains struggling to get up there - they do give it some beans because the track goes from underground to viaduct in such a short space. This stretch might be spared the noise if the new trains can accelerate anything like those new ones on the City Line.

New 777 units are expected to be delivered every fortnight.


Diesel locomotives haul the train to Kirkdale, modern diesel locomotives like that seen In the video have low emissions. Uk drivers aren't trained on the new trains until after it arrives at kirkdale and it undergoes testing on the merseyrail network. So that's why it's dragged by a diesel train because of unfamiliarity of the train with drivers, and because there aren't sufficient duel power locomotives that have both overhead electrical and third rail power collection, and some parts of the network aren't electrified at all. The diesel locomotives seen in the video are the most populous diesel in the UK and seen widely

What shite is this?
Squealng is the result of too tight turns for the bogies.
Either you reduce the wheelbase or you make the turns less tight!
Someone deserves a massive boot up the arse if the bloody trains still squeal!

The Merseyrail stock has been and will be owned and maintained by Angel Trains Limited who are owned mostly by foreign consortiums and foreign pension schemes. https://weownit.org.uk/company/angel-trains