TransPennine Express celebrates five years of the Nova Fleet in "Nova-ember"

It’s a "Nova-ember" to remember! TransPennine Express (TPE) is celebrating the five-year anniversary of its Nova fleet.

Since their debut in 2019 the Nova 1 and Nova 2 fleets have collectively covered an impressive 21,187,042 miles across the network, with over 28 million customers having travelled on the Nova 1s and more than 14 million customers having travelled on the Nova 2s.

The fleet of trains have offered several upgrades to improve customer comfort. Key features include Wi-Fi across both standard and first-class areas, extra legroom, larger tables, additional power sockets, bike storage, and electronic seat reservations.

While the journey hasn’t always been without its challenges, the Nova fleet has certainly played a vital role in improving rail services across the region.

When launched, the Nova fleet consisted of three fleets: Nova 1, Nova 2, and Nova 3.

As of December 2023, TPE retired the Nova 3 fleet, which included Class 68 locomotives and MkVa coaches. However, the Nova 1 and Nova 2 fleets continue to serve passengers across key routes, providing essential upgrades to rail travel.

The Nova 1 fleet operates on routes between Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, and Edinburgh, are built by Hitachi and financed by Angel Trains. The fleet are bi-mode, capable of running on both electric and diesel power.

Since the launch, TPE has expanded the fleet's electric capabilities by over 70 miles thanks to the infrastructure work that has taken place on routes such as Preston to Manchester Airport and Reston to Edinburgh. This has contributed to a reduction in both noise and emissions from diesel engines.

Each of the 19 Nova 1 trains feature 342 seats, including 24 first-class options, increasing seating capacity by an extra 161 seats to accommodate passengers on busy routes.

Meanwhile, the Nova 2 fleet serves the routes between Manchester Airport, Liverpool, Glasgow, and Edinburgh.

This fleet consists of 12 five-carriage electric trains, each offering 286 seats, including 22 first-class options.

The Nova 2 trains have increased capacity by 105 seats, further enhancing rail travel for customers.

Chris Nutton, Major Projects & TRU Director at TPE, said: “It’s a special day to mark the five-year anniversary of our Nova fleet. These trains have played a pivotal role in transforming the level of service we can provide across the North and Scotland.

“Our expanded fleet of high-speed trains provide greater seating capacity, improved connectivity, and a higher standard of onboard experience. The Nova fleet continues to support our mission to create a greener, better-connected network.”

Richard Garner, CAF UK Director, said: “CAF is proud to celebrate the five-year anniversary of the Nova 2 fleet. These state-of-the-art trains have made a real difference to rail travel on the TPE network, helping to transport customers more efficiently and comfortably.”

Malcolm Brown, CEO of Angel Trains, added: “Five incredible years of Nova 1. A special milestone for our customers, TransPennine Express as they've connected communities and enhanced journeys across the North of England.”

TPE continues to improve its service offering on the Nova fleet with the Nova 2 trains being used to trial the UK’s first AI-powered speech-to-text announcement system, designed to support passengers with hearing impairments.

This cutting-edge technology, developed in collaboration with Televic, provides real-time transcriptions of onboard announcements, making journeys more accessible. The system successfully completed its pilot phase and is now being rolled out across the fleet.

Five years on, the Nova fleet remains a key part of TPE's operations, helping to shape a modern and efficient rail experience for customers across the North and Scotland.