British Rail Class 220


The British Rail Class 220 Voyager is a class of diesel-electric high-speed multiple unit passenger trains built in Belgium by Bombardier Transportation in 2000 and 2001. They were introduced in 2001 to replace the 20-year-old InterCity 125 and almost 40-year-old Class 47-hauled Mark 2 fleets operating on the Cross Country Route. They were initially operated by Virgin CrossCountry and since 2007 have been operated by CrossCountry.

Technical details

All coaches are equipped with a Cummins QSK19 diesel engine of at 1,800rpm. These power a generator which supplies current to motors driving two axles per coach, with one axle per bogie powered.
Voyagers have both air and rheostatic brakes. They are fitted with Dellner couplers, like the Class 222 operated by East Midlands Railway and the Class 390 Pendolino electric trains used by Avanti West Coast, meaning they can be coupled in rescue/recovery mode in the event of a failure. 220s and 221s can also be easily assisted by Dellner fitted Class 57s in the event of a failure. By use of adaptor couplings a failed 220 or 221 can also be assisted by any air braked locomotive.
The Class 220s and closely related Class 222s have B5005 bogies, which are distinctive as they are of inside-frame design and so the axles are supported by bearings behind the wheels, meaning the outside face of the wheel is visible. The related tilting Class 221 Super Voyager has outside-frame bogies and hence a more conventional appearance.
The Class 220s operate in four-coach sets with a carriage mass of between 45 and 48tonnes and a total train weight of 185.6tonnes, a top speed of, and a maximum range of approximately between each refuelling. Their route availability is very good being RA 2 - in part due to the lightweight bogie design.
Class 220 units are fitted with an AB Hoses variable rate sanding system.
All Voyagers are maintained at the dedicated Central Rivers TMD near Burton-on-Trent.

Current operations

All units are owned by Beacon Rail, after they were purchased from Voyager Rail Leasing, a consortium of Lloyds Banking Group and Angel Trains. They are leased to the train operating companies;, CrossCountry is the only operator of Class 220 units.
Virgin CrossCountry was the sole operator of Class 220 Voyager trains when they were introduced in 2001. When the Cross Country Route franchise was transferred to Arriva CrossCountry in November 2007, most of the Voyager fleet was transferred with it, and by the end of 2007 CrossCountry was the sole operator of Class 220 units.
Class 220 units often operate in multiple with units, which are mechanically similar except for their bogies and have the same coupler type.

Fleet details

Named units

Under Virgin Cross Country, all units were named, however most have since been denamed. Their naming goes as follows:
  • 220001 Maiden Voyager, it was later re-named Somerset Voyager.
  • 220002 Forth Voyager.
  • 220003 Solent Voyager.
  • 220004 New Dawn, it was later re-named Cumbrian Voyager.
  • 220005 Guildford Voyager.
  • 220006 Clyde Voyager.
  • 220007 Thames Voyager.
  • 220008 Draig Gymreig/Welsh Dragon.
  • 220009 Gatwick Voyager. It is currently named Hixon to commemorate the 11 lives lost and 45 injured in the Hixon rail crash of January 1968.
  • 220010 Ribble Voyager.
  • 220011 Tyne Voyager.
  • 220012 Lancashire Voyager.
  • 220013 Gwibiwr De Cymru/South Wales Voyager.
  • 220014 South Yorkshire Voyager.
  • 220015 Solway Voyager.
  • 220016 Midland Voyager, it is currently named Voyager 20 to mark 20 years service of the fleet.
  • 220017 Bombardier Voyager.
  • 220018 Central News, it was later re-named Dorset Voyager.
  • 220019 Mersey Voyager.
  • 220020 Wessex Voyager.
  • 220021 Blackpool Voyager, it was later re-named Staffordshire Voyager.
  • 220022 Brighton Voyager.
  • 220023 Mancunian Voyager.
  • 220024 Sheffield Voyager.
  • 220025 Virgin Voyager, it was later re-named Severn Voyager.
  • 220027 Avon Voyager.
  • 220028 Black Country Voyager.
  • 220029 Vyajer Kernewek/Cornish Voyager.
  • 220030 Devon Voyager.
  • 220019 Solway Voyager.
  • 220031 Tay Voyager.
  • 220032 Grampian Voyager.
  • 220033 Fife Voyager.
  • 220034 Yorkshire Voyager.

    Accidents and incidents

Units have sometimes been stopped by salt water, when storm-driven waves broke over the train at Dawlish in south Devon and inundated the resistor banks, causing the control software to shut down. This problem was fixed by an upgrade to the control software.
There were a number of exhaust fires on the Voyager class during 2005-2006 due to incorrect fitting of equipment during overhauls. Fires occurred at Starcross, Newcastle, and on 19 January 2006 at Congleton.
On 14 March 2008, unit 220012, forming a service to, had a roof fire at. This fire was caused by a bird getting caught under one of the hot brake resistors on the roof of the train. Damage to the train was not serious and it was repaired and returned to service.