British Rail Class 781

The British Rail Class 781 is a planned fleet of four-car battery [electric multiple unit] trains to be built for Northern Trains.

History

In August 2023, Northern issued a tender to acquire a contract for up to 450 new trains to replace the older rolling stock in their fleet. A more detailed tender for up to 329 new trains was issued in 2024, and in January 2025, it was revealed that Northern had shortlisted five companies to build its new fleet - Alstom, Construcciones y Auxiliar [de Ferrocarriles|CAF], Hitachi, Siemens and Stadler.
Contracts are expected to be awarded in 2026, with the first units delivered by 2032.
In September 2025, Modern Railways reported that the TOPS number 781 is reserved for the planned new BEMU fleet.