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Class 221 Super Voyager

The tilting version of the Voyager, built by Bombardier for Virgin's CrossCountry and West Coast routes. CrossCountry runs 36 without tilting: 24 it has had since 2007 and 12 that Avanti West Coast ran between London, Chester and North Wales until December 2024. Grand Central has run two on its Bradford route since 2023.

Drawing to come

Type
Diesel-electric multiple unit
Builder
Bombardier Transportation, at Bruges (Belgium) and Wakefield
Built
2001–2002
In service
since 2002
Operators
CrossCountry, Grand Central
Formation
5 cars (32 of CrossCountry's 36) or 4 cars (4): coach A (first class, with a cab) to coach F
Trains in fleet
36
Fleets
CrossCountry: 36; Grand Central: 2
Top speed
125 mph
Power
Diesel-electric: a Cummins engine (559 kW) and alternator under every car, feeding two traction motors; 2,800 kW a five-car unit
Car height
3.77 m
Car width
2.73 m
Profile
main-line
Seats per train
264
Total capacity
Five-car: 26 first-class and 238 standard seats, with room for 133 standing; four-car: 26 and 176, with 102 standing (CrossCountry's 2023 contract). Built with 26 first and 224 standard in five cars (SREMG); Beacon Rail gives 250 seats, Avanti 26 and 230
Status
In service with CrossCountry (36, leased from Beacon Rail; being refurbished from 2026). Two more were leased to Grand Central, and six have been off lease since Avanti withdrew its Super Voyagers in December 2024.

Car types

CodeCarLengthDoors per side
DMFDriving motor first (DMF): coach A23.85 m2 single
MSMotor standard (MS): coaches B (five-car units only), C and D; coach D has the bike space, and the on-board shop on the former Avanti units23.00 m2 single
DMSDriving motor standard (DMS): coach F23.85 m2 single

Sources

How we source figures →

unverified car lengths: Voith gives a 23.85 m vehicle; the intermediate cars' 23.0 m is worked out from Bombardier's 116.7 m five-car unit. Avanti gives a five-car unit as 118.35 m, and Wikipedia gives the intermediate cars as 23.67 m; the lengths need settling before the train is drawn, car height: taken as the Class 220's (3,770 mm on Bombardier's drawing); Wikipedia gives 3.75 m, doors: one single-leaf plug door at each end of each side of a car, as on Bombardier's drawing of the driving car and SREMG's description, tilt: Bombardier described CrossCountry's original sets as 'tilt decommissioned' and Wikipedia says CrossCountry locked the tilt out in 2008; whether the 12 former Avanti units, which tilted on the West Coast, are run the same way isn't stated in a source read, fleet: 36 is CrossCountry's 70 Voyagers less its 34 Class 220s; RAIL lists the 12 ex-Avanti units as 221107 to 221118, and the 2023 contract's table lists only seven of them, Grand Central's two (221142 and 221143): RAIL, December 2024; EMR was negotiating for them in September 2026, seats: the contract, Beacon Rail, Avanti and SREMG all differ (see capacity), Grand Central's 221 seats: 276 (Grand Central) or 256 (RailAdvent)

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