Chiltern Railways has secured a lease agreement for 13 sets of Mark 5A carriages to replace its oldest rolling stock, the Mark 3s, which date back nearly 50 years.
The lease agreement, signed with Beacon Rail on 4 August 2025, is the start of a fleet transition that includes additional passenger-focused amenities such as plug sockets, USB ports, air conditioning, improved storage, and fully accessible toilets. First Class accommodation will also be introduced on these routes.
Trainsets will be hauled by locomotives using hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), a renewable fuel aimed at reducing greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions compared to standard diesel. The units will also be equipped with stop-start engine technology to reduce idling emissions, particularly in areas near residential linesides.
Chiltern Railways plans to operate more trains than it currently does, with additional services expected to be introduced by the end of 2026, subject to operational confirmation. The leased carriages are part of the operator’s wider 2030 strategy, which includes the longer-term replacement of its Class 165 diesel multiple units with battery-electric trains.
The Mark 5A sets, made by CAF, were originally built for Transpennine Express and are around six years old. The carriages will be refurbished and adapted before entering passenger service. Deployment will take place gradually, beginning early next year.
Chiltern Railways, part of the Arriva Group, provides services from London Marylebone along the M40 corridor and into the West Midlands, including Birmingham Snow Hill, Oxford, and Stratford-upon-Avon.
