British Rail Mark 5A

TransPennine Express announced in 2016 that they were to procure 126 new vehicles from CAF, which included 66 Mark 5A locomotive-hauled coaches. They would be formed into 13 five-carriage sets, hauled by locomotives. This equates to 65 coaches for total service, with the 66th coach being a spare Driving Trailer. Each set is composed of one first class carriage with guard's area and catering provision, one standard class carriage with PRM toilet, two standard class carriages and a standard class Driving Trailer (DT). In October 2016, production started on these coaches, and in March 2017, CAF and TPE released a photo of the first completed bodyshell. The first completed rake was sent for testing at Velim test centre in March 2018, the second set being delivered straight to the UK in May 2018 via Royal Portbury Dock ahead of their planned entry into service in the autumn of that year. In April 2019, the first Nova 3 set was officially handed over from CAF to TPE, after a mandatory period of fault-free running. TransPennine Express branded their new trains under the general name Nova, with the Class 68 + Mark 5A combination given the name Nova 3. == Current operation ==

Chiltern Railways Following a successful tender on 21 July 2025 for replacement rolling stock to Beacon Rail for the full fleet of seven units of five carriages owned by Beacon Rail (Finance) Ltd., it was announced on 5 August that Chiltern Railways is to lease the full fleet of 13 five-carriage sets in order to replace its fleet of Mark 3 coaching stock. The first sets entered passenger service on 26 January 2026 under new "Chiltern Explorer" branding. == Former operation ==

TransPennine Express The sets were initially to be used on services between Liverpool Lime Street and Scarborough as well as between Manchester Airport and Saltburn. The first set entered service between Liverpool and Scarborough on 24 August 2019. The Nova 3 was officially launched on 22 November 2019 at Liverpool Lime Street station alongside other members of the new Nova fleet. By 2022, four sets were in use daily, making them the most underutilised fleets of passenger stock in the country at five years old. In 2023, faults were discovered in some Mark 5A coaches, including cracks on a number of coaches. Soon afterwards, TransPennine Express announced plans to withdraw their Mark 5A fleet from the December 2023 timetable revision; however the sets were still leased by TPE until May 2024, and remained in storage until entering service with Chiltern Railways in January 2026. == References ==