| Pacer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In service | 1984– 2021 (production units) |
| Family name | Pacer |
| Constructed | 1980–1987 |
| Scrapped | 2020-2022 |
| Number built | 165 sets |
| Number in service | 15 sets (National Rail) |
| Number scrapped | 37 sets (142/143/144) |
| Operators | Great Western Railway
Transport for Wales Regional Railways Arriva Trains Northern Arriva Trains Wales Arriva Rail North Northern Rail Northern Trains Valley Lines Wales & Borders Wessex Trains Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (1997–2005) |
| Specifications | |
| Maximum speed | 75 MPH |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Pacer trains were railbuses built by British Rail between 1980 and 1987. There were several classes of them: 140, 141, 142, 143 and 144. They were diesel multiple unit trains, meaning each carriage had its own diesel engine. Pacers were built as a stopgap because British Rail did not have enough normal trains at the time and could not get new ones quickly enough. They were not supposed to be used for more than 20 years, but it actually took nearly 35 years to replace them.
Most Pacer trains were put out of use in 2020. Two things finally made this happen. The first is that it is difficult for people with disabilities to climb onto Pacer trains. The Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations require that all public passenger trains must be made easy to use for disabled people by 2020 - but they made an exception for the Pacer trains until the end of 2020. Only one Pacer (the modernised 144e) follows this rule right now. The second is that the Transport Secretary made a decision in 2015 to retire the Pacers by 2020 for the then-new Northern service, arguing that it would be bad for the economy in the north to keep using "these uncomfortable and low-quality vehicles".[1]
At the start of 2020, 138 Pacer units were still being used or stored by three National Rail operators: Northern Trains, Great Western Railway and Transport for Wales.[2] Northern Trains retired its last Pacer unit on 27 November 2020,[3] and so did Great Western Railway in December 2020. Transport for Wales kept using their Class 143s into the first part of 2021 until May 2021.
- ↑ "New trains to replace north of England's ageing rolling stock by 2020". The Guardian. 27 February 2015.
- ↑ "Pacers to continue into 2020, operators confirm". Railway Gazette. 22 October 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ↑ Slater, Chris (27 November 2020). "Final call for hated pacer trains as last 'truck on tracks' makes final journey". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 28 November 2020.