Date: 21/10/2011

Pacer trains are some of the most unpopular on the network. Built in the 1980s, they are essentially a bus body mounted on a freight wagon chassis with a diesel engine slung underneath. When passengers complain of cattle truck conditions, they are sometimes closer to the truth than they realise. Pacer trains were built as a stop-gap with an expected life of no more than 20 years. But they are now 25-years-old and there are no plans to replace them.

External links

Long-term fears over Pacer trains

BBC News

The rail regulator calls into question the long-term safety of one of Yorkshire's most heavily-used commuter trains.

Related images

The 12.29 service from Leeds, formed by unit 142089, arrives at Harrogate on 27 September. The train will continue forward as the 13.05 to York.
Location: Harrogate
Company: North Eastern Railway
27/09/2010 John Furnevel

A stopping service for Leeds, comprising Pacer 144002, calls at Platform 2 at Wakefield Westgate. The surviving through road is bi-directional and there is a turnback siding just beyond this platform so this busy station has a flexible track layout. View towards Leeds.
Location: Wakefield Westgate
Company: Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway
04/09/2009 Mark Bartlett

Pacer 143006 stands at the new Bathgate terminus during an open day held on 23 March 1986, the day before relaunch of the passenger service. Note Cartics in the sidings on the left, an area now occupied by shops. [See image 31158]
Location: Bathgate [3rd]
Company: Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway
23/03/1986 David Panton