Varamis confirms interest in Royal Mail Class 325s

Open Access freight operator Varamis Rail has said it would be interested in looking at taking on the soon-to-be-redundant Royal Mail Class 325 units.

Royal Mail has said it will end DB Cargo’s rail freight contract in October, in favour of road haulage (RAIL 1014). This will leave its 15 four-car dual-voltage Class 325 freight electric multiple units redundant and facing disposal.

Varamis Rail CEO Phil Read told RAIL: “The ‘325s’ are not off the table for us - we believe there are huge opportunities for them. Our ten [Class 321] trains will soon be needed to meet our needs just on the West Coast Main Line, so we will need more trains to serve the East Coast Main Line.

“The ‘325s’ also have third-rail capability as well as 25kV AC. That is a huge attraction to us, and could open up new markets, such as Portsmouth.

“There are still a lot of facilities [from the Railnet set-up] that could be used to serve the high-speed logistics network. There are a lot of councils in the South that would be keen for us to serve them.”

However, Read did express concern over the potential condition of the ‘325s’.

“We would need to do a full asset inspection, and we’d also need to know where they are in their overhaul cycles. If they are due heavy overhauls, they may simply not be viable to take on.

“We would be hoping for some government support. And they remain a state-owned asset.” With the recent withdrawal of Class 90s by DB Cargo, and now the imminent removal of the Class 325s, there has been a shift away from using electric traction owing to alleged higher costs, which goes against the drive to reduce net zero emissions.