Editing British Rail (section)

===Sprinters===
{{Main|Sprinter (British Rail)}}
[[File:150001 pancras.jpg|thumb|Prototype 150001 at St Pancras]]
By the early 1980s British Rail operated a large fleet of [[List of British Rail diesel multiple unit classes#First generation|first generation DMUs]], which had been constructed in prior decades to various designs.<ref name="Thomas"/> While formulating its long-term strategy for this sector of its operations, British Rail planners recognised that there would be considerable costs incurred by undertaking refurbishment programmes necessary for the continued use of these ageing multiple units, particularly due to the necessity of handling and removing hazardous materials such as [[asbestos]]. In light of the high costs involved in retention, planners examined the prospects for the development and introduction of a new generation of DMUs to succeed the first generation.<ref name="shore">{{cite journal |last1 = Shore |first1 = A. G. L. |title = British Rail Diesel Multiple Unit Replacement Programme |journal = Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D: Transport Engineering |date = April 1987 |volume = 201 |issue = 2 |pages = 115–122 |doi = 10.1243/PIME_PROC_1987_201_165_02 |s2cid = 109194039 }}</ref>

In 1984/1985, two experimental DMU designs were put into service: the BREL-built [[British Rail Class 150|Class 150]] and [[Metro-Cammell]]-built [[British Rail Class 151|Class 151]].<ref name="Motive">{{cite book |first = Brian |last = Morrison |year = 1986 |title = Motive Power Annual 1987 |publisher =  Ian Allan |location = Shepperton |isbn = 0-7110-1635-6 |display-authors = etal}}</ref> Both of these used [[Torque converter|hydraulic transmission]] and were less bus-like than the [[Pacer (British Rail)|Pacer]]s.<ref name="shore"/> After trials, the Class 150 was selected for production. Starting in 1987, production standard units entered service. Reliability was much improved by the new units, with depot visits being reduced from two or three times per week to fortnightly.<ref name="Thomas"/>

The late 1980s and early 1990s also saw the development of secondary express services that complemented the mainline [[InterCity (British Rail)|Intercity]] routes. [[British Rail Class 155|Class 155]] and [[British Rail Class 156|Class 156]] Sprinters were developed to replace locomotive-hauled trains on these services, their interiors being designed with longer distance journeys in mind.<ref name="TodayMar09">{{cite magazine |title = The Class 156 Super Sprinter story |magazine = Today's Railways UK |issue = 87 (March 2009) |pages = 44–56}}</ref> Key Scottish and Trans-Pennine routes were upgraded with new [[British Rail Class 158|Class 158]] Express Sprinters, while a network of '[[Alphaline]]' services was introduced elsewhere in the country.<ref>{{cite magazine |title = Crack 158 services to be marketed as Alphaline |magazine = [[The Railway Magazine]] |issue = 1123 |date = November 1994 |page = 10}}</ref>

By the end of the 1980s, passenger numbers had increased and costs had been reduced to two-and-a-half times revenue.<ref name="Thomas"/> Specific areas for this cost reduction include the lower fuel consumption of Sprinters in comparison to traditional locomotive-hauled trains as well as their reduced maintenance costs.<ref name = "shore"/>