Sprinter (British Rail)

Sprinter (train)
Class 158 at Tywyn in 2019
In service	1984–present
Family name	Sprinter
Number built	556 trainsets
Number scrapped	9 cars
Operators	ScotRail East Midlands Railway Great Western Railway Northern Trains South Western Railway State Railway of Thailand Transport for Wales London Northwestern Railway
Specifications
Maximum speed	75 mph (121 km/h) (Class 150, 153, 155, 156) 90 mph (140 km/h) (Class 158, 159)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge (UK trains) 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge (Thailand trains)

The Sprinter is a family of diesel multiple unit trains in use on the British railway system. They were built in the 1980s and early-1990s by British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL), Metro-Cammell and Leyland. Sprinters operate in almost every part of Great Britain, from rural branch lines to commuter expresses into major cities.

The class includes class 150, 151, 153, 154, 155, 156, 158 and 159. Most have Cummins engines with Voith hydraulic transmissions, although 47 Class 158 units have Perkins engines instead.

Originally British Rail coined the "Sprinter" name for the units, mainly to promote the superior acceleration capabilities of the units compared with the first-generation DMUs they replaced. Advertisements such as "The Sprinters are coming" were locally advertised in newspapers when these trains were scheduled to be introduced. Great play was also made of, in many cases, reduced journey times.^{[citation needed]}