British Rail Class 168 Clubman

The Class 168 Clubman was a fleet of thirty-one three- and four-car DMU sets built between 1997 and 2004 by Adtranz (later Bombardier Transportation) at Derby, specifically for Chiltern Railways' expanding services between London Marylebone, Birmingham Snow Hill, and associated routes. The Class 168 was the first British DMU to be designed and ordered under the privatised railway, and its development represented a significant step forward from the Networker Turbo family that had preceded it on the Chiltern route, offering a higher standard of speed, comfort, and reliability that Chiltern's management had made central to their franchise strategy.

The Class 168 was derived from the Bombardier Turbostar platform — the same family as the Class 170 — but built specifically to Chiltern's requirements with a longer-distance, higher-quality specification. Each power car was fitted with two MTU 6R 183TD13H diesel engines producing a combined 560 hp per car, giving the sets a maximum speed of 100 mph, a significant step up from the 90 mph Class 165/1s they supplemented. The interior was designed with the business traveller market in mind: airline-style seating with tables, power sockets, and a refreshment trolley service, marketed under the Clubman brand that gave the class its name.

The thirty-one sets were built in three subclass batches as Chiltern's franchise was extended and the route upgraded: the 168/0 batch (1997–98), the 168/1 batch (1999–2000), and the 168/2 and 168/3 batches (2003–2004). The later sets incorporated refinements based on operational experience. All sets work the Marylebone–Birmingham Snow Hill corridor and associated services, and as of 2026 the entire Class 168 fleet remains in active Chiltern Railways service. Chiltern's investment in the 168 fleet has been credited as a key factor in the operator's success in building a loyal business travel market on the Chiltern route.