Shortly after the announcement that a consortium of Abellio, Mitsui and JR East had been awarded the West Midlands franchise, West Midlands Trains confirmed they had placed an order for 26 diesel multiple units based on CAF's Civity platform.

[13] The first vehicle arrived at Tyseley TMD in Birmingham on 17 April 2020, having travelled by ship from Cuxhaven to Hull.

They also run on Birmingham to Hereford services from 2023,[16] with occasional appearances on the Snow Hill Lines (Dorridge & Stratford-upon-Avon to Worcester).

[17] Six 2-car units will be allocated to the initial services operated on the East West Rail route between Oxford and Milton Keynes.

[6] Some units have received names: Media related to British Rail Class 196 at Wikimedia Commons