The Nova 3 trainsets were Mark 5A carriages, which are locomotive-hauled and designed for its intercity routes. The choice to procure carriages was unusual for the UK market, it is reportedly the first procurement of such rolling stock since the Mark 4 sets for the Intercity 225 during the late 1980s. Davis claims that the expense of constructing DMUs suitable for intercity services was prohibitive in comparison, and notes that it is to be operated as a fixed-formation push-pull train, not relying on run-arounds as historically performed by locomotive-hauled sets. From the onset, it was planned for these to be hauled by a small fleet of Class 68 locomotives, requiring minor control-oriented modifications by Stadler to do so. According to franchise documents filed with the Department for Transport (DfT), considerations have been made to alternatively hauling the Nova 3 carriages with Class 88 bi-mode locomotives, which are closely related to the Class 68; however, this would be dependent on relatively ambitious, and thus far unfunded, suggestions for widespread electrification in the region being fulfilled.