Northern England & October 2017 News
In Summary:
- ScotRail have begun tests of the Class 385 stock on the Edinburgh to Glasgow corridor.
- Next, the first 14 Class 345s (which replace 315s) for TFL Rail have been built and passed trials. Of these, 3 are in service and 2 are used for Driver Training (007-011).
- Meanwhile, Govia Thameslink has reached a major milestone in its transformation of the railway by replacing the last of the 29-year-old Class 319 train fleet with modern Class 700 trains. GTR added: "On Sunday 27 August, units 319217 and 319435 were coupled together as an eight carriage service to make the final southbound journey. The train left Bedford on time at 15.06 with a salute from the drivers and a blast on the horn as the train left the station with a small commemorative headboard fitted to the front. Greeted by a crowd of enthusiasts at Brighton, the same train then left the seaside resort full and standing at 18.14 as passengers, enthusiasts and staff alike travelled on its last-ever Thameslink journey. The train arrived at Bedford on time, at 20.59"
- The first Class 158, unit 158 888 of the South Western Railway fleet has been adorned in the new livery.
- The Derby Station Project begins next month, which will see the addition of a new platform as well as upgraded signalling and remodeled track layouts.
- Also, not forgetting that 15 Class 377/5s and 2 377/1s have returned off sub-lease, and now operate for South Eastern. These carriages, previously operating for Thameslink, have been fitted with vibration monitoring technology to monitor train reliability, which will help engineers to predict and prevent faults.
- Finally, Southern Rail has finished a major modification to make its Class 377 fleet more resilient to freezing, snowy weather this winter. Line inductors are large 1.5-tonne components that sit beneath the train and smooth out spikes from the electric third rail current to protect the trains’ sensitive electronic equipment.
- ScotRail have begun tests of the Class 385 stock on the Edinburgh to Glasgow corridor.
- Next, the first 14 Class 345s (which replace 315s) for TFL Rail have been built and passed trials. Of these, 3 are in service and 2 are used for Driver Training (007-011).
- Meanwhile, Govia Thameslink has reached a major milestone in its transformation of the railway by replacing the last of the 29-year-old Class 319 train fleet with modern Class 700 trains. GTR added: "On Sunday 27 August, units 319217 and 319435 were coupled together as an eight carriage service to make the final southbound journey. The train left Bedford on time at 15.06 with a salute from the drivers and a blast on the horn as the train left the station with a small commemorative headboard fitted to the front. Greeted by a crowd of enthusiasts at Brighton, the same train then left the seaside resort full and standing at 18.14 as passengers, enthusiasts and staff alike travelled on its last-ever Thameslink journey. The train arrived at Bedford on time, at 20.59"
- The first Class 158, unit 158 888 of the South Western Railway fleet has been adorned in the new livery.
- The Derby Station Project begins next month, which will see the addition of a new platform as well as upgraded signalling and remodeled track layouts.
- Also, not forgetting that 15 Class 377/5s and 2 377/1s have returned off sub-lease, and now operate for South Eastern. These carriages, previously operating for Thameslink, have been fitted with vibration monitoring technology to monitor train reliability, which will help engineers to predict and prevent faults.
- Finally, Southern Rail has finished a major modification to make its Class 377 fleet more resilient to freezing, snowy weather this winter. Line inductors are large 1.5-tonne components that sit beneath the train and smooth out spikes from the electric third rail current to protect the trains’ sensitive electronic equipment.
Moving on now, East Midlands Trains continue their programme to refurbish 26 2-car Class 158 trains, which primarily operate on the Liverpool - Manchester - Warrington - Nottingham - Peterborough - Ely - Norwich services.
The stock also sees usage on the Lincoln-Nottingham-Leicester, Newark-Matlock, Derby-Crewe and Nottingham-Mansfield-Worksop lines. The 158s are not just being repainted externally, they're also recieving the following upgrades:
- USB charging sockets
- Passenger Information Displays, to advertise things like the trains destination, the next stop and also safety messages.
- Modified toilet facilities, so they're easily accessible by everyone.
- Reupholstered seating, new carpets, repainted grabrails and new dada panels on the walls.
EMT added: "As much as we understand that having shorter trains is uncomfortable and can be disruptive to your journey we do try to use our available rolling stock efficiently to ensure that we deliver the service promised to you. We are 30% through the refurbishment programme so we still have some way to go yet before it is finished and thank you for your patience whilst the work continues."
These units are advertised to operate as 2-car formation on most routes, but operate as 4-car between Liverpool and Nottingham (where the train divides, as only 2-cars continue to/from Peterborough/Norwich thereon).
The stock also sees usage on the Lincoln-Nottingham-Leicester, Newark-Matlock, Derby-Crewe and Nottingham-Mansfield-Worksop lines. The 158s are not just being repainted externally, they're also recieving the following upgrades:
- USB charging sockets
- Passenger Information Displays, to advertise things like the trains destination, the next stop and also safety messages.
- Modified toilet facilities, so they're easily accessible by everyone.
- Reupholstered seating, new carpets, repainted grabrails and new dada panels on the walls.
EMT added: "As much as we understand that having shorter trains is uncomfortable and can be disruptive to your journey we do try to use our available rolling stock efficiently to ensure that we deliver the service promised to you. We are 30% through the refurbishment programme so we still have some way to go yet before it is finished and thank you for your patience whilst the work continues."
These units are advertised to operate as 2-car formation on most routes, but operate as 4-car between Liverpool and Nottingham (where the train divides, as only 2-cars continue to/from Peterborough/Norwich thereon).
