New air-conditioned trains enter service on Thameslink

Rail passengers can now expect to travel on modern, air conditioned trains as Thameslink accepted the last of its Class 387 trains into service.

The final two Class 387/1 trains have entered service between Bedford and Brighton, marking the completion of the 29 new, modern trains arriving on the Thameslink route. The first trains entered service in December 2014 and replace 27-year-old Class 319 trains on the network. The majority of services that passengers now journey on are modern, air conditioned Class 387 or Class 377 trains.

Stuart Cheshire, Passenger Service Director for Thameslink said:

“I’m thrilled that Thameslink passengers can enjoy one of the newest fleet of trains in the country, soon to be followed by the arrival of the Class 700s in spring next year.

“The air conditioning makes a big difference to our passengers’ comfort, particularly during the hot weather we are experiencing at the moment.”

The Bombardier-built Thameslink Class 387/1 fleet boast:

two-by-two seating,

air-conditioning,

the latest automated on-board service information

and excellent facilities for people with disabilities.

Since their introduction last year the fleet has run over 1.7m miles in passenger service, with the highest mileage unit already reaching 100,000 miles.

ends

Notes to editor

Class 387/1

The Class 387 trains are the latest version of Bombardier Transportation’s Electrostar. The 387/1s have been rolled out on Bedford to Brighton services and since May virtually every train on this service group is an Electrostar. They will remain in service into 2016 when, from the spring, an even newer fleet of next-generation Class 700 trains will be steadily introduced as part of the government-sponsored Thameslink Programme, with more carriages for many longer services and, from 2018, more frequent services on parts of the route.The 387/1 fleet is the first Electrostar unit to be certified to operate at 110mph and is the first unit operated by GTR to have the Mk4 TPWS control system fitted.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) began running Thameslink (Bedford to Brighton, Sutton and Wimbledon) and Great Northern (London to Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn) rail services on 14 September 2014. A small number of services and stations previously operated by Southeastern transferred to GTR in December 2014 and in July 2015 the Southern and Gatwick Express routes will be incorporated into the franchise. GTR will then be the largest rail franchise in the UK in terms of passenger numbers, trains, revenue and staff: GTR will carry about 273 million passenger journeys per year, employ around 6,500 people and generate annual passenger revenues of approximately £1.3bn. www.gtrailway.com www.thameslinkrailway.com