387/1 commssioning and 387/2 order placed?

Bombardier delivered three new Class 387/1 this week in addition to two arriving at the Bletchley Depot for AC commissioning.

So far the following unit have been delivered;

387105 – 26/09/2014
387106 – 03/10/2014
387107 – 15/10/2014
387102 – 16/10/2014
387104 – 17/10/2014

Initial testing will see up to 12 car testing at speeds up 110mph on the WCML before moving on to DC commissioning a week later on Kent routes (same as the 377/6 & 377/7 fleets).

The first 8 car until should be in service on Thameslink by the year end with units quickly filtering into service after successful commissioning.

Thanks very much to @13milepost to the pictures of the 387/1 deliveries.

So far units up to 387112 have been seen. The order for 27x 4 car 387 units (possibly class 387/2) is rumored to have been placed now with no official word as yet but first image of a 387 in GatEx livery has emerged. The delay in ordering has been put down to Treasury bot signing off on the cost.

Official announcement is likely coming early next week.

387 testing begins

The first Class 387, unit 387101 is now on test at Old Dalby. The unit was transferred from Bombardier on the 15th August by for type testing prior to moving South for commissioning work.

See here for a photo of the unit being dragged.

387101 at the Asfordby test centre, part of the Old Dalby test track. Many thanks to Carl for allowing me to use this photo.

For commissioning work, it seems Bombardier has chosen Stokes Associates and will be basing the commissioning run at Bletchley depot for AC testing. This is likely in connection with 100mph+ testing as the Class 387 are the first Electrostars to have a top speed of 110mph.

Commissioning will happen in the Autumn time with the first units possible in service later this year under the new Govia Thameslink Railway franchise that starts on the 14th september, with all 29 units in passenger service in time for the May 2015 timetable change. As the units were order by Southern on behalf of the DfT they are being built with the standard Southern green doors. A full press launch is expect to occur later this year.

Class 387/1 techincal details

The first technical details of the new Class 387 fleet have been revealed. The 29 dual voltage 110mph capable units are formed in four car units and include some of the recent upgrades to the Electrostar model such as forward facing and pantograph cameras, plug sockets at each seat pairing as well as real time CIS and CCTV equipment. The trains will also have six powered axels per train.

The units will be wifi ready, 2+2 seating only, and in the ‘transitional branding’ (likely the interim TSGN livery) with ‘metro-density ready’ grab rail. AC and DC regenerative braking, driver advisory system (DAS) and the now standard selective door and unit opening systems (SDO). The key parts of the 387 fleet are expected to have a 35 year life span.

The units will be formed as such:

DMOS A
60 seats (7 tables)
22 seats in area that passive provision for First Class (area by the right door)

MOSL
62 seats (6 tables)
1 standard toilet

PTOSL
44 seats (7 tables)
2 wheelchair spaces
1 Wheelchair accessible toilet

DMOS B
60 seats (6 tables)

All 29 units are planned to be ready for passenger service before Southern merges with the new TSGN franchise. Here is the current provisional acceptance (entry into service) of the class 387/1 fleet;

Southern will continue to work with Bombardier on the build support (reviews of the design) right the way up to September this year (likely in relation to the start date of TSGN the same month). The arrival of the 387/1 fleet also means Southern drivers requiring to learn the Atlantic Lines for which Southern is required to recruit more drivers which is already on going and will continue on until August.

The requirement of Bombardier to get the fleet to operate at 40,000 MTIN with financial penalties if the fleet does not achieve this. Currently the Bombardier ‘built’ 357 and 375 (/8 & /9 subclasses only) achieve this. Bombardier is aiming high with its latest version of the Electrostar fleet, but with the Thameslink Core requirements needing high levels of reliability. Of Bombardier’ dual voltage fleets the 377/5 fleet has a MTIN of 21,322 (meaning the new fleet will have to be about twice as reliable), the 378/2 achieves 13,813 MTIN. The 377/2 fleet is mixed in with the rest of the 377 and achieves 33,492. Bombardier AC only 379, which the 387 body shell is based on, achieves 37,544. Time will tell if they can achieve this.