Siemens have now announced that the new Thameslink EMU, the Class 700, have reach 100mph during testing eariler this month. Siemens now have 2 12 car units on test on their test track in Wegberg-Wildenrath in Germany.
They have also given out some new images of unit 1 (of 115) on the test track.
Siemens press release can be found here.
The 2018 service pattern has been announced now we have a preferred bidder. There are some peak variants so the Bedford to Littlehampton service ‘route only runs Bedford to Three Bridges and Littlehampton to West Hampstead in AM peak. The numbers a re linked so you can see the changes in services between peak and off peak so some routes vary wildly.
http://thameslinkprogramme.co.uk/sites/ … y14_v7.pdf
Services are all 2tph
Peak
1. Bedford to Brighton
2. Bedford to Three Bridges
3. Bedford to East Grinstead
4. Bedford to Littlehampton~
5. Luton/St Albans to Sevenoaks*
6. Luton/St Albans to Maidstone East*
7. Luton/St Albans to Sutton via Mitcham*
8. Luton/St Albans to Sutton via Wimbledon*
9. Peterborough to Horsham
10. Cambridge to Brighton
11. Cambridge to Tattenham Corner
12. Welwyn Garden City to Caterham^
* Wimbledon Loop services start Luton and terminate at St Albans in AM peak and reverse in in evening peak. Sevenoaks/Maidstone East services do the opposite.
~ Only runs in peak flow between Littlehampton and Three Bridges and West Hampstead and Bedford
^ Only runs in peak flow between Welwyn Garden City and Finsbury Park
Off peak
1. Bedford to Brighton
2. Bedford to Gatwick Airport
3. Doesn’t run
4. Doesn’t run
5. Kentish Town to Sevenoaks
6. Doesn’t run
7. St Albans to Sutton via Mitcham
8. St Albans to Sutton via Wimbledon
9. Peterborough to Horsham
10. Cambridge to Brighton
11. Cambridge to Tattenham Corner
12. Doesn’t run
Bit off the normal trail but here is a video of the new Top yard at Brighton as part of the Thameslink stabling. There are two roads with the one nearest the camera (Carriage Road 1) able to take 20 coaches worth of train (that 5x 377/5) where as Carriage Road 2 is ‘only’ 12 cars in length.
The sidings were originally supposed to be completed at the end of the year ahead of the London Bridge works and reduced Thameslink service but will be fully completed shortly. There has already been testing using FCC’s 377/2 12 car (which normally berth in Preston park all day) and an 8 car 319.
Another clear sign of the upgrades of the Thameslink Programme ahead of its 2018 completion date.
The first look at the two Siemens Thameslink depot is the Hornsey depot located just north of the current Hornsey depot on disused railway land. Along with Three Bridges and Cauldwell/Bedford (and expanded depot at Cricklewood) are the three separate servicing location of the class 700 fleet from when they start arriving next year.
This video shows the state of Siemens Thameslink depot at Hornsey as of 5th march. The smaller of the two depots that are now being built for the new class 700, its due to be completed in summer 2016 where it will initially be used to commission units on the ATO test track on the Hertford Loop prior to fleet introduction.
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.
With the Class 700 mock up revealed last week we got some more information of the introduction of the fleet. So far we know the following:
January 2014
• Mock up displayed to public
• First built carriages go to Vienna for climate testing
March 2014
• First Class 700 on the test track at Wildenrath
July 2015
• Siemens Thameslink Three Bridges depot completed
August 2015
• First Class 700 arrives in the UK, sent to Three Bridges Depot. Testing starts with overnight runs between Brighton and Bedford.
18th December 2015
• First Class 700 planned to be handed over to the TSGN franchise
Q1 2016
• First Class 700 in services on Bedford to Brighton duties
July 2016
• Siemens Thameslink Hornsey depot completed
Q1 2017
• First Class 700 in service on GN routes
January 2018
• Class 700 work to Maidstone East
May 2018 (at the latest)
• 95% of Thameslink peak service operated by Class 700
• Thameslink Core operates 20tph in peak
December 2018
• All Thameslink service operated by Class 700
• Class 700 ATO active in passenger service in Thameslink Core
The class 700 Desiro City for Thameslink have been official unveiled today. This short video shows some of the internal areas of the train.
Expect more detailed look at the new trains later this week.
An editing of a planning Document sent to Southwark Council for part of the planning progress for the dive under. I’ve added colours to better show the track.
Just to note that while track placement is about right, points are not and it doesn’t show every single point between them.
The colours are such
Blue – Thameslink services
Green – ‘Southern’ terminating services
Pink – Charing Cross services
Red – Cannon Street
sparkyscrum 