London Midland and First TransPennine Express have placed orders with Siemens for new Desiro electrical multiple units.
The new trains will delivered between the end of 2013 and the middle of 2014.
Ten class 350/3 electrical multiple units will be used by London Midland to strengthen existing commuter services into London and along the West Coast Mainline.
First TransPennine Express will introduce a further ten class 350/4 EMUs onto services on the West Coast Main Line linking Manchester Airport to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Steve Scrimshaw, managing director for Siemens Rail Systems in the UK, said:
“The Desiro UK fleet has delivered over nine years of reliable service to train operators and to the travelling public.
“The order is testimony to the excellent reputation for comfort, reliability and safety that our trains have developed and the effective maintenance delivered by our 650-strong service team, day in, day out.”
The class 350/2 fleet has a Moving Annual Average of 68,963 miles per TIN in period 11, 2011-12, making it the most reliable UK fleet.
So they’ve finally pressed on with 350’s? It was to be expected, and from an operational perspective it makes sense for the new fleet to remain uniform with LM’s current assets.
But it’s not an intercity train; even the 185’s credentials as a long-distance vehicle are scrutinised. Nevertheless, at least TPE’s units were built to specification – and it’s in the smaller details that this becomes apparent: the 2+1 first class, and adjacent multifunction area to cater for disabled passengers; slightly better luggage provision than most of its electric stablemates; enough table seating to rival the longer 220s/221s that once operated the Mcr/Scotland journeys; and smart window/seat arrangement to avoid deadlight zones. The latter required windows of several different lengths being used, as is particularly evident in first class. It’s a minor detail, but it’s something passengers appreciate, even if they don’t always realise.
Employing the 350’s on this route is taking a train designed to a completely different specification, and shoe-horning upon it some semblance of intercity pedigree. 20m bodyshells will inevitably hold fewer seated passengers per carriage, unless capacity will be boosted with a removal of popular table seats, à la Cross Country. For all the excitement a new stock order brings, a big question mark lingers over the mix of capacity and comfort – certainly, the ride should be smooth enough (350’s perform well there), but there might be little to rejoice if sitting the journey out on your own suitcase, or admiring a window pillar…
So to herald in the imminent electrification plans we have middle-distance units dressed as intercity stock, and 25 year-old 319’s left orphaned by the Thameslink programme? Despite the cynicism, I’m glad there’s vital investment being made. And we can only wait until it actually happens before we can really judge. But I still have a feeling that even when the 350/4 to Edinburgh rolls in, I’d do well to bring a comfy suitcase…
(PS: Wouldn’t 390s work here? If they’re considered to offer too much capacity, why not continue the service south of Manchester to London, displacing one of the three hourly trains from Piccadilly and increasing Anglo-Scottish capacity in the process? Cheaper fares could also be offered from Scotland to London on the inevitably slower service. Just a wild thought…)