Posted 29th February 2012 | 10 Comments
Fleet boosts on the way for London Midland, TPE
THE DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT has confirmed that it is to enlarge the London Midland and First TransPennine Express fleets with an order for 80 Siemens Class 350 Desiro vehicles. The new vehicles will be divided equally between the two operators, and are due to enter service in December 2014.
Transport minister Theresa Villiers said the new trains would add 12,000 seats on the routes of the two operators.
She added: "As rail travel becomes more popular operators must be able to meet growing demand and these new carriages will enable existing trains to be lengthened. These new trains will also run faster, which means extra train slots will come free, so that London Midland can fit more services into the timetable."
The new vehicles are being procured by London Midland on behalf of both operators. Leasing and operation is being funded by an increase in Government funding to the two TOCs of some £41million to the planned end of their franchises. The procurement for London Midland was already underway when the electrification of Manchester and the West Coast Main Line south of Wigan was announced, and the DfT asked London Midland to extend this existing procurement to include trains for First Transpennine Express.
The 40 new vehicles for First TransPennine Express will be used on the Manchester to Scotland route following electrification between Manchester and the West Coast Main Line. The new rolling stock will allow existing diesel units to be cascaded to other routes serving Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield and Newcastle. Ardwick depot in Manchester will also be electrified.
London Midland's share, which will have a slightly different internal configuration, will be used in two ways. 12 of the vehicles will trigger a cascade that will provide additional capacity on the Cross City line in Birmingham. The frequency of peak and off-peak services between Birmingham and Redditch will be increased from two to three trains an hour from December 2014, and the trains will also allow electric services from Birmingham New Street to be extended to Bromsgrove from May 2015, assuming that the plan to relocate Bromsgrove Station is confirmed and that electrification is completed on schedule.
The other 28 London Midland vehicles will be used on outer suburban services to London Euston, where they will provide faster peak journeys and extra capacity.
The new trains will have a maximum speed of 110mph (177km/h) and, in a parallel development, some of London Midland's existing Class 350s are to be upgraded to 110mph from their present maximum of 100mph (160km/h). The faster units will cut journey times between London, Milton Keynes and Northampton from the end of this year, said the DfT.
The peak journey times between London and Northampton will be reduced by up to 10 minutes and between Milton Keynes and London by up to seven minutes. London Midland will also be able to run three more peak services in the morning peak and five in the evenings.
London Midland managing director Patrick Verwer said: "We are very excited at the prospect of introducing higher speed services for our customers. These new trains will create significant extra capacity for our customers travelling into London Euston and the West Midlands. Their acquisition demonstrates our commitment to continue improving capacity, performance and customer satisfaction."
Reader Comments:
Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.
Billy Johnstone, Elderslie
The sooner new units are sourced for Manchester - Scotland the better. I recently travelled on this route and found the class 185's are not suitable. I came off a pendolino and as soon as I stepped on to the 185 it was obvious I was on a small DMU.
This is an intercity route and deserves better traction. Maybe the 185's are being overworked but it was only marginally better than a class 156. Sure they can do 100mph but the engines are screaming and the interior is inferior.
Why do we put up with it?
MikeB, Liverpool
In answer to Billy Johnstone, through services from Manchester to Scotland will undoubtedly be running via Lostock Junction when the line through Bolton is electrified in December 2016.
Billy Johnstone, Elderslie
Surely the route from Manchester - Preston via Lostock junction would have been the best way to improve journey times between Manchester and Scotland? Either Lostock to Wigan or Lostock to Euxton junction would be better than what is planned. Also, the fact that both these routes are via Bolton make it much more convenient for the paying customers.
Ashley, Burnley
i think havin 350's on the TPE route would be a bigger boost in the north and provide more efficient services :)
Martyn Bristow, Birkenhead
Having travelled on Bombardier and Siemens stoke I would have gone with siemens again. The atmosphere is so much more comfortable and it just feels nicer. The Electrostar from bombardier doesn't have the aesthetics but does have superior features such as GPS based selective door opening and automated fault detection.
John Gilbert, Cradley
The new trains are quite unsuitable for long distance express services. If Lancashire to London services are deemed worthy of Pendolinos, then Lancashire to Scotland services should have as well; the track is very curved and the 110mph capability of the Siemens trains will be wasted as they will not tilt! This is another case of SE England civil servants and politicians providing the north with trains of a lower standard! Even Class 444s as between London and Bournemnouth would have been much better as they have end doors, which is what long-distance stock ought to have.
Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex
So more trains ordered from Siemens. Anyone would think The Conservitive Party had invested its pension funds with Siemens Bank!!
Of course once an operator orders trains from a manufacturer then its makes sense to place follow on orders with that maker so the fleet remains compatible!!!
Bombardiers best chance would be if the Overground was to be extended to cover more lines like Chingford and Enfield Town, together with new fleets for Bakerloo and Piccadilly Lines and Crossrail is now out to tender!!
david c smith, milton keynes
350's are ideal for LM.,who provide commuter and semi-fast services on the southern part of the WCML. But for TPE they may be a mistake. Tnhe Manchester-Glasgow/ Edinburgh route's greatest potential lies in the day-return Intercity business market. For this, a sub 3-hour journey time with good levels of comfort/ facilities is needed.
This could better be met by short-formation( 6 or 7 car?) Pendolinos with their tilt capability, than by 350's.
MikeB, Liverpool
It is becoming more and more apparent that the Class 319s may not be available for the completion of the Manchester - Liverpool and Huyton - Wigan phases of electrification in December 2014. There is talk that the awful Class 142s and 150s will have to continue operating these services until the triangle is completely wired in 2016. However, as Abellio East Anglia has returned 9 Class 317s to Angel Trains, perhaps they might be made available to Northern as an interim measure.
Lee, Manchester
So TPE are to get ten new Class 350's to operate anglo scottish services. Although this is a boost to capacity on the north manchester line following its electrification, these trains wont do much to relieve congestion as the majority services are being operated by Northern. It would be useful to know how many ex-Thameslionk Class 319's they will be receiving and how many 'new' seats will be offered compared to the Class 142, 150 and 156's that are currently used. It would be even better to know when the terminally awful Class 142's will finally be disposed of.