British Rail Class 360
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The British Rail Class 360 electric multiple units were built by Siemens in two sub-types from 2002-2005. These units are part of the highly successful Desiro family.
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[edit] Description
Unlike the South West Trains and West Coast Main Line Desiros, the Class 360 lacks inter-unit gangways. This was a late design change, as the Health and Safety Executive was not happy with the driver's forward visibility with the previous design's gangway cab.
The Class 360 is a modern unit with Air Conditioning and is powered by OHLE with a top speed of 100mph.
[edit] Current operations
[edit] First Great Eastern / 'one'
First Great Eastern ordered 21 4-car units to replace their elderly Class 312 slam-door units. They entered service in 2003, and by mid-2004 had completely replaced the old trains. They are primarily used on London Liverpool Street to Harwich, Clacton and during afternoon/evening rush hour Ipswich services, usually running as 4 carriages to Harwich and 8-12 carriages to Clacton and Ipswich.
Since they were built, First Group has lost the franchise to the National Express Group, who operate the Great Eastern routes as part of their 'one' franchise. Though operated by 'one' the 360 class is not maintained by the franchise, but is under contract from Siemens for routine maintenance.
They retain First Barbie livery, this because of the anti vandal paint used. A repaint would require a complete sanding down before any paint could be applied
[edit] Heathrow Connect
Heathrow Connect runs four 4-car units operating London Paddington-Heathrow Airport stopping trains. They entered service on 12 June 2005. These units were originally built as Class 350s for prospective spot hire.
[edit] Fleet Details
| Class | Cars per Set | No. Built | No. Range | Operator | Year Built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 360/1 | 4 | 21 | 360101-121 | 'one' | 2002-2003 |
| Class 360/2 | 5 | 5 | 360201-205 | Heathrow Connect | 2004-2005 |
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