British Rail Class 395
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| British Rail Class 395 "Javelin" | |
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 A mock-up of the Class 395 is on display at Ebbsfleet International station |
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| In service | December 2009 |
| Manufacturer | Hitachi Europe |
| Family name | A-Train |
| Number built | 29 trainsets (2 built, 27 under construction/planned) |
| Formation | 6 cars per trainset |
| Capacity | 354 seats |
| Operator | Southeastern |
| Specifications | |
| Maximum speed | High Speed 1: 140 mph (225 km/h) Network Rail: 100 mph (160 km/h) |
| Gauge | 1,435 mm |
| Voltage | Dual Voltage (25 kV AC and 750 V DC) |
Class 395 is the designation[1] of new dual-voltage EMUs being built for Southeastern to operate new high speed domestic services on High Speed 1. During the 2012 Summer Olympics the trains will be used on the Olympic Javelin branded shuttle services to the Games.[2]
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[edit] Order
An order worth £250 million was placed with Hitachi Europe for 28 high-speed ‘A-trains’ in 2004.[3] A 29th train was later added to the order to provide additional capacity.
The first vehicle was delivered from Japan to Southampton on 23 August 2007.[4][5] It was then hauled to Ashford in Kent for acceptance testing by Serco. Three more trains are due to arrive in 2007, with the remainder of the fleet delivered in 2008-2009. The first of the train to be delivered was present at the official opening of St Pancras International station on 6 November 2007.
The trains are owned by HSBC Rail, and leased to Southeastern.
[edit] Operations
Southeastern will operate the Class 395 trains on commuter services between London St Pancras, Ashford and the Kent coast starting in December 2009,[6] running at speeds of up to 140 mph (225 km/h) on High Speed 1 and 100 mph elsewhere. The trains are to be based at a £53m five-road depot in Ashford, Kent, and Ramsgate depot will also provide stabling.[7]
[edit] Specifications
| Power Supply (for 225 km/h (140 mph) on High Speed 1) | 25kV AC overhead lines |
|---|---|
| Power Supply (for 160 km/h (100 mph) on all other lines) | 750V DC third-rail power |
| Capacity | 348 seated, 508 standing. |
| On-board systems | The train will be equipped with GPS positioning equipment and a database to calculate the train’s exact position. The pressure-sealed doors on each car can only be opened with an exact alignment to the platform. |
| Signalling systems | European Rail Traffic Management System ready. TVM430 (on High Speed 1), Train Protection & Warning System (on all other lines). The KVB system will be used at St Pancras station. This is the signalling system used by SNCF in France. |
| Safety | The train is built to be lightweight using a technique known as friction stir welding, the first time such a technique has been used on a British main line. This was a technique recommended by the Ladbroke Grove Rail Crash enquiry to improve crash resistance. However, unlike TGV family of trains, it is not articulated. |
[edit] Train formation
The 6-car trainsets consist of:
- 2 Driving trailer cars each of length 20.65 metres
- 4 Standard motor cars of length 20 metres
In total the train is 121.8 metres long over the couplings.[8] The train is unusual for a high speed train in that the doors and vestibules are not set at the ends over the bogies as on most long-distance trains (e.g. mk 4 carriages), but in order to reduce dwell times they are set approximately 1/4 and 3/4 along the carriage, like most commuter trains (e.g. Electrostar); this means that the ride quality for passengers sitting over the bogies is diminished, though the quality of track on CTRL is high and they will not be used at speed anywhere else.
[edit] References
- ^ Southeastern completes its executive team and welcomes high-speed train experts (2006-04-18).
- ^ £20m bullet trains to serve Olympic Park" 28 October 2004 at London2012.org. Accessed 25 April 2005
- ^ Hitachi preferred for CTRL domestic trains. Railway Gazette International (December 2004).
- ^ Hitachi Class 395 EMU arrives in Britain. Railway Gazette International.
- ^ Japanese bullet train docks in UK. BBC News (2007-08-23).
- ^ Southestern welcomes High Speed experts 18 April 2006
- ^ At home with the High Speed 1 domestic stock. Railway Gazette International.
- ^ 'The Olympic Javelin', Modern Railways - September 2006 (Ian Allan Publishing), P36-37
- 'The Olympic Javelin', Modern Railways - September 2006 (Ian Allan Publishing), P36-37
- 28 October 2004 - "Hitachi wins Channel Tunnel Rail Link Contract" at Hitachi-Rail.com. Accessed 25 April 2006.
- 29 October 2004 - "Hitachi is the preferred manufacturer to build new high speed trains" at The Government Office for London
- 1 June 2005 - "£250 Million Contract Signed for New High Speed Train Fleet for Kent", Strategic Rail Authority
[edit] External links
