Night Riviera celebrations
Test train on trials
The Night Riviera has celebrated its 30th birthday. Cornwall’s night sleeper link with London was re-launched as the Night Riviera on 11 July 1983. Currently it is run by First Great Western and runs in both directions between London Paddington and Penzance. Since 2008 passenger numbers on the Night Riviera have risen by 10%
A former Silverlink 313 has taken the first of a series of test runs in its new role as a Network Rail test train. Train 313121 has joined the mellow-yellow fleet as a laboratory train for the ERTMS programme. The train will be used on the ERTMS National Integration Facility (ENIF) when it opens later this summer. Alstom refurbished the unit at its Wembley depot and fitted its own train-borne ERTMS kit, along with CCTV, workstations for engineers, extra batteries to power the equipment, a kitchen, and, in a notable first for a class 313, a toilet. Says Gary Porter, Network Rail programme director, traffic management and ETCS, ‘ERTMS will play a vital role in changing the way we operate our railway. Crucially, our facility at Hertford and this Class 313 will give us a greater depth of knowledge of the system as we prepare to roll it out on the network.’
year-on-year. The first sleeping car train on the Great Western Railway was introduced at the end of 1877 from London Paddington to Plymouth. First Great Western, which has run the service since 2006, provided passengers with a special anniversary cup cake and a glass of Camel Valley Brut from Cornwall.
McLoughlin hails Stewarts Lane star
“…more orders coming including the order for Crossrail trains that will be determined next year… there’s every opportunity for Bombardier to compete…” TRANSPORT SECRETARy PATRICk MCLOUGHLIN
Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin visited Stewarts Lane depot on 30 July to view the first Southern class 377/6 to be delivered. The visit coincided with the an announcement that the contract with Bombardier to supply a further 116 vehicles has been confirmed in a deal worth £180 million. News of the new contract will provide a boost to workers at the Derby plant. Reflecting on this Mr McLoughlin told 46
RailStaff, ‘I think Bombardier has put it behind them. There was disappointment and I shared that disappointment, but the amount of investment we’re putting into the railways means that there are more orders coming including the order for Crossrail trains that will be determined next year. I think there’s every opportunity for Bombardier to compete.’ The class 377/6 is the latest in a series that dates back to 1997. The design philosophy
behind the Electrostars stems from rail privatisation when train builders had the opportunity to ditch a made for measure approach and opt for an off the shelf design that was a non-specific, go almost anywhere type of train. Improvements in the 377/6, which makes use of the class 379 body design that is compliant for crashworthiness and tunnel operation, include the use of traditional windows as opposed to ribbon glazing and there is a slight difference in body profile at floor step level. The train also has new software for the Orbita maintenance management system. Before the first class 377/6 can enter passenger service it has to accumulate 1,500 miles of trouble free running and undergo compatibility tests to ensure that it can operate with earlier variants of Southern class 377s. The first unit is expected to enter service in September, with the whole fleet ready for the December timetable change. www.railstaff.co.uk