Derby to build new trains for First Great Western

NEW Bombardier Electrostars are included in the plans for the new First Great Western franchise, which will be a boost for jobs in Derby.

The main fleets for long-distance services will be Intercity Expresses and hybrid AT300s, both from Hitachi.

However, Thames Valley electrification will need large numbers of suburban electric multiple units, some of which will be 21 Class 365s cascaded from Great Northern.

Also heading west will be 29 Class 387 four-car sets, which are currently being delivered from Bombardier in Derby to Thameslink on a temporary basis.

In the longer term, all 29 sets will move to First Great Western for Thames Valley services, but a further eight sets have been ordered by Porterbrook specifically for FGW, Railnews has learned. Most will run as four or eight-car trains, but FGW said there was also potential for a 'very limited' number of 12-car sets.

The additional capacity offered by each four-car Class 387 rather than a three-car diesel Class 165 will help to fulfil First's pledge to offer an additional 8,000 seats in peak hours between Reading and London by 2018.

The plans for AT300s for services west of Bristol have not yet been confirmed, because they depend on a private financing deal and DfT approval, which is due by June.

Diesel class 165s displaced by Thames Valley electrification will stay with FGW for services between Cardiff, Bristol and the south coast. The 158s released from this will be used for local main line services in the far south west. They will be needed when local services between Plymouth and Penzance are increased to half-hourly.

Departing rolling stock will include the Class 142 and 144 Pacers currently in use in the Bristol and Exeter areas, while the Devon and Cornwall branch lines will mainly be worked by two-car Class 150s rather than the single-car Class 153s.

The new First Great Western franchise was announced yesterday, and will start in September.

First Great Western managing director, Mark Hopwood said:  “For us, this franchise deal is about changing the way people think about rail. The Great Western network is already seeing the biggest investment since Brunel, and this deal has been designed to match that investment and ambition. It gives passengers newer trains, faster, more frequent services and importantly, given the growth this franchise has seen in recent years, more seats – three million extra seats a year by December 2018.

“We’ve worked with the Department for Transport to make sure passengers get every bit of benefit from the mainline electrification programme, while making sure no area misses out. I believe that the team at First Great Western will deliver for customers and the thriving communities and economies they serve, as well as the taxpayer.”

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