A Class 465 Networker unit has made a journey back in time, by being repainted in Network SouthEast livery.
The units were built for NSE services by British Rail, and the train was unveiled at London Charing Cross to mark the Railway 200 festival.
It was named for guest of honour Chris Green (pictured in 2011), who was the first director of Network SouthEast when the business was launched in June 1986. He later moved to take charge at InterCity before British Rail was broken up under privatisation from 1994.
Chris Green said: ‘I remain immensely proud of everything Network SouthEast accomplished and the foundations it built for today’s railway – particularly in and around south-east London and parts of Kent. We showed what can be achieved by working together across track and train and putting customers at the heart of our decision making.
‘Today’s event was a wonderful reminder of that period of time and an opportunity to recognise the role the Networker fleet played in developing Network SouthEast, as well as the role the fleet continues to play across Southeastern today. I am grateful for today’s recognition and I look forward to more strides forward in the coming years, too.’
Rail minister and former Network Rail chairman Lord Hendy was also a guest at the event. He said: ‘Today’s unveiling of the Railway 200 Networker was a great opportunity for railway colleagues, both past and present, and passengers to come together to celebrate this special year for the industry.
‘The exciting year-long series of events and celebrations is not just a nod to the railway’s past; it’s a reminder of how far the sector has come in providing better services for passengers and the pivotal role they continue to play in society.’
The former Southeastern franchise was renationalised in October 2021 and will be transferred to Great British Railways in due course. Its managing director Steve White added: ‘The Southeastern Railway can trace its roots back to 1836 and throughout this year we will be holding a series of Railway 200 themed events to commemorate how the railway has helped our region live, work and grow.
‘Moreover, we want to appeal to a new generation of talent in our communities to consider a career in rail and to join us in writing the next chapter in our history, with a new generation of trains, as we work to build a railway which is purposeful and delivering economic growth, decarbonisation and social mobility.’
The project to recreate the Network SouthEast livery was managed by a small team from Southeastern, Angel Trains, Wabtec and designers Creactive. One compromise could not be avoided. The originally blue doors had to be painted a distinctive grey to conform with modern accessibility requirements.
Readers’ comments
With the industry about to undergo major restructuring a timely reminder of of the significant change in approach when BR fully embraced the business led railway. Plus naming the Networker after Chris Green honouring a railway executive who has left a lasting effect on the industry. The creation of one network embracing the mainline railways serving London's hinterland was a major achievement. Apart from breaking down traditional railway boundaries it opened up significant initiatives beyond painting rolling stock & infrastructure in a common livery. Let's recall that the foundation to post privatisation success of Chiltern and c2c (LT&S) was only made possible by the NSE total route modernisation initiated by Mr Green. Also reopening the Snow Hill route enabling the Bedford & Brighton lines to be linked led to the development and success of Thamelink today. Given the availability of digital technology today just thing of the advances in marketing and ticketing that could have been achieved had the network not been broken up into it's constituent routes for privatisation. In fact the balkanisation of NSE's network has significantly set back this process over the years while in parallel TfL has pushed ahead with Oyster and contactless to provide an integrated offer to passengers. Perhaps with the creation of GBR it can look at NSE's achievements and work in conjunction with TfL to finally produce an fully integrated offer.
Chris Jones-Bridger, Buckley, Flintshire
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