New train fleets roll out on Thameslink

Passengers on Thameslink trains through Bedfordshire will soon benefit from a new fleet of trains - replacing the 27-year-old carriages currently in service.
New trains for the Thameslink route. PNL-141118-091930001New trains for the Thameslink route. PNL-141118-091930001
New trains for the Thameslink route. PNL-141118-091930001

The fleet of 116 air conditioned carriages will be trialled in passenger service throughout December.

From the New Year the Bombardier-built Class 387/1s will replace the present trains.

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They have two-by-two seating, air-conditioning, the latest automated on-board service information and improved facilities for people with disabilities.

Mr Horton added: “We took over the operation of the Thameslink route in September and already we are introducing new trains which will transform our passengers’ journeys on services between Bedford and Brighton.”

The 387/1s will be rolled out on Bedford to Brighton services so that by May virtually every train on this service group will be an Electrostar.

They will remain in service into 2016 when, from the spring, an even newer fleet of next-generation Class 700 trains will be steadily introduced as part of the government-sponsored Thameslink Programme, with more carriages for many longer services and, from 2018, more frequent services on parts of the route.