Sorry I haven’t posted for a short while. I have found some news though about the new rolling stock trains for the London Overground services. This is a follow up to my previous article.
From Global Rail News
Bombardier has released the first image of the new Aventra train it is building for London Overground.
Transport for London (TfL) awarded Bombardier a £260 million contract for 45 new four-car EMUs to replace the Class 315 and Class 317 trains TfL inherited when it took over some of the West Anglia Main Line services out of Liverpool Street.
The new 20-metre vehicles will go into service in 2018 and will follow the arrival of Crossrail’s Aventra trains to the capital.
The train design looks similar to the one which is being used for 'Crossrail' in which you can see the design below.
Rail technology leader Bombardier Transportation has signed two contracts with Transport for London (TfL) to build and maintain 45 four-car new electric multiple units (EMUs). The first contract is a Manufacturing and Supply Agreement (MSA) covering the design, manufacture, commissioning and entry into service of 180 new vehicles, and the second is a 35-year Train Services Agreement (TSA) providing maintenance for the new vehicles.
Together the contracts are valued at approximately 358 million GBP (505 million euro, $558 million US). In addition to the base contracts, the contracts also include an option for up to 24 additional trains and another to extend the maintenance support for five-years.
Per Allmer, President, Western Europe, Middle East and Africa, Bombardier Transportation, said, “These important contracts demonstrate TfL’s continued confidence in our ability to provide high quality transportation products and services. We look forward to not only delivering these new trains for TfL, but also providing ongoing maintenance and technical support.”
The new trains will have similar features to the existing London Overground fleet (also manufactured by Bombardier), including walk-through carriages, air-conditioning and improved accessibility. These next-generation AVENTRA trains will feature an innovative design with optimised performance, including reduced weight, energy consumption, maintenance costs and high reliability, providing substantial benefits to both TfL and its passengers traveling on key London Overground routes, including the newly acquired West Anglia Inner Metro Service. The vehicles will be built in Derby and this new contract will help to create hundreds of job opportunities in the Midlands area as well as more than 20 apprenticeships.
Bombardier will supply a 20-metre long version of its new AVENTRA EMU platform with 31 four-car trains going into operation on West Anglia routes from London Liverpool Street to Enfield Town, Cheshunt and Chingford, and between Romford and Upminster (responsibility for which transferred to TfL in May 2015). The remaining 14 four-car trains will enter service on current London Overground routes which include Gospel Oak to Barking, due to be electrified by 2017, and Euston to Watford. The new trains are expected to enter into passenger service between December 2017 and October 2018.
It’s interesting to see that TFL are investing in more new trains which are taking over the lines from franchised National Rail operators. However, the operations of London Overground are still contracted out to a private firm which is LOROL, jointly owned by MTR and Arriva.
Rolling back to 29th June, TFL issued their press release on Prospective London Overground operators shortlisted.
· Further rail improvements ahead as prospective London Overground operators shortlisted
· Four bidders shortlisted to become the new operator
· New trains, more frequent services and modernised stations planned
Customers across the London Overground network are set for a series of improvements, including additional walk-through air-conditioned trains, more frequent services and modernised stations, Transport for London (TfL) confirmed today.
Frequency on the North London line will also be boosted by 25%, from eight to ten trains per hour, all under a new London Overground operator concession, a shortlist for which has now been finalised.
Four bidders have been shortlisted to run London Overground from November 2016, when the current contract with the operator LOROL expires. They are:
· Arriva Rail London Limited
· LoKeGo Limited (a joint venture between Keolis (UK) Limited and Go-Ahead Holding Limited)
· Metroline Rail Limited
· MTR Corporation
The new concession will include all London Overground routes, including those TfL recently took over from Liverpool Street station to Enfield Town, Cheshunt (via Seven Sisters) and Chingford, as well as services between Romford and Upminster. The contract will include options to introduce an all-night service at weekends from 2017 and will cover the operation of services on the proposed extension of the Overground to Barking Riverside. The new operator will also be expected to deliver sustained improvements in performance levels, which have been seen since TfL took responsibility for London Overground routes in 2007.
Mike Brown MVO, Managing Director of London Rail, said: `London Overground customers have experienced major improvements over recent years. We have taken neglected and often unstaffed stations and transformed them into modern and useful parts of the transport system, evidenced by a five fold increase in passenger numbers. The new operator will play a key role in continuing that success and introducing further improvements including new air-conditioned trains. In the meantime we're working to improve our services every day, especially on the new routes we've recently taken over, where services need to be brought up to the high standards seen elsewhere on London Overground.'
A fleet of 45 new trains will be introduced from 2018 on the Liverpool Street to Enfield Town, Cheshunt (via Seven Sisters) and Chingford routes, as well as on the routes between Barking and Gospel Oak and between Romford and Upminster. The new trains, to be built by Bombardier, will transform the service experienced by customers on these routes and support hundreds of UK jobs and more than 20 apprenticeships.
It's going to be interesting to see who will win the concession as Arriva and MTR are splitting up to try and own the whole contract instead of a joint partnership.
Things are progressing well for London Overground.
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