TFL have recently unveiled their new Crossrail train design:
Crossrail took
another major step forward today as the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL)
revealed the innovative design of the new, fully accessible trains that are due
to enter service from May 2017.
When fully open in
2019, Crossrail will add 10 per cent to London's rail capacity, helping TfL to
keep pace with London's growing population, which is set to rise from 8.6
million today to around 10 million by 2030. Carrying 200 million customers a
year, Crossrail will mean more frequent and reliable journeys and support more
homes and jobs across London and the South East.
The new trains are
being built by Bombardier Transportation's UK factory in Derby and are helping
to support 760 UK jobs and 80 apprenticeships. Each train will provide space
for 1,500 customers in nine fully-interconnected, walk-through carriages. At over
200 metres in length, they are over one and a half times longer than the
longest Tube train.
Constructed using
strong, but lightweight materials such as aluminium for the body shell, the Crossrail
trains will be light, yet well equipped for performance and customer comfort
with features such as intelligent lighting and temperature control systems. The
trains will regenerate electricity back into the power supply when braking to
use up to 30 per cent less energy, as well as delivering faster journey times
than the old trains they will replace between Liverpool Street and Shenfield.
Large, clear areas
around the doors will allow quicker and easier boarding and alighting. A
mixture of metro-style and bay seating will be available through the train,
providing choice and comfort for customers. The trains will be driver-operated
with on-train customer information systems delivering real-time travel
information, allowing customers to plan their onward journeys whilst onboard. Free
Wi-Fi will be available on the trains as well as on the platforms and
people will have access to 4G.
The interior design
and colour palette has been carefully selected to provide an accessible and
welcoming environment. The design includes darker floors and natural finish
materials that will wear in, and not wear out, ensuring they retain their
high-quality feel for years to come. The light coloured ceilings also maximise
the feeling of height and openness inside the new trains. The material and
colour choices also align with Crossrail stations for a consistent customer
experience.
There will be four
dedicated wheelchair spaces on each train. In addition, there will be a number
of multi-use spaces available, where seating can be tipped up to accommodate
prams or luggage.
TfL and train
manufacturer Bombardier have worked on the designs of the new trains
with Barber & Osgerby acting as design advisors on the project.
All platforms and
trains across the Crossrail network will be will be fully accessible with
step-free access and manual boarding ramps at stations where is not possible to
provide level boarding. Travel Safe Officers will also be present across the
network to offer assistance to customers.
When fully
operational in 2019, Crossrail trains will serve Reading and Heathrow in the
west through to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, passing through new
tunnels under central London.
The Crossrail train
design has been launched during TfL and the London Transport Museum's 18-month 'Transported
by Design' programme. A programme of events, exhibitions and competitions
that celebrate the role of good design on London's transport network is running
until December 2016.
· Transport for London took over the running of stopping services from
Liverpool Street out to Shenfield in Essex on 31 May, currently TfL Rail
· The first trains to operate on the Liverpool Street to Shenfield part
of the Crossrail route from May 2017 will initially use shorter seven-carriage
versions of the new trains. All subsequent trains will be the full-length nine
carriage version, to be first introduced between Heathrow and Paddington from
May 2018.
· All the trains will be converted to nine carriages by the end of 2019
· The trains are based on Bombardier's latest Aventra design which was
designed in the UK
· Trains will be subjected to a rigorous testing regime and will also be
tested on a dedicated test track in Melton Mowbray before being delivered to
London to ensure reliability
The name for the new Crossrail train is the Class 345 Aventra
manufactured by Bombardier.
Thameslink
and some London Overground lines (Lea Valley Lines, Gospel Oak to Barking Line,
Watford DC Line & Romford to Upminster Line) will also be getting new
trains. So that is three London railway services which will be getting new
trains.
The
Class 700 Desiro City (manufactured by Siemens) is for the Thameslink Line
and the train will be formed of 8 and 12 cars. The capacity for 8 cars will be
427 seats with room for 719 standing, and for 12 cars there will be 666 seats
with 1,088 standing.
The train
length for 8 cars is 162.0 m (531.5 ft) and for 12 cars 242.6 m (796 ft). The
Trains are expected to enter service in 2016, with full deployment by 2018.
The Class 710
is again manufactured by Bombardier as part of their Aventra family and
they have a similar design to the Class 345 for Crossrail. By 2018 they will be
rolled out on Lea Valley Lines, Gospel Oak to Barking Line, Watford DC Line and
Romford to Upminster Line as part of the London Overground service.
As we see the new
trains being added onto the London National Rail network (Yes London Overground
and Crossrail are part of it), this shows that the new train designs are
progressing to the year 2020.
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Multimedia
A ride on the Thameslink train from Elephant & Castle to West Hampstead Thameslink.
Image attribution
"Class 700 Innotrans2014 1" by Fly2Blue - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Class_700_Innotrans2014_1.JPG#/media/File:Class_700_Innotrans2014_1.JPG