The rail operator officially received the final Desiro Class 350/2 train (serial number 350267) from rolling stock manufacturer Siemens on Thursday, 30 July 2009.
London Midland passengers can now take advantage of the company’s fleet of 37 new air-conditioned Class 350/2s, the first of which went into service 13 months after the contract was signed with the final unit being delivered eight months later.
The new fleet is part of a £300 million investment overall during London Midland’s franchise.
New London Mainland fleet has 'Desirobility' - unit 350267
From left to right: Paul Ryan (Siemens), Steve Scrimshaw (Siemens), Nigel Broughton (Siemens), Wolfgang Kemp (Siemens), Mick Hill (Siemens), Brett Chalkey (London Midland), John McCarron (Porterbrook), David Wilson (Porterbrook), Ian Allen (London Midland) and Susan Holliday (Porterbrook).
London Midland will be able to offer more seats because more 12-carriage trains will be available on routes such as London Euston to Northampton/Milton Keynes and London Euston to Crewe.
The introduction of the new Desiro Class 350/2s, which began in December 2008, has already had a positive effect.
In the latest National Passenger Survey results, released in June, London Midland passengers reported an eight per cent increase in satisfaction compared to the previous year.
The Class 350/2s are increasingly replacing the older electric fleet operating on London Midland’s longer distance routes and will work alongside the existing Siemens Class 350/1 fleet, based at Northampton, which has been in service since 2006.
The trains offer increased seating capacity, efficient air-conditioning, full CCTV coverage and automatic passenger counter devices on each exterior door.
In addition, the final four trains in the order (units 350264, 350265, 350266 and 350267) feature special energy meters that monitor and record the energy used and regenerated (through the trains’ regenerative braking system) by each unit. This data can then be downloaded and analysed to help London Midland, and its train drivers, develop more energy efficient ways of driving the trains.
Mac Mackintosh, Engineering Director at London Midland, said: “The delivery of the last of the 37-strong fleet of new Siemens Desiro 350/2 trains is a real milestone and a big part of the investments we are making to improve things for passengers.
“The new trains are fully accessible, air conditioned, modern and better for the environment. Now the full fleet has been delivered, more and more passengers will be travelling on the state of the art Desiro trains, instead of the older trains on these routes.”
Mr Mackintosh said passengers on the company’s services into London and to the North West were already benefitting.
“Desiro trains are comfortable and extremely popular with passengers as demonstrated by the rise in satisfaction since their introduction.”
Siemens Rolling Stock Managing Director Steve Scrimshaw added: “I’m delighted to be able to officially ‘handover’ the final train in London Midland’s order.
“Siemens is renowned for its ability to provide high quality rolling stock solutions. I have to praise our manufacturing and supply chain teams in both the UK and Europe for their commitment and dedication in working together to conclude yet another on time delivery to our customer.”
Prior to entering the UK each Siemens Desiro undergoes extensive testing and fault free mileage accumulation at the company’s dedicated Test and Validation Centre in Wegberg-Wildenrath, Germany. Only when the train meets Siemens’ stringent standards is it shipped to the UK. This ensures minimal disruption to the UK rail network.
The London Midland trains are maintained at Siemens’ purpose-built traincare facility in Kings Heath, Northampton. Over 100 staff based at the depot, who in addition to having exceptional rail industry expertise also come from industries such as Formula 1 and Yacht racing, operate an industry-leading ‘pit-stop’ approach to service and maintenance.
..................................................ENDS............................................................................................
Notes to Editors:
1. For further information or interview opportunities, please contact London Midland communications on 0121 654 1278, email comms@londonmidland.com or visit www.londonmidland.com
2. For more information on Siemens and its range of mobility solutions contact Laurie Waugh, PR Manager on 01276 696310, email laurie.waugh@siemens.com or visit www.siemens.co.uk
3. The second new fleet for London Midland, the Class 172 diesel trains are due to go into service next year.
4. London Midland operates train services through the heart of England from London south, to Birmingham in the Midlands and Liverpool in the North West. London Midland began operating on November 11, 2007.
5. 46 million passenger journeys a year are made on London Midland services; the company manages 149 stations and operate over 1,200 services a day.
6. London Midland is owned by Govia, the partnership between the Go-Ahead Group and Keolis. Govia is the most enduring partnership between transport operators delivering rail franchises in this country. Govia is the UK’s busiest rail operator, responsible for nearly 30 per cent of UK passenger rail journeys through its three rail companies, Southern (which includes Gatwick Express services), Southeastern and London Midland. Further information on Govia is available at www.govia.info.
