UK: Contracts have been awarded for a mid-life refresh of the Class 376 electric multiple-units used on Southeastern’s London suburban services since 2004.
The work is be undertaken in collaboration with leasing company Eversholt Rail and Alstom, the successor to Bombardier Transportation which originally built the 36 five-car third-rail EMUs in Derby.
Exterior work to be undertaken at Ashford will include a blue livery and LED lighting, with the first EMU to return to service this spring.
In the summer work will begin at Grove Park on an interior refresh. This will include a full repaint, replacement flooring, refurbishing the seats and fitting USB/power sockets. The first completed EMUs are to return to service before the end of the year.
‘The mid-life refresh will deliver better journeys for our customers and keep these trains in tip-top condition for years to come’, said Southeastern Engineering Director Mark Johnson on January 8.
Responding to passengers’ questions on social media platform X, Southeastern Managing Director Steve White said there was currently no funding to retrofit toilets or air-conditioning to the Class 376 fleet, but he maintained that ‘this package is a positive step forward’ for passengers.
The procurement of new or upgraded trains to replace Southeastern’s Networker EMUs is ongoing, and White said ‘any new trains we bring onto our railway will have toilets’.
