The Anonymous Widower

Modified Electric Trains To Be Used Temporarily On London Overground’s Gospel Oak To Barking Line

The title of this post is the same as that of this Press Release from Transport for London.

These is the key paragraphs.

The Mayor has also spoken directly with Bombardier and secured a month’s free travel for passengers once the new trains are fully introduced. The details of this are being developed and will be communicated closer to the time.

To ensure services can continue running on the line, three existing electric ‘Class 378’ trains are being modified and will be used as a temporary solution until the new trains – expected almost a year ago – are ready. One will join the line next week, followed by two more between now and March when the last of the existing diesel ‘Class 172’ trains are released for use elsewhere in the country.

It appears that if the new Class 710 trains are not available by mid-March, then the service will soldier on with three four-car Class 378 trains, instead of the current six two-car trains.

I suspect this means a half-hourly frequency, with the same total capacity as now.

Where Were The Three Trains Borrowed From?

So where did London Overground find the three Class 378 trains?

In Gospel Oak-Barking Fleet Plan Remains Unclear, I calculated that the following numbers of trains are needed for a full service.

• Dalston Junction and Clapham Junction – 8 trains
• Dalston Junction and New Cross – 4 trains
• Highbury & Islington and Crystal Palace – 8 trains
• Highbury & Islington and West Croydon – 8 trains
• Euston and Watford Junction – 6 trains
• Stratford and Richmond/Clapham Junction – 20 trains

This is a total of 54 trains out of a fleet of 57.

So it looks like three trains are available, if all the fleet is working in a reliable fashion.

I suspect, that as trains are being refurbished at the moment with new seat covers and some repainting, that by pushing back this work, a small amount of extra capacity can be found.

London Overground must have developed a plan, if a train has a serious fault and needs to be taken out of service for rectification.

January 25, 2019 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Class 172 Train, Class 378 Train, Class 710 Train, Gospel Oak And Barking Line