British Rail Class 376 Electrostar | |
---|---|
In service | 16 August 2004 –present |
Manufacturer | Bombardier Transportation |
Built at | Derby Litchurch Lane Works |
Family name | Electrostar |
Replaced | |
Constructed | 2004–2005 [1] |
Number built | 36 |
Formation |
|
Capacity |
|
Operators | Southeastern |
Depots | |
Specifications | |
Car length |
|
Maximum speed | 75 mph (121 km/h) [1] |
Acceleration | 0.66 m/s2 (1.5 mph/s) [2] |
Electric system(s) | 750 V DC third rail |
Current collector(s) | Contact shoe |
Safety system(s) | |
Coupling system | Dellner 12 [1] [3] |
Multiple working | Within class |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
The British Rail Class 376 Electrostar is a class of electric multiple unit passenger train that was manufactured by Bombardier Transportation at its Derby Litchurch Lane Works. It is part of the Electrostar family, which are the most common EMUs introduced since the privatisation of British Rail. The units were ordered by Connex South Eastern and introduced in 2004/2005 by South Eastern Trains to replace Class 465 and Class 466, which were transferred to Outer Suburban services to Kent to replace the Class 423 slam-door trains.
It is a derivative of the Class 375 Electrostar specially designed for use on the high-volume metro routes running from Central London, and through Southeast London to Kent. The changes are mostly focused on increasing the trains’ capacity and decreasing station dwell times. The Class 376's doors are wider to allow more passengers to board at once, and are metro-style sliding pocket doors which are faster and more reliable than the Class 375's plug doors, although they do not close flush with the bodyside and hence are less aerodynamic and do not provide as much thermal insulation. The units have 2 sets of double doors per side in each carriage. Also, these trains do not have air conditioning, with hopper style windows available for ventilation. In order to provide more standing room, the trains also have fewer seats, more handrails, and no on-board toilets (South Eastern promised to provide additional facilities in their stations to compensate) and, as a consequence, these trains are limited to in-service journey times of 1 hour.
Class 376 units have five coaches, and unlike the Class 375, they have full-width cabs instead of gangways at the ends of the train; as a result, it is not possible to walk between two coupled Class 376 units. The cab front is also smooth and ‘step free’ to reduce the dangerous problem of train surfing in Southeast London.
Despite being numbered in the 300s, currently all Class 376 units can only operate on the DC third rail network. However, like most newer trains in the United Kingdom using third rail power, one carriage in each unit has a recess in its roof where a pantograph can be fitted, so as to allow for future conversion to overhead AC traction power and/or make the unit dual voltage.
All Class 376 trains were allocated to Slade Green Depot, but due to the high volume of work there, these trains are sent to Ramsgate EMUD for routine maintenance. [4]
Class | Operator | No. built | Year built | Cars per unit | Unit nos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Class 376 | Southeastern | 36 | 2004–2005 | 5 | 376001–376036 |
A train formed by units 376 002 and 376 035 was one of eleven trains that stalled and became stranded in the Lewisham area on 2 March 2018. Passengers self-evacuated the train after conditions on board became intolerable due to lack of heating, toilets and communication. [5] [6] [7]
On 10 July 2018, 376 030 partially derailed at Grove Park depot. [8]
The British RailClass 411 (4CEP) electric multiple units were built at Eastleigh works from 1956–63 for the newly electrified main lines in Kent. These units, which used the British Railways Mark 1 bodyshell, were based on the earlier Southern Railway 4 COR design, built in 1937. Variants of the class 411 design included the class 410 and class 412 4 BEP units, which contained a buffet car in place of a standard trailer. They were later used on services in Sussex and Hampshire; following the privatisation of British Rail in 1995, the units were used by the Connex South Central, Connex South Eastern and South West Trains franchises. They were replaced by Juniper, Desiro, and Electrostar units. The fleet's lifespan was 49 years. These units are the longest-lived BR Mark 1 EMUs.
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