Siemens is building 30 five-car trains under a £210m contract being financed by rolling stock leasing company Angel Trains. The trains are similar to those being supplied for the cross-London Thameslink network.
Each 10-car train will accommodate about 800 passengers and have open inter-car gangways to allow passengers to move between cars within a five-car set. The trains are fitted with Wi-Fi and have a climate control system which automatically adjusts the temperature according to the ambient temperature and the number of passengers on-board. There is also a real-time passenger information system which informs passengers which coaches have more space and includes information on London Underground services.
“It is fantastic to see the first of our new trains arrive on our network,” says Mr Christian Roth, managing director of SWT. “They are a vital part of the Waterloo & South West Upgrade, which will provide a 30% increase in capacity for passengers during the busiest times of the day.”
“In addition to the extra trains, the Waterloo & South West Upgrade includes major improvement works at London Waterloo to rebuild platforms 20-24 (the former International Terminal) to bring them back into use for domestic passengers as well as creating a spacious new concourse,” adds Ms Becky Lumlock, route managing director with Network Rail. “Between August 5 and 28 2017, work will also take place to extend platforms 1-4 [at London Waterloo] to allow longer trains to serve suburban routes.”
