First TransPennine Express (FTPE) will receive 10 class 350/4 trains which will be used on Manchester-Glasgow/Edinburgh services following the electrification of the Manchester to Newton-le-Willows line, which is due to be completed next year. This will allow class 185 dmus currently used on these services to be redeployed on other routes, where additional capacity is required.
London Midland (LM) already operates 67 class 350s, and will add 10 further trains to its fleet. Seven of these will be used to strengthen commuter services on the southern section of the West Coast Main Line, while the remaining three will be used to provide additional capacity on Birmingham's Cross City Line between Lichfield and Redditch. Weekday peak and off-peak services on this line will be increased from two to three trains per hour from December 2014, and electric services are also due to be extended from Barnt Green to Bromsgrove in 2015.
At present all class 350s are restricted to 160km/h, although both FTPE and LM plan to operate their trains at 177km/h. This will allow LM to increase peak capacity and reduce journey times between London and Northampton by 10 minutes, and London - Crewe by up to 25 minutes.
All 20 of the additional trains will be manufactured at Siemens Krefeld site in Germany. The FTPE sets will be delivered in late 2013, while the trains for LM will arrive in the first half of 2014.
