Eversholt Rail, Southeastern and Hitachi Rail have signed an agreement to upgrade the Class 395 high-speed Javelin trains that operate between London St Pancras and Kent.
The 27 million GBP upgrade project will begin in March 2023 and will renew 29 trains at Southeastern’s Ashford Depot.
This work will fully renovate the trains’ interiors, which will be fitted with new carpets and seats, as well as USB charging points and LED lighting.
“We’re proud to run the UK’s fastest domestic passenger services which have been crucial to the continued regeneration and prosperity of many places on our network, and we’re looking forward to working with Eversholt Rail and Hitachi Rail to complete this upgrade across the entirety of the 140mph Javelin fleet, the fastest of their type in Britain.
“When finished, it will bring the fleet up to the very latest standards and ensure that standards of comfort, accessibility and information provision are as high as possible for our customers, improving the on-board environment for our customers who like to work or use personal devices when travelling with us.”
The Javelin trains will also receive upgrades to their CCTV and live passenger information systems (PIS), with media screens being added from 2024.
These improvements aim to enhance the passenger experience while also providing the opportunity to install the latest digital solutions that can help with passenger management and infrastructure monitoring.
For example, Eversholt Rail will be installing new CCTV, which combined with Hitachi Rail’s digital solutions, will provide live passenger data on numbers and load weighting. This will help Southeastern with longer-term planning of passenger flow and maintenance.
The Javelin fleet will also be equipped with Hitachi Rail’s digital infrastructure monitoring technology. For example, exterior roof mounted cameras will provide live monitoring of overhead lines and surrounding equipment, enabling efficient maintenance procedures.
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Southeastern and Hitachi Rail to deliver these upgrades to our Class 395 fleet. Our investment in this package of upgrades will ensure these high specification trains continue to provide the passengers on HS1 with a superior service.”
