British Rail Class 360
Encyclopedia
The British Rail
Class 360 electric multiple unit
s were built by Siemens
in two sub-types from 2002-2003 and 2004-2005. These units are part of the Siemens Desiro family.
The Siemens "Desiro UK" family also includes units of Classes 185
, 350
, 380
, 444
and 450
.
and West Coast Main Line
Desiros, the Class 360 lacks inter-unit gangways. This was a late design change, as the Health and Safety Executive
was not happy with the driver's visibility with the previous design's gangway cab for Driver Only Operation
The Class 360 is a modern unit with air conditioning, rapid acceleration technology and is powered by overhead lines
with a top speed of 100 mph (45 m/s).
The Class 360 will do 0–60 mph (0–26.8 ) in about 45 seconds, making it the fastest accelerating train in the National Express East Anglia fleet.
ordered 21 4-car units to replace their elderly Class 312
slam-door units. They entered service in 2003, and by mid-2004 had completely replaced the old trains. They are primarily used on London Liverpool Street to Clacton-on-Sea
and Ipswich
services and Manningtree
to Harwich
services, usually running as 4 carriages to Harwich and 8-12 carriages to Clacton-on-Sea and Ipswich.
They occasionally replace the Class 321
on services to Walton-on-the-Naze, Southend, Braintree and Southminster. They do not run to Upminster.
Since they were built, First Group has lost the franchise to the National Express Group
, who operate the Great Eastern routes as part of their National Express East Anglia franchise. Though operated by National Express East Anglia, the 360 class is not maintained by the franchise but is under contract from Siemens
for routine maintenance at Ilford Depot near London.
Until 2008, all trains stayed in the purple First Group livery. Most still retain the First Group purple colour but with no vinyls, because of the anti-vandal paint used. A repaint would require a complete sanding down before any paint could be applied.
Some of the 360s have been re-liveried into National Express livery by the application of vinyl wrap. Only 360115 is in this livery; the rest of the fleet are in plain blue with a white strip with National Express branding. The toilets are being re-fitted with new flooring and repainted panels, giving a better look.
All 21 360s were recently overhauled underneath at Northampton Depot.
runs five 5-car units operating London Paddington-Heathrow Airport stopping trains. They entered service on 12 June 2005. These units were originally intended as Class 350s for prospective spot hire. In 2010, one unit (360205) was transferred to Heathrow Express
to operate its Heathrow Central-Terminal 4 shuttle. Railway Herald News Journal - Railway Herald Issue 228, p6
. Four are four-car sets for Express services running non-stop from City Air Terminal at Makkasan to the airport. Another five sets are three-cars for City Line Service stopping at all stations from Phayathai to the airport. The air conditioning system on these trains is designed for the Thai climate, and the roof-mounted equipment pods are much larger than those on the UK units.
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
Class 360 electric multiple unit
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
s were built by Siemens
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
in two sub-types from 2002-2003 and 2004-2005. These units are part of the Siemens Desiro family.
The Siemens "Desiro UK" family also includes units of Classes 185
British Rail Class 185
The Class 185 Pennine Desiro is a diesel multiple-unit passenger train of the Desiro type built by Siemens in Germany for the British train operating company First TransPennine Express.51 units were acquired, representing an investment of £250 million....
, 350
British Rail Class 350
The British Rail Class 350 "Desiro" is class of electrical multiple unit built by Siemens AG from 2004–05 and 2008–09. Thirty of these units, designated Class 350/1, were built for use by Central Trains and Silverlink on regional express services and services on the southern section of the West...
, 380
British Rail Class 380
Class 380 is the designation given to a class of electric multiple unit trains which operate on the national railway network in Scotland.- Description :...
, 444
British Rail Class 444
The British Rail Class 444 Desiro electrical multiple units were built in Germany by Siemens AG from 2003-04. Forty-five of these units were built for express services for South West Trains....
and 450
British Rail Class 450
The British Rail Class 450 third-rail DC EMU began service during 2003. They are a part of the Siemens Desiro modular train family and are more commonly known as the 'Blue Desiro'...
.
Description
Unlike the South West TrainsSouth West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
and West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
Desiros, the Class 360 lacks inter-unit gangways. This was a late design change, as the Health and Safety Executive
Health and Safety Executive
The Health and Safety Executive is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom. It is the body responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks in England and Wales and Scotland...
was not happy with the driver's visibility with the previous design's gangway cab for Driver Only Operation
The Class 360 is a modern unit with air conditioning, rapid acceleration technology and is powered by overhead lines
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
with a top speed of 100 mph (45 m/s).
The Class 360 will do 0–60 mph (0–26.8 ) in about 45 seconds, making it the fastest accelerating train in the National Express East Anglia fleet.
National Express East Anglia
First Great EasternFirst Great Eastern
First Great Eastern was an award-winning train operating company that operated suburban, local and medium distance train services from London Liverpool Street via Romford to Essex and Ipswich in the United Kingdom on the Great Eastern Main Line railway.First Group gained the Great Eastern...
ordered 21 4-car units to replace their elderly Class 312
British Rail Class 312
The British Rail Class 312 is a type of alternating current electric multiple unit built in 1975-1978 for use on outer-suburban passenger services. It was the last class of multiple unit to be constructed with the British Rail Mark 2 bodyshell, and also the last with slam doors...
slam-door units. They entered service in 2003, and by mid-2004 had completely replaced the old trains. They are primarily used on London Liverpool Street to Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea is the largest town on the Tendring peninsula, in Essex, England and was founded in 1871. It is a seaside resort that attracted many tourists in the summer months between the 1950s and 1970s, but which like many other British sea-side resorts went into decline as a holiday...
and Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
services and Manningtree
Manningtree
Manningtree is a town and civil parish in the Tendring district of Essex, England, which lies on the River Stour. It adjoins built-up areas of Lawford to the west and Mistley to the east and the three parishes together are sometimes referred to as "Manningtree".Manningtree is a claimant for the...
to Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
services, usually running as 4 carriages to Harwich and 8-12 carriages to Clacton-on-Sea and Ipswich.
They occasionally replace the Class 321
British Rail Class 321
The British Rail Class 321 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL York in three batches from 1988-91. The design was successful and led to the development of the similar Class 320 and Class 322 units for use by Strathclyde PTE and Stansted Express respectively...
on services to Walton-on-the-Naze, Southend, Braintree and Southminster. They do not run to Upminster.
Since they were built, First Group has lost the franchise to the National Express Group
National Express Group
National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...
, who operate the Great Eastern routes as part of their National Express East Anglia franchise. Though operated by National Express East Anglia, the 360 class is not maintained by the franchise but is under contract from Siemens
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
for routine maintenance at Ilford Depot near London.
Until 2008, all trains stayed in the purple First Group livery. Most still retain the First Group purple colour but with no vinyls, because of the anti-vandal paint used. A repaint would require a complete sanding down before any paint could be applied.
Some of the 360s have been re-liveried into National Express livery by the application of vinyl wrap. Only 360115 is in this livery; the rest of the fleet are in plain blue with a white strip with National Express branding. The toilets are being re-fitted with new flooring and repainted panels, giving a better look.
All 21 360s were recently overhauled underneath at Northampton Depot.
Heathrow Connect
Heathrow ConnectHeathrow Connect
Heathrow Connect is a train operating company in London provided jointly by Heathrow Express and First Great Western, connecting Heathrow Airport with station. The service follows the same route as the Heathrow Express service but serves intermediate stations en route, thus connecting several...
runs five 5-car units operating London Paddington-Heathrow Airport stopping trains. They entered service on 12 June 2005. These units were originally intended as Class 350s for prospective spot hire. In 2010, one unit (360205) was transferred to Heathrow Express
Heathrow Express
Heathrow Express is an airport rail link from London Heathrow Airport to London Paddington station in London operated by the Heathrow Express Operating Authority, a wholly owned subsidiary of BAA. It was opened by the then Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1998...
to operate its Heathrow Central-Terminal 4 shuttle. Railway Herald News Journal - Railway Herald Issue 228, p6
Thailand
Nine Desiro Class 360/2 units have been supplied for the Suvarnabhumi Airport Link (SARL) in ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. Four are four-car sets for Express services running non-stop from City Air Terminal at Makkasan to the airport. Another five sets are three-cars for City Line Service stopping at all stations from Phayathai to the airport. The air conditioning system on these trains is designed for the Thai climate, and the roof-mounted equipment pods are much larger than those on the UK units.
Fleet details
| Class | Cars per Set | No. Built | No. Range | Operator | Year Built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 360/1 | 4 | 21 | 360101-360121 | National Express East Anglia | 2002-2003 |
| Class 360/2 | 5 | 4 | 360201-360204 | Heathrow Connect | 2004-2005 |
| 1 | 360205 | Heathrow Express | |||
| 4 | 4 | 1012-1014-1013-1011 1022-1024-1023-1021 1032-1034-1033-1031 1042-1044-1043-1041 |
Suvarnabhumi Airport Express | 2007-2008 | |
| 3 | 5 | 2012 - 2013 - 2011 2022 - 2023 - 2021 2032 - 2033 - 2031 2042 - 2043 - 2041 2052 - 2053 - 2051 |
Suvarnabhumi Airport City Line |