British Rail Class 395
The British Rail Class 395 AT300 is a dual-voltage electric multiple unit built by Hitachi for high-speed commuter services on High Speed 1 and elsewhere on the Integrated Kent Franchise. They are all operated by Southeastern.
The six-car trains were built in Japan and operate at a maximum speed of under 25 kV AC overhead electrification on High Speed 1, and on 750 V DC third rail supply on conventional lines.
The use of the high-speed trains as part of the transport infrastructure for the Olympic Park formed part of the original bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The service was named the Olympic Javelin Shuttle, which formed the origin of the Javelin nickname. The Olympic services began 28 July 2012.
History
Background
In December 2003, formal approval was given to run domestic services on the planned Channel Tunnel Rail Link in Kent, England. Preliminary consultations for a new franchise including then CTRL, and for rolling stock to operate the 'CTRL Domestic' services were to begin in 2004. In 2005 the proposed high-speed services were combined with those from the former South Eastern rail franchise to form the Integrated Kent franchise.In October 2004, Hitachi was announced as the preferred bidder to supply high-speed trains for the CTRL services, and in June 2005 the £250 million contract was signed with Hitachi Europe Ltd as supplier of 28 trainsets, with HSBC Rail acting as the financier, and with an expected service date of 2009. In November 2005 the Department for Transport announced Govia as the new operator of the IKF.
The contract was Hitachi's first rail vehicle sold to a European customer. It had previously worked with HSBC Rail and UK rail authorities between 2002 and 2003 to demonstrate the suitability and conformance of Hitachi's traction system with the UK rail network, including test of the use of AC induction motors, and electromagnetic compatibility tests.
Construction of the CTRL was complete in November 2007. By 2008, the initially planned 'CTRL Domestic' services from London St Pancras to Gravesend, and Canterbury West and Folkestone Central, via Ashford, had been expanded in scope to include services to Medway Towns, East Kent and Dover.
A twenty-ninth train was added to the order agreement by franchise holder Southeastern to provide additional capacity.
Maintenance Depots and Training
The contract for the trains included maintenance of the trains; a consortium including HSBC Rail, Fitzpatrick Contractors Ltd, RPS Burks Green, EMCOR UK and GrantRail constructed a new maintenance depot building at Ashford and the updating of the existing depot site.The Ashford Train Depot was formally opened on 2 October 2007, constructed on the site of the Ashford Down Yard Carriage Sidings; the facility included a five-track trainshed with bogie drop made by BBM and train lifting equipment from Mechan. A second building housed a wheel lathe from Sculfort. Other facilities included carriage washing plant, a 25 kV OHL test track, and sidings for rolling stock.
A Class 395 train simulator supplied by Corys TESS was acquired for use at Southeastern's training centre in Ashford for driver training, Southeastern's co-parent company SNCF also assisted with high-speed driver training.
The DEPCO consortium also updated Ramsgate train depot for the IKF with facilities including storage sidings for the Class 395 trains and light maintenance facilities.
Testing and Preview Service
Pre-shipping factory tests included static and dynamic load tests, traction and braking tests, including tests on a 750 V DC third-rail system specially installed at Hitachi's test track.The first train was delivered from Japan to Southampton Docks on 23 August 2007. Homologation testing was undertaken by Serco, SNCF International assisted with testing of KVB and TVM 430 signalling systems, with speeds of attained in January 2008. After successful testing of four units shipping of the main production tranche began in December 2008. The final three trains arrived in the UK in August 2009, with the final train delivered to Southeastern on 11 December 2009.
The performance metric of fault-free running was achieved six months ahead of schedule, allowing a 'preview' service to be offered by June 2009 between London St Pancras and Ashford via Ebbsfleet, allowing further train testing, which achieved a 99% punctuality rate in the first month of operations. In September 2009 preliminary services to the Kent coast also began. Preview services on the North Kent line began in November 2009.
In September 2010, it was reported that passengers were experiencing alarming 'wobbles' on tunnel sections. The problem was described by Southeastern as non-dangerous, and trains were fitted with dampers to prevent the problem from recurring.
Operations and Performance
A full regular service commenced on 13 December 2009. Initial services included a half-hourly north Kent service to and from St Pancras, London, via Stratford, Ebbsfleet, Gravesend, Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, Rainham, and Sittingbourne to Faversham, a half-hourly service to East Kent via Stratford, Ebbsfleet, Ashford with one train continuing to Margate via Canterbury West, Ramsgate and Broadstairs, with the other to Dover via Folkestone West and Folkestone Central. Seven million journeys were made in the first year of operation,The introduction of the trains was generally successful, with good reliability and passenger satisfaction figures: the new high-speed services also caused an increase in passenger numbers above that already being experienced on the Kent network. On introduction, timetabled journeys to London from Ebbsfleet were reduced from 51 to 18 minutes, whilst trains using the entire length of High Speed 1 had timetabled journeys reduced by around 45 minutes.
However, the service has been criticised as being of limited use to many London commuters because trains terminate at St Pancras. Additionally, the change in service patterns to accommodate high-speed trains resulted in some non-high-speed services in Kent becoming slower.
In May 2011, a limited service from Maidstone West via and started. followed in September 2011 by a limited service from Sandwich via Deal to London St Pancras, partially subsidised by Kent County Council. In 2013, four years after the service started, total passenger numbers were ten million and punctuality was 92.6%.
From 2015, trains were operating a circular route, where one of the trains to Faversham via the Medway towns continues as a semi-fast service to Ramsgate. From here it then goes all stations via Sandwich and Deal to Dover Priory, where it then becomes the Dover Priory to St Pancras International service via Ashford International. Another service operated in the reverse direction.
In 2016, due to damage to the line between Folkestone Central and Dover Priory on Christmas Eve 2015, the High Speed services heading clockwise terminated at Ramsgate, and at Folkestone Central in the anti-clockwise direction. There was a shuttle service running between Dover Priory and Ramsgate using Main Line Trains whilst repairs were carried out.
The off-peak and weekend services are usually formed of 6 coaches except for the Margate service via Ashford International and Canterbury West which are sometimes formed of 12 coaches.
Design
The 400 Series Mini Shinkansen and Hitachi's A Train design form the basis of the Class 395 design. From the 400 series the class inherits the same 6-car 20 m carriage with doors at one-third and two-thirds along the carriage. Both are designed for operations at high speed on newly built lines as well as at lower speed on conventional legacy lines. Unlike the steel-bodied 400 series, the Class 395 has its carbody formed from friction stir welded double-walled hollow extruded aluminium body panels, a technology Hitachi considers part of its A-Train train family specification.The train consists of six-car units, with all axles on the middle four cars powered. The outer cars are unpowered, but mount the pantographs. The bogies are bolsterless, with both powered and unpowered bogies sharing a common design to simplify maintenance. Each 6-car unit can work in multiple with another, creating 12-car trains. Coupling is automated and is designed to take less than 60 seconds.
For reliability, passenger doors use a relatively simple sliding pneumatic system already in use and development for several decades on Shinkansen trains. The brake system was supplied by Faiveley. Approximately 40% of the train equipment by value was provided by European suppliers.
There are 340 seats per 6-car train, in standard class formation, with 12 additional tip up seats in a wheelchair area. There are two toilets per unit, one of which is equipped for disabled access.
The trains meet UK Railway Group Standards, and European Union Technical Specifications for Interoperability standards for crashworthiness, and UK or EU standards for structure-load-bearing behaviour, material strength, aerodynamics, noise and fire resistance.
Each train has a Train Management System, including equipment monitoring systems, communications, air-conditioning, etc., and equipment-control, including Selective Door Operation. The SDO system uses GPS and train speed integration to estimate position.
Named units
A mockup 395 was named after athlete Dame Kelly Holmes: subsequently the name was transferred to an operational unit, 11 other "fast Britons" were selected in a public vote – the honoured were Jamie Staff, Steve Backley, Sir Steve Redgrave, Rebecca Adlington, Sir Chris Hoy, Ben Ainslie, Daley Thompson, Duncan Goodhew, Katherine Grainger, Lord Sebastian Coe, and Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson; all Olympic/Paralympic medalists.Following the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, Southeastern announced that another 12 units would be named after members of Team GB, including Alistair Brownlee, Ed Clancy, Hannah Cockroft, Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah, Jason Kenny, Jonnie Peacock, Victoria Pendleton, Ellie Simmonds, Dame Sarah Storey, Laura Trott and David Weir.
In November 2016, unit 395016 is named 'Somme 100' to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of the Somme. Unit 395 015 was de-named after running on the Regency Javelin rail tour and it was previously named 'Live On'. Before that unit 395 014 had been named 'The Victoria Cross', which was subsequently removed when 395 015 received its name.
On 8 June 2019, unit 395013 was named Hornby Visitor Centre.
| Unit | Name |
| 395 001 | Dame Kelly Holmes |
| 395 002 | Sebastian Coe |
| 395 003 | Sir Steve Redgrave |
| 395 004 | Sir Chris Hoy |
| 395 005 | Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson |
| 395 006 | Daley Thompson |
| 395 007 | Steve Backley |
| 395 008 | Ben Ainslie |
| 395 009 | Rebecca Adlington |
| 395 010 | Duncan Goodhew |
| 395 011 | Katherine Grainger |
| 395 012 | #trainbow |
| 395 013 | Hornby Visitor Centre |
| 395 014 | The Victoria Cross Dina Asher-Smith |
| 395 015 | Live On Southeastern highspeed 10 years 2009-2019 |
| 395 016 | Jamie Staff Somme 100 |
| 395 017 | Dame Sarah Storey The Passchendaele Javelin |
| 395 018 | Mo Farah The Victory Javelin |
| 395 019 | Jessica Ennis |
| 395 020 | Jason Kenny |
| 395 021 | Ed Clancy MBE |
| 395 022 | Alistair Brownlee |
| 395 023 | Ellie Simmonds |
| 395 024 | Jonnie Peacock |
| 395 025 | Victoria Pendleton |
| 395 026 | Marc Woods |
| 395 027 | Hannah Cockroft |
| 395 028 | Laura Trott |
| 395 029 | David Weir |
Fleet details
| Class | Operator | No. Built | Year Built | Cars per Set | Unit nos. |
| Class 395 | Southeastern | 29 | 2007–2009 | 6 | 395001–395029 |
Accidents
- At 3pm on 23 October 2017, 395008 struck a delivery van on a level crossing near Teynham between Faversham and Sittingbourne.
Model railways