"Thought to be the largest fleet upgrade in modern times, the project was also unusual in that all the work was carried out in-house by GTR staff rather than a third-party refurbishment company. Train overhauls can be a complicated process because they usually involve four main companies - the train builder (Bombardier, now Alstom), the train owners (Porterbrook), the train operator (GTR) and the maintenance company."
"However, Selhurst depot was set up to carry out maintenance under the floor - the wheels and brakes area, rather than stripping out the passenger spaces. And it doesn't have a paint shed. That required some changes to the shed, such as adding a high-level walkway along one track to give staff easier access into the passenger side of the trains - essential when lifting out heavy seating and panels."
"In total, the 304 trains involved upgrades to 1,200 carriages: 280km of new wiring 39,000 LED lighting tubes 36,000 power sockets (each with two USB-A sockets) 28 million fixings and fastenings The trains are a mix of ages, and the younger ones had standard plug sockets at the seats, so adding USB meant just swapping out the sockets. However, the older trains, built back in 2001"
GTR completed a five-year, £100 million refurbishment covering more than 300 Electrostar trains used across Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services. The overhaul was carried out in-house at Selhurst depot to simplify management, avoid transporting trains to third parties, and build maintenance staff skills for more intensive work. Depot alterations included a high-level walkway to access passenger interiors and adaptations for tasks the facility lacked equipment for. Upgrades across 304 trains and 1,200 carriages included extensive new wiring, LED lighting, thousands of power sockets with USB-A ports, and millions of fixings.
Read at ianVisits
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]