New Thameslink Trains Revealed

New trains are coming to the Thameslink line, and Londonist got an exclusive look at one of those already built by Siemens in Germany. Geoff Marshall welcomes you aboard for a test drive.

[@lohphat]

It's sad to think that your 30 year old rolling stock would be considered futuristic here in the U.S.

[@lohphat]

Then why did you two idiots reply then?

[@lohphat]

Then there are too thick to understand I was complimenting the UK. The U.S. Rail industry is 30 years behind the UK.

[@locomotiveAlex1996]

***** his english was fine, you read it wrong.

[@nelsonricardo3729]

***** Yep, you're a moron.

[@tjfSIM]

+lohphat Well, we may have more modern trains in the UK, but the U.S. definitely beats us on monster locos! I love the huge American diesels! The most common diesel loco on our network is the Class 66, which is actually manufactured by EMD in Muncie, IN. It's a beast!

[@matthewfleet8705]

Just come back from Wildenrath, and I have to say, they are great to drive!

[@yegventures]

AHHH So awesome, ***** You got to drive it!!!!

[@SteamboatWilley]

At least the 319s (which are good units and way better than pacers) were built in the UK, and not Germany. and what's with the class 700 number? It breaks with the usual convention of 3XX for AC electric units (much as the Freightliner class 70 has broken with the convention for 5X and 6X for type 5 diesels and 7X for DC electric locos)

[@dylancotton2061]

I think it's becuase they are running out of numbers.

[@KasabianFan44]

German trains are better than British trains. Fact.

[@seaside-dn8dp]

KasabianFan44 I disagree personally. We are quite fed up of buying foreign trains. The current classic stock is fine.

[@tomwilson5108]

you should see the trains we have up north there appauling we still have pacer trains.

[@Londonistvids]

+Tom Wilson proper buses-on-rails, yes! the BBC did a great video piece, here: www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35725020

[@tomwilson5108]

+Londonist Ltd thanks

[@bfapple]

You realise that Northern is replacing theirs..?

[@tomwilson5108]

Yea but when is the question

[@bfapple]

Delivery of the CAF fleets will start in 2018.

[@alextheo965]

Umm... what crossrail at farringdon ;)

[@PUSSEEassGANGSTA2013]

THEM TRAINS ARE NOT WHAT WE NEEF AT ALL WE NEED INDIAN STYLE TRAINS AT RUSH HOUR EXTRA ROOF SPACE

[@LongHaulPilot]

0:02 Thameslink Line Videos in 2019: Why Crossrail is not a tube line Video in 2020: Why Thameslink is not a national rail line Edit: ok that was obviously a joke

[@youngsiward]

FinardoLittle 123 Gaming & More u

[@AT_Lemongrab]

South west, please.

[@AwesomeX04ThePro]

Lewis J late but ur getting 707s

[@AT_Lemongrab]

Yeah i've been on them. Love their spacious designs and the info panel (Seat/tube information) is great.

[@GenericLifts]

Little did we know, this was the beginning of the end of comfortable trains in the UK

[@danielfield2570]

When southerners complain that their trains are "almost" 30 years old One word Pacers

[@lesleymalli7585]

Daniel Field needs,

[@universaltrainsstudio8534]

How old are Pacers? And why do people like and dont like them, I've never seen or riden one in real life as I live in the South East

[@ameeraliouarda1048]

Sorry. We have 455 all over the fucking place

[@BYD4005Z]

Jackthegamer HaTe PaCeR!

[@MsEdy09]

@@ameeraliouarda1048 455 are good

[@DavidFrankal]

Those look EPIC! Meanwhile Manchester is celebrating the arrival of YOUR old class 319's..

[@jasongurr]

We are just so giving us from down south!

[@DavidFrankal]

Um... Well, yes, but...

[@jgroenveld1268]

David Frankal I'm assuming the trains are being renovated before they are entered into service right?

[@DavidFrankal]

A commuter's journey is only as good as it's worst rolling stock. For you in London, that's probably the same class 319's. We in Manchester still put up with pacers and sprinters. And remember that FTPE operate INTERCITY equivalents, while as similar rolling stock operate basic commuter trains for you. The 350 operate intercity trains to Glasgow and Edinburgh, and we only have ten of them anyway. Our basic commuter lines are still operated by age old trains that were already rubbish when they first started out. We deserve proper replacements, not your cast offs from when you receive new class 387's or 700's. The fact is, the fact that we even are excited over the class 319's is in itself an insult, because if say London received old pacers, I'm sure you wouldn't be thrilled. Meanwhile, your arguments about East Midlands trains is irrelevant, we don't get HST's or Meridians in Manchester. We get 158's, which are old and slow (although heartily refurbished) and anyway operate long distance services, not commuter services. They go all the way to Norwich!

[@DavidFrankal]

Don't complain about old LU stock... Dft want to use THOSE to replace pacers! WTF???

[@airplaneplustrainguy8143]

Thameslink The New North-South Crossrail

[@insertnamehere3357]

yeah lol

[@amanda-we9fv]

old one*

[@Lee_303]

These trains are perfect for commuters who want to not be left on the platform. But the DaFT have forgotten that a large percentage of people going to Brighton are leisure travellers who don't want to sit on ironing boards without tables when traveling with their friends & family! They've also neglected the business commuter who wants a table to work from & a power socket.

[@XxXJOHNYB0YXxX]

Lee 303 front and back of the trains have tables and chargers. Also every so often there are family suited seats, as in 4 seats all facing each other

[@Boypogikami132]

“The class 700 is the og noob train” -Stepford County Railway fans

[@ExplodingPiggy]

7 years on and they look like they're 40 years old already! This is why we can't have nice things!

[@smilerbull]

And yet up north we're getting the rubbish Class 319 trains... because apparrently we don't deserve any new rolling stock.

[@bakedbeanishdragon]

Paul Smith The 319's are by no means rubbish, they are actually a lot more comfortable than these trains seats are.

[@DavidFrankal]

They're more comfortable then what were have at the moment, sure... (Pacers, Sprinters etc.)

[@bakedbeanishdragon]

David Frankal Yes. The 319's are not the best trains but they are an improvement.

[@smilerbull]

Thing is that they're wanting to keep the Pacers rather than buy new units.... plus we're getting the D stock tube trains that are being converted into diesel trains. These are trains that are as old, if not older than what we have now. How is this progress for the north of England?

[@DavidFrankal]

Paul Smith I heartily agree with what you're saying, but irrelevant of age the D stock would still be an improvement as they would receive a transformational refurbrishment, similar to the Class 319's we just received, and even when the Pacers first came into operation they were already bad and very cheap (railbus standard). But I still think we deserve new rolling stock...

[@citled]

Geoff, how about doing a revisit of Thameslink, using the facts stated in your vlogs before it opened and compare them to now. Did the Thameslink Programme achieve what it was supposed to achieve? If not why not?

[@pmunity]

2:57 A transformational experience for passengers: 'lots of seats' - on a train - amazing!

[@willemkuling]

They are horrible. The most uncomfortable seat I've ever had the misfortune of sitting in. No armrests. No tables. It's a terrible commute from Brighton. Fine for within London. Whoever ordered these things should be severely reprimanaded for not thinking of the distances people will be travelling.

[@rax816]

Willem Kuling even for Londoners it's bad..you almost hope the seats are all taken that's how bad they are!

[@dantrains3153]

I know it's like sitting on concrete I have no idea why they did it

[@andrewlong6438]

As well as the above, no power sockets, or carpets. Seats are rock hard and uncomfortable after an hour. Paint scheme is poor too. Just cheap and nasty compared with class 387 on GWR.

[@Great_WesternTVFan]

Willem Kuling I know. I hate the 700. The only thing I like is the inside which has lots of air con and lots of space and a superb display board. And nice presentation on the outside too. Only thing I hate is the seats.

[@MaxsTrainspotting]

First class has tables and if you can do it in the rear first class but the London services both of them

[@n1thmusic229]

"Intersecting with Crossrail in 2018" Right

[@KPTHR3]

I’ve just noticed that the front “buffers” are like the ones from the class 466/465

[@GaryCameron780]

Congrats. Cab rides are hard to come by and being allowed to drive, even a test train, even more rare for us mortals.

[@fifaskillzpaythebillz8178]

This would help me a lot on the London to Brighton service

[@dez3540]

These look super! Although I really am going to miss the 319's when they leave :\ So awesome that you got to have a drive!

[@dez3540]

@GRL Cute Retreivers 2 Blimey, I hadn't even clocked it's been 7 years already...

[@Morning404]

​@@dez35408!

[@max.guitar]

Looks like a hitachi who banged his nose

[@sidewalk__]

Is that offensive or happy

[@reacesm]

Brenda John exactly what I was thinking😂😂

[@michaeljeffry3639]

It’s a Siemens.

[@maltesephil]

Yet more brand spanking new trains for london and the south east, yet in Yorkshire we still have the old BREL 30+ year old trains

[@jagman84]

maltesephil 80% of train journeys start, end or are fully within the South-East of England. That's why they get the lion's share of rail investment. London commuter services and some inter-city routes are the only profitable (no subsidies) rail services.

[@CCA2020]

So many comments like this

[@RandomPerson00998]

I was half expecting the train to sound like a 350 or a 360 - I'm disappointed, Siemens.

[@thegrowl2210]

I know right, just a regular boring old whine.

[@KasabianFan44]

TAA - Lifts and More Yeah I agree the Class 350 has the best noise ever :)

[@KasabianFan44]

***** No no no, the 350's and 360's have the best noise :-)

[@KasabianFan44]

***** In the 450, at the start the noise is the same but it then gets *quieter*, while in the 350 the noise gradually gets *louder* and starts to sound more like a 377. But even despite the noise, my favourite Desiro train will always be the Class 444 because it has doors at the ends of carriages, not in the middle. :)

[@AymanTravelTransport]

+Marshell George (The Growl) yeah, the whine sounds like a higher-pitched version of the electrostars

[@C86-x5r]

Crossrail 2018... errrr

[@WorldOfTrains-Freddy]

On Londonist Ltd What Do They Stand For

[@petervaughan6854]

Crossrail opening in 2018….😂

[@duskjs1]

The seats are uncomfortable

[@SimonS44]

Deutsche Wertarbeit! ... ... Spaß, wenn die Züge wirklich so toll sind, wie Geoff sie hier vorstellt, dann wär das endlich mal kein deutscher Schrottzug, wohingegen unsere S-Bahnen hier (Baureihe 1440...)

[@nobby3265]

these plastic tragic machines make me feel like we are in Germany or Japan. why don't we make anything anymore? pathetic!

[@SiVlog1989]

How can a train line "suffer a good service"?

[@lawofscotland]

sbaker190189 A person on the line for delays for corpse removal etc It means if the trains are late or not

[@SiVlog1989]

aarongaming100 that may be cause for a bad service, but what I asked was how can a provider like Thameslink or TFL 'suffer a good service'? The truth is you can't 'suffer a good service' surely one can only suffer something negative, not positive...

[@lawofscotland]

sbaker190189 Oh right

[@HenrysAdventures]

I can't say they're my favourite trains but any new train is a good thing.

[@jonny-simulation-gamer]

ha 2022 and the core just nearly complete for cross rail

[@n1thmusic229]

Back when these were brand new, they're still quite new but not that much

[@NeoDerGrose]

The trains will even tell you how crowded each car is so you could easily find a seat if there are some left.

[@markpunt9638]

If only we had known them how horribly hard and uncomfortable the seats were for even a short journey Nevermind from the south coast to be on the London

[@oo0Spyder0oo]

Nearly 30 yrs old, they don't look that old at all. Seem to be well kept.

[@railsofkent3939]

Watching in 2020? These trains are like getting old already.. 😂😂

[@Pit-jt3lw]

Still feel new here In Southeastern, love the air con during the heatwave same as the circle, metro,district,Hammersmith

[@C86-x5r]

They’re over 30 years old, and unlike their replacement, have comfy seats

[@TheLordLaing]

Another missed opportunity to buy products made in the UK. More self neglect of our workforce, more money sent out of the UK.

[@Tridhos]

You are quite right and I think even the railway companies are now majority owned by foreigners. All the tunnel boring machines for the new cross rail came from Germany. All this whinging about the EU and the fact is we have sold everything off even Rolls Royce cars.

[@jerryzhang872]

"whether the London underground is suffering a good service or bad service"...

[@tug60033]

The more class 319 that arrive at Liverpool ,means we can start withdrawing the 142s and send them to C F Booths Rotherham for scaping, the better it will be as we wont have to put up the being bounced about on them,142s. Great vid by the way ,when do they enter service and were are the next batch of 319 going ?

[@katiegrocock915]

Katie Did not want your business

[@casparthomas4775]

I’ve traveled from Saint Albans city all my life and I’ve always remembered the class 700 didn’t realise they only entered service 7 years ago

[@hannahfields6160]

i love this i watch like every train video there is because i love trains omg 😍 🚄

[@elizabethmh_465]

My question is do they have plug sockets I’m going from redhill to Bedford next week so want to know

[@cameront011]

lesgo its my local train class

[@Leonard_Wilson]

Why can't America, my home country, invest in mass transit like the UK, Europe, and Asia?

[@eurouc]

Overall good looking equipment EXCEPT the doors! UGH! Wide, fat frames and tiny glass area with lame rounded corners. Missed opportunity to be glassy with flush mount glass and deep lower edge. They may be an improvement over existing stock but they look dated already.

[@alexgray6311]

Those trains are so nice but they will all be cancelled because Charles Horton can't be bothered to run a service. When I was at Farringdon once, the 18:14, 18:28, 18:32 and 18:58 were ALL cancelled! Thameslink need to seriously buck their ideas up cos I am fed up of their lazyness and greediness. But those trains are nice. Good video Geoff!

[@martinwal.9214]

ugly, like everythink else with ,,british design" look at Czech Tatra T3 tramway . . why you dont have glass on the roofs ? at least you have 200 cctv at one train, and air condition . .

[@jasongurr]

Its just sad they can't keep the trains on time! Dont matter how new they are if the keep cancelling them. What that saying it cost 30 million to do. Well its not worth 30million pins if it dont work!

[@davidwheatley5766]

DUCK TRAINS!

[@2012daffyduck]

Sydney, Aus - we are lucky to get a train every 20 minutes - sydney you're a joke. Take london as an example

[@RyutoOfficialYT]

annnnnd... it doesn't look like any other UK unit, for the first time in god knows how long xD

[@samiulislam0414]

I mostly like the 319 trains

[@ievaoyamenda2111]

The train is terrible, terrifically slow. I went on it from Brighton to London Bridge, I hated it.

[@themaskedscotslass]

hey mate what editing software you use to make your videos? i am looking to make a documentary series on east coast mainline

[@Londonistvids]

Geoff tells us he uses Adobe Premiere, part of the Adobe CC suite.

[@themaskedscotslass]

cool thanks

[@kickedhike88gaming14]

Londonist Ltd I saw 700/006 at south Merton station on the Sutton loop line yesterday (16th February)

[@christopherhood9241]

most uncomfortable train i have ever traveled on. passenger benefits- no where to out my am coffee not even a coat hook.

[@maxwellwynne-shepherd7852]

Unrelated to the video, but I’m already getting christmas adverts

[@nobby3265]

Hope these don't replace the networker 465's (networkers are my favourite unit)

[@bfapple]

?? Bit of a random suggestion.

[@nobby3265]

1DABTube Apparently the thameslink services will run on Kent lines in 2018.

[@bfapple]

The units that they replace would go to strengthen other services.

[@nobby3265]

+1DABTube oh.

[@bfapple]

***** Not all of them.

[@harrytodhunter5078]

I really love these trains except those stupid "sideburns" at the front.

[@Persephone_]

I hate those class 319 trains, I'm glad they have some new ones! Also, I wanna drive the train too! :(

[@thegrowl2210]

Wait for this to come out in TS17

[@thegrowl2210]

***** We'll probably need a sound pack lol. But they could even record sounds and release it now! Like the class 801.

[@thegrowl2210]

***** They're already testing them, they'll probably sound like javelins on electrics, but the diesel sounds are what I'm more intrigued by...

[@milkerfish]

Hello fellow master racer

[@Persephone_]

Hi

[@arsenewenger4444]

I love how our old trains get dumped to the North.

[@Great_WesternTVFan]

And some to be dumped to the Great Western Mainline. Which is good for me

[@PUSSEEassGANGSTA2013]

I SEEN THESE TRAIN POSTERS DONT HAVE A TICKET FINE...WHICH IS GOOD IT WILL SAVE ME ALOT OF MONEY

[@DKS225]

Ladies and Gentlemen Thameslink give you the future.

[@Petobabar]

I am using these trains, they are nice, new...etc. BUT NO SINGLE TABLE in whole train. Not even folding one on the back of the seat, so forget about eating, writing, working, putting down laptop...etc. Why?? To save few pennies?? BTW I have the video showing the information system on the train working.

[@Londonistvids]

First class has tables. They are definitely within the whole train.

[@jsma9999]

OH my lord What A Train. Spirng 2016 hang on hats

[@connoryoung1993]

These trains may be suited to the rapid transit section through central London, but they are horrible for commuting to the city from Brighton. I may be quite tall but most people will struggle to fit in the tiny seats, they are really uncomfortable, and they actually have less seats than the 12 car trains they are replacing. The info screens are a nice touch but it seems the passenger feedback came from central Londoners and not long distance commuters...

[@LaurenceGill2000]

I'm 6 ft 2 and commute on these to and from London and Brighton most week days right now. They're great and are perfectly comfortable, spacious etc. Think this comment was talking a bit of shit to be honest

[@aleksandarbundev9610]

that jack guy who gave a comment is so mean dont call him 4 eyes

[@lorcan2541]

you said trains went from farringdon to peterbourough

[@george8343]

People say the seats are horrible and there like an ironing board.

[@thihal123]

Those things that stick out of the front of the train looks weird

[@Wakajce]

I'll never understand why the UK feels the need to have counter-intuitive controls. Why pull the lever back to accelerate and push it forward to brake? Doesn't the opposite make much more sense?

[@Mortimer50145]

+Wakajce It's like the use of faders on sound mixing desks of the BBC versus other broadcasters: one convention is to push the fader away from you to increase the volume; the other is to pull it towards you. Can't remember which the BBC uses, but it's the opposite of the rest of the world :-)

[@Wakajce]

Enterprising Rail Films Not really. And pretty much the rest of the world accelerates by pushing forward and brakes by pulling back (except America ofcourse)

[@kaitlyn__L]

+Wakajce i thought it was a driver fatigue thing on the dead-man's handle. easier on your wrist to pull it towards you for extended periods, following the natural arc of your elbow. forward is fully extended, not relaxed, and so better for more sudden actions, ergonomically speaking.

[@Wakajce]

Kit Vitae The dead man's switch these days tends to be either/or on the floor or a button on the top of the handle/lever. And that might be the case, but if that were a real problem, then I would have thought all other countries would implement it. But what you said is certainly interesting; I never thought of it like that, but I can't see that being a big reason for it. Who knows though :)

[@kaitlyn__L]

Wakajce i remember getting to use some simulators in the london transport museum, and you had to hold a button down or pull the handle sideways to activate it, and then you could brake or accelerate. but still, you had to hold your hand in that position. footage of the S-stock cabs indicates that you still need to hold it, applying force. (in the S-stock, it twists if i remember correctly!) i know far far less about other countries' railways, alas.

[@EASYTIGER10]

Those chairs don't look very comfy.

[@helenlunn3829]

EASYTIGER10 They are, I travelled on one on Thameslink, they are lovely!

[@user-do2rj4sf8j]

So you are saying that ironing board seats is the future.

[@daniellecottiss3043]

its 2019 and cross-rail is not here"!!!

[@SRBAnimate]

I think it’s now called TFL Rail

[@KasabianFan44]

How many carriages will be 1st-class?

[@RBenjo21]

The legroom is non-existent.

[@isohum4880]

all the train spotters will be at Farrindon stashon then.

[@Mortimer50145]

Interesting at 1:52 that the doors between vestimbules and carriages are hinged rather than being sliding. Imagine having to open one of those doors towards you when you've got both hands full with luggage. The seats at 0:19 look very narrow from side to side. I don't like rubbing shoulders with people. At least they've got wide gangways so you can lean that way if you get next to Mr Blobby, as always seems to happen to me on trains and planes :-( At least the seats have got high backs, unlike the dreaded 455s that I used to have to endure on the Bracknell-Waterloo line in the 90s.

[@snowy7317]

Thameslink is gonna ruin southeastern

[@TransportCambs]

There's some weird noise before moving off, I don't know what it is, but it sounds nice.

[@tankmc989]

What a bland and unimaginative interior.

[@dtvfan15]

Looks like southern trains with open gangway between cars. Nice to see Croydon at 2:26

[@alfiewhittaker3763]

very handsome nice class 319 meh

[@williamfall2214]

Over 200 tph at Farringdon? (24*2)+(24*2)+(32*2)=160... You'd need 50 Tubes an hour in each direction to get over 200 tph overall! Edit: 160tph would be one every 22.5 seconds

[@tjfSIM]

There are separate coaches! They just have wider gangway connections so the connections between coaches aren't so noticable.

[@halimahocine943]

The door is ugly but not drivers one

[@robwilkie1]

Travel on these every day and seats are bloody uncomfortable and that’s if you’re lucky enough to get one. With only 4 seats across instead of 5 on the Electrostars, by the time the fast train to London gets into Three Bridges, it’s standing room only. A real backward step!

[@JayASMRtwice]

Geoff is 190.5cm?!

[@servertoaster]

When you said about the london underground services, I thought you meant it says when the next train on a certain line is. Then when I went on one, I just realised it said 'line = good/bad service'

[@keithritchie4384]

What about Wi-Fi on these trains ?

[@kitemanmusic]

If you compare the carriage in the existing train, with the new carriage, you will see that there are a total of five seats across In the existing, And four seats across in the new. So I imagine that although the new trains will hold more passengers, in reality it means more standing passengers, which obviously take up less room than seated passengers. So for maximum passenger numbers, the answer to do away with all seating. Rather like a cattle wagon don't you think? I do travel on the Thames Link line, and find the existing carriages are comfortable, and generally smooth running, however I do avoid the rush hour, and usually managed to get a seat.

[@yasmina4287]

They came out in 2015

[@owenchuarbx]

BR Class 700!But now the Class 387s are their stand-ins currently