Alstom Coradia Juniper

The Alstom Coradia Juniper series is a family of electric multiple unit trains built by Alstom Transport Birmingham for use on the railway network in Great Britain. The family is related to the Coradia 1000 series of diesel multiple unit.

Alstom Coradia Juniper
A former Class 460 (8GAT) train at London Victoria.
In service2000 - Present
ManufacturerAlstom
Family nameCoradia
Constructed1998-2002
Number built78 trainset
Operator(s)South Western Railway
Abellio ScotRail
Specifications
Electric system(s)25 kV AC Overhead lines (334)
750 V DC third rail (458/460)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

There are currently two types in service with various TOCs, with a total of 76 units in service (36 class 458s and 40 class 334s). All Class 460s are now converted to Class 458/5s for South Western Railway.

The result of the rebuilt of 4JOP and 8GAT units: the Class 458/5 5JOP; all Class 458/0 and Class 460 units have been converted into this design

Variants

Class 334
Class 334 unit 334038 at Edinburgh Waverley

The Class 334 is an EMU in service with Abellio ScotRail on the suburban network around Glasgow, including services to Edinburgh Waverley via Airdrie and Bathgate on the North Clyde Line. Class 334 trains are powered using overhead wires at 25 kV AC. A total of 40 three car units are in use (numbered 001-040), of which 38 were delivered from Alstom trains in 1999, although due to teething problems, two extra were ordered and they did not enter service until 2001.

Class 458
Class 458/0 Juniper before conversion into 458/5

The Class 458 is operated by South Western Railway on services from London Waterloo to Reading, Weybridge, Windsor & Eton Riverside, and circular metro routes from Waterloo via Richmond and Hounslow. As with all electrically powered trains on the former Southern Region, the Class 458 units are powered using third rail at 750 V DC current. Initially, a total of thirty 4-car units were built, with deliveries beginning in 1998, with the full complement in service by 2004. However, they suffered from leaky roofs and failing electronics and were therefore stored from 2004 to late 2005, being replaced by more Class 450 units on the routes they operated. For a brief period, they were subleased to Gatwick Express, but were never used on Gatwick Express Services.

In 2013, former operator South West Trains and Porterbrook began the process of creating a new, 36-strong fleet of 5-car trains by reforming and partially rebuilding the vehicles from the Class 458 and Class 460 fleets; by creating 30 units utilising the original Class 458/0 vehicles, with an extra ex-Class 460 vehicle per unit to create 5-car units, and an additional 6 new 5-car units created entirely from ex-Class 460 stock. The new units have been renumbered as the Class 458/5. They entered service in March 2014. Work included complete reconstruction of cabs and gangways, as well as changes to the passenger areas. The units are being repainted into the same livery as the Class 450 units (they previously were painted in the South West Trains Express livery carried by the Class 444, 158 and 159 units).[1][2] This process was completed in 2016. The original 30 ex-Class 458/0 units are numbered 458501-458530, and are distinguishable from the ex-Class 460 stock (458531-458536) by noting the different ribbon-glazed windows on ex-Class 460 units, different door window sizes and the lack of a pantograph recess on ex-Class 460 units. This means that if future conversion to OHLE is required for this fleet, the process will be much simpler on 458501-458530 than 458531-458536.

All units are now in South Western Railway - branded South West Trains livery, and are due to be replaced on all South Western Railway routes by new Class 701 units from 2019-2020.[3]

Class 460
Class 460 unit before converting into Class 458/5, in Service on Gatwick Express

The Class 460 electric multiple units (also known as 8Gat) were originally built for use on the dedicated Gatwick Express airport service to London Victoria. The units were delivered between 2000 and 2001 and like the similar Class 458 they were powered using 750 V DC current on the third rail. The fleet consisted of 8 units in total numbered 460001-008, each formed of 8 vehicles (driving motor luggage van, two intermediate 1st-class/composite trailers, two intermediate 2nd-class motor carriages, an intermediate 2nd-class trailer, another 2nd-class motor carriage, and a 2nd-class driving motor).

Following their removal from the Gatwick Express franchise in September 2012 a decision was made to reform and merge the Class 460s with the Class 458 vehicles in order to form 36 x 5-car trains to boost capacity on the South West Trains network. The first two of the 5-car sets were delivered in October 2013. Passenger service had started in March 2014.[1]

References
  1. "South West Trains prepares to introduce longer trains". Railway Gazette. London. 23 October 2013.
  2. "Improving Your Railway - Longer Trains". South West Trains. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  3. Clinnick, Richard (6 September 2017). "Class 707s enter traffic with South Western Railway". Rail. Bauer Media. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
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