New trains are being rolled out on a crucial UK railway line as a £27million upgrade continues.
An extra 13 Class 377s are to enter service on Southeastern’s network between November 28 and the end of 2025.
Officials say the stock is more reliable and air conditioned. This is to “provide a better onboard experience”.
Southeastern will receive the first two additional Class 377 units following a joint agreement with Govia Thameslink Railway.
As well as air conditioning, the new trains will have at-seat plug sockets and improved onboard information inside the carriages.
A further 11 trains will enter passenger service before December 2025, officials say. These will mainly be used to replace older Networkers on the Maidstone East and Tunbridge Wells lines.
Southeastern also serves routes all the way to the coast from London, such as to Hastings and Sandwich.
The operator’s new timetable includes the introduction of an extra 220 weekly services from December 15.
Two evening services from Charing Cross to Maidstone East will be extended to Ashford International on weekdays.
Officials say this is part of a ‘wider plan’ to upgrade Southeastern’s fleets of trains, and follows the introduction of 30 City Beam trains to ‘provide a better and more reliable service on Southeastern’s Metro routes’.
It comes as a £27million project to refurbish Southeastern’s high-speed trains continues.
As of late November, 22 of the 29 Class 395s had received a ‘full interior refresh’. This includes new seats and carpets, LED lighting, and USB at-seat charging.
More work to improve the existing Metro fleet will be announced shortly, Southeastern says, and a procurement process to replace the fleet of Networkers with new or upgraded trains goes on.
Sophie Barker, head of Major Programmes at Southeastern, said: “The arrival of these trains is a key milestone in our ongoing work to provide a more reliable service by modernising our fleet.
“The Class 377s have better acceleration and braking than the Networkers they’re replacing. This should help us provide a more reliable service, while providing a better experience for customers.”
