Transport for London has announced that a contingency plan has been put in place as new ‘Class 710' electric trains are not yet ready for passenger service.
Passengers on London Overground's Gospel Oak to Barking line will see a mixed fleet of trains operating from Monday 28 January. This is an interim measure until the delayed new electric ‘Class 710' trains are delivered by the manufacturer, Bombardier Transportation, and are ready for passenger service.
The new trains were meant to be in service in 2018, however, Bombardier is still carrying out software development and mileage testing before the trains can be released for driver training and brought into use on the network.
The Mayor has also spoken directly with Bombardier and secured a month's free travel for passengers once the new trains are fully introduced.
To ensure services can continue running on the line, three existing electric ‘Class 378' trains are being modified and will be used as a temporary solution until the new trains are ready.
One will join the line next week, followed by two more between now and March when the last of the existing diesel ‘Class 172' trains are released for use elsewhere in the country.
The modified electric trains will operate alongside the current diesel trains to ensure the line can remain open for passengers. This will mean some trains throughout the day will be two-cars (diesel) and some will be four-car (electric) over the coming weeks.
What did the officials say?
Jon Fox, TfL's Director of Rail and Sponsored Services, said:
We are very sorry for the continuing delay to the introduction of the new fleet of electric trains on the Gospel Oak to Barking line. We share our customers' frustration and continue to push Bombardier to do everything they can to allow us to bring the new trains into service as soon as possible.
`We had expected the new trains to be in service well before now and are doing all we can to minimise impact on our customers who have been waiting for way too long for the trains they have been promised. Given the ongoing delays we are modifying three electric trains normally used elsewhere on the network and will put them into use on the Gospel Oak to Barking line until the new electric trains are here.
`Customers have shown great patience and to show our appreciation the Mayor has secured funding from Bombardier to support a month's free travel on the line once the new trains are fully introduced. More detail will be available closer to the time.'
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This is extremely pathetic behaviour from London Overground because I have waited a year for the brand new Class 710 trains to enter service and I am extremely heartbroken now that this has not happened yet when there was a promise to do this last year in November as I hate the old Class 315 and 317 trains which are disgusting and I wish they would all be scrapped and replaced by the new 710s which need to hurry up and come into service on the Lea Valley Line before GOBLIN 😭😭🤦♂️🤦♂️
I still don’t get it. Why would London Overground spend £millions to order the brand new Bombardier Class 710 Aventra trains that they were suppose to enter passenger service on various lines back in December 2018. But technical problems and lack of driver training has caused delays to introduction of the Class 710s.
And still no confirmed date hasn’t been given for passengers traveling on the Gospel Oak-Barking Line, Lea Valley Lines, Euston-Watford DC and Romford-Upminster services haven’t had any clear information about where the new London Overground Class 710 trains will begin service. Except asking the drivers about it or perhaps asking TfL on various social platforms such as on Facebook & Twitter.
Which is really disappointing and stupid. Just because all that money has being spent on ordering the new Class 710 trains and yet still no information on whereabouts the new Class 710 trains will begin operating in passenger service.
Probably passengers will have to wait until March/April (Spring) or in the summer (June or July or August) that TfL & London Overground might be able to start using their new Class 710 Aventra trains. With more of them being delivered from its Bombardier manufacturing facility in Derby, East Midlands.
Or perhaps London Overground might inherit/transfer some Class 315 or Class 317 used on the West Anglia metro services and Romford-Upminster shuttle service to operate on the Gospel Oak-Barking Line for short term. Whilst the Class 710s aren’t ready for service until late Spring or in Summer. With 1 modified Class 378 to be used on the Gospel Oak-Barking Line.
It’s because of the software problem. Which is why London Overground can’t use the Class 710 Aventra trains at the moment until Bombardier who built the Class 710s does fix the computer problems on the Class 710 trains. This is why new trains are still being delayed whilst been delivered from its production line at its manufacturing facility in Derby. Which the Class 710s are to operate on:
Liverpool St-Cheshunt, Chingford & Enfield Town West Anglia “metro” services
Romford-Upminster shuttle
Euston-Watford Junction DC
Gospel Oak-Barking
North London Line (Stratford-Richmond)
West London Line (Willesden Junction-Clapham Junction) and to replace some of the Class 378s to be used on the East London Line and South London Line routes. And perhaps retain 1 Class 378 as 4-Car for Romford-Upminster.
Even GTR Great Northern aren’t going to start using the Class 717s Desiro City as more Class 717s (25 in total) will be delivered from Siemens manufacturing facility in Germany which only some are going as far as Gordon Hill and some are still doing driver test runs. As they are replacing the Class 313s on the Moorgate Northern City Line.
In fact. Great Northern have now started using some of their Class 717s only going as far to Gordon Hill which started on Monday 21st January. But hopefully they will allow the Class 717s to expand to Hertford North, Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage and Letchworth Garden City in early/mid Spring (March/April) this year.