Work on phase one of the refurbishment of Southeastern’s Class 395 ‘Javelins’ has now been completed.

The last of the 29-strong class, No. 395017, re-entered passenger service this morning (Monday, May 19).

The class 395s entered service on HS1 and lines across Kent on 14th December 2009. The trains, now 16 years old, have been given a mid-life refresh and are now fully fitted, with USB charging points accessible from all seats, refitting of carpets, new seats and upholstery, energy-saving LED lighting and a new interior and exterior livery.

All the work was carried out at Ashford Train Maintenance Centre in Kent, and phase two of the upgrades to these trains is already underway at the same facility.

Together with the first phase, the cost of giving the full fleet of class 395 a refurbishment, which includes 174 coaches, cost £27m, and has been delivered by Hitachi Rail and Eversholt Rail.

Phase two will see the introduction of a new remote CCTV system, which will offer drivers better visibility from their seat in the cab when arriving and departing from stations.

The CCTV system can also check the conditions of the rails during travel to highlight any areas that may need addressing and maintenance in the future.

New Passenger Service Information screens will also be fitted to provide live travel information and updates to services. While the CCTV system onboard the train can be accessed remotely, offering improved safety for passengers

“We are committed to delivering better journeys for our customers, and the refurbishment of our flagship high-speed fleet is a vital part of our programme.

I’m really pleased that we have successfully completed the first interior refresh phase of this project but there is still more to come.

We’re adding a new passenger information system in all 174 carriages, which will give the most up-to-date travel advice for their journeys, as well as enhanced CCTV for customer safety and comfort.

To complement all the great work on the inside of the trains we’re also wrapping the exterior in a sleek, newly designed livery. Look out for them across our network over the coming months.”

Southeastern’s Engineering and Major Programmes Director, Mark Johnson

This is not only the refurbishment programme currently being carried out by Southeastern. Their 36-strong class 376 Electrostars are also getting a midlife refresh, both interior and exterior, including a full repaint into Southeastern blue. The 30-strong class 707 City Beams are also having fully accessible toilets fitted due to public demand.