.jpg/2000px-379_011_Bethnal_Green(8091060727).jpg)
Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
British Rail Class 379
The British Rail Class 379 Electrostar is an electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger train which was designed and built by Bombardier Transportation. The trains are part of the company's extensive Electrostar family.
In 2007, new trains were proposed to increase capacity on the West Anglia Main Line (WAML), as well as enable the withdrawal of ageing units such as the Class 317 EMUs. 30 4-car Electrostar EMUs were ordered from Bombardier Transportation at a cost of £155 million in 2009, entering service in 2011 as Class 379. They became the principal type operated on the Stansted Express service; as well as running services between London Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport, Cambridge and Kings Lynn. The fleet was initially operated by National Express East Anglia (NXEA) and subsequently by Greater Anglia.
In early 2022, the fleet was withdrawn from service by Greater Anglia owing to high leasing costs, entering long-term storage. In 2025, they returned to service, being operated by Govia Thameslink Railway on Great Northern services.
Around the start of the twenty-first century, the West Anglia Main Line (WAML) was relatively neglected in terms of investment and attention amongst railway planners in comparison to routes such as the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML) and the lines serving Tilbury and Southend. According to industry periodical RAIL, these lines had received considerably more infrastructure investment as well as new rolling stock that had enabled both non-stop services and a higher top speed of 100 mph (161 km/h), the WAML was largely worked by a two decade-old fleet of Class 317 electric multiple units (EMU) on infrastructure that restricted speeds to 80 mph (129 km/h) and only provided sufficient capacity for stopping services. However, measures to improve the line were unveiled in a government white paper released during 2007; specifically, operator National Express was to receive £185 million of investment in exchange for the introduction of various changes on the WAML, including improved facilities and new timetables; while cascaded trains for other lines would be brought in to bolster service levels in the short term, there was also a long-term ambition to procure a newly built fleet of trains to service the line.
Accordingly, an order valued at £155 million was placed in 2009 with rolling stock manufacturer Bombardier Transportation for 30 EMUs, these were subsequently designated as the Class 379. The trains had been ordered as a part of the wider NXEA Service Improvement Plan, which was enacted to expand capacity on the heavily crowded lines into London Liverpool Street. They would supplement, rather than replace, the majority of the line's existing rolling stock, and thus represented a significant increase in capacity on the WAML. A key service that the type was procured for was the Stansted Express, from which National Express East Anglia was reportedly deriving roughly 20 percent of its revenue from operating.
The trains were manufactured at Bombardier Transportation Derby Litchurch Lane Works; the first unit was formally unveiled on 13 October 2010. Testing of this initial unit commenced shortly thereafter, after which it was returned to Derby to receive its final fittings. Deliveries of the fleet were at a consistent pace through to the final Class 379 being handed over during August 2011.
The Class 379 electric multiple-unit train is a member of Bombardier Transportation's Electrostar family, although a number of its features are derived from the successor Aventra family. Unlike the Class 317 units that the Class 379 replaced, it is equipped with regenerative braking to reduce energy consumption. To increase serviceability and support the maintenance process, the Class 379 has been fitted with Bombardier's Orbita predictive fault monitoring system. Other tweaks to improve service rates include CCTV cameras on the roof to monitor the condition of the pantograph. The type has been described as possessing relatively favourable ride quality, remaining smooth despite its high rate of acceleration.
The Class 379 features a 2+2 seating arrangement for standard class, while 2+1 seating is installed in first class, providing 189 standard-class seats and 20 first-class seats across a typical consist. The standard-class seats are mostly airline-style, with a few table seats. Each airline seat features a flip-down table, a coat hook, and a single electrical socket. There are two toilets per four-coach unit, one of them enlarged to accommodate baby-changing facilities and use by the disabled. To assist airport-bound passengers, relatively large luggage racks are installed at several locations, in addition to the smaller overhead luggage racks. A considerable number of bins are provided, to reduce littering and aid the cleanup process.
Hub AI
British Rail Class 379 AI simulator
(@British Rail Class 379_simulator)
British Rail Class 379
The British Rail Class 379 Electrostar is an electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger train which was designed and built by Bombardier Transportation. The trains are part of the company's extensive Electrostar family.
In 2007, new trains were proposed to increase capacity on the West Anglia Main Line (WAML), as well as enable the withdrawal of ageing units such as the Class 317 EMUs. 30 4-car Electrostar EMUs were ordered from Bombardier Transportation at a cost of £155 million in 2009, entering service in 2011 as Class 379. They became the principal type operated on the Stansted Express service; as well as running services between London Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport, Cambridge and Kings Lynn. The fleet was initially operated by National Express East Anglia (NXEA) and subsequently by Greater Anglia.
In early 2022, the fleet was withdrawn from service by Greater Anglia owing to high leasing costs, entering long-term storage. In 2025, they returned to service, being operated by Govia Thameslink Railway on Great Northern services.
Around the start of the twenty-first century, the West Anglia Main Line (WAML) was relatively neglected in terms of investment and attention amongst railway planners in comparison to routes such as the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML) and the lines serving Tilbury and Southend. According to industry periodical RAIL, these lines had received considerably more infrastructure investment as well as new rolling stock that had enabled both non-stop services and a higher top speed of 100 mph (161 km/h), the WAML was largely worked by a two decade-old fleet of Class 317 electric multiple units (EMU) on infrastructure that restricted speeds to 80 mph (129 km/h) and only provided sufficient capacity for stopping services. However, measures to improve the line were unveiled in a government white paper released during 2007; specifically, operator National Express was to receive £185 million of investment in exchange for the introduction of various changes on the WAML, including improved facilities and new timetables; while cascaded trains for other lines would be brought in to bolster service levels in the short term, there was also a long-term ambition to procure a newly built fleet of trains to service the line.
Accordingly, an order valued at £155 million was placed in 2009 with rolling stock manufacturer Bombardier Transportation for 30 EMUs, these were subsequently designated as the Class 379. The trains had been ordered as a part of the wider NXEA Service Improvement Plan, which was enacted to expand capacity on the heavily crowded lines into London Liverpool Street. They would supplement, rather than replace, the majority of the line's existing rolling stock, and thus represented a significant increase in capacity on the WAML. A key service that the type was procured for was the Stansted Express, from which National Express East Anglia was reportedly deriving roughly 20 percent of its revenue from operating.
The trains were manufactured at Bombardier Transportation Derby Litchurch Lane Works; the first unit was formally unveiled on 13 October 2010. Testing of this initial unit commenced shortly thereafter, after which it was returned to Derby to receive its final fittings. Deliveries of the fleet were at a consistent pace through to the final Class 379 being handed over during August 2011.
The Class 379 electric multiple-unit train is a member of Bombardier Transportation's Electrostar family, although a number of its features are derived from the successor Aventra family. Unlike the Class 317 units that the Class 379 replaced, it is equipped with regenerative braking to reduce energy consumption. To increase serviceability and support the maintenance process, the Class 379 has been fitted with Bombardier's Orbita predictive fault monitoring system. Other tweaks to improve service rates include CCTV cameras on the roof to monitor the condition of the pantograph. The type has been described as possessing relatively favourable ride quality, remaining smooth despite its high rate of acceleration.
The Class 379 features a 2+2 seating arrangement for standard class, while 2+1 seating is installed in first class, providing 189 standard-class seats and 20 first-class seats across a typical consist. The standard-class seats are mostly airline-style, with a few table seats. Each airline seat features a flip-down table, a coat hook, and a single electrical socket. There are two toilets per four-coach unit, one of them enlarged to accommodate baby-changing facilities and use by the disabled. To assist airport-bound passengers, relatively large luggage racks are installed at several locations, in addition to the smaller overhead luggage racks. A considerable number of bins are provided, to reduce littering and aid the cleanup process.