| British Rail Classes 371, 381 and 471 Networker | |
|---|---|
 Artist's impression of Class 371 | |
| Family name | Networker |
| Number built | Never Built |
| Operators | British Rail (intended) |
| Lines served | Intended -Thameslink;Kent Coast;LTS;Great Northern |
Class 371,Class 381 andClass 471 were proposedelectric multiple unit classes from theNetworker family of trains intended to operate long distance services in thesouth-east of England.[1] Due toBritish Rail's financial limitations in theearly 1990s recession, and the break-up of NSE in theprivatisation of British Rail from 1994, none of the trains were ordered.[2]
Classes 371 and 381 were intended as the so-called "Universal Networker", adual voltage train capable of operating using both 25 kV AC fromoverhead wire and 750 V DC fromthird rail. It was planned that Class 371 would be used on the enhancedThameslink 2000 services while Class 381 would be utilised on various long-distance routes across theNetwork SouthEast (NSE) sector, including Kent Coast services fromVictoria andCharing Cross,Great Northern services fromKing's Cross andLondon, Tilbury and Southend (LTS) services fromFenchurch Street.
Due toBritish Rail's financial limitations in theearly 1990s recession, and the break-up of NSE in theprivatisation of British Rail from 1994, neither train was ordered.[2]
Class 471 was the proposed "Main Line Networker" intended for long-distanceNetwork SouthEast services from London to Kent and Sussex.[2]
Intended as four car units, the Class 471 was to have featured an end gangway to allow passage between two connected units, with seating in 2+2 and 2+3 arrangements. First class seating was to be in side corridor compartments, but the seats (3 across with small table/bin between them) were to be no wider than standard class. The publicity sheet promised air conditioning, trolley catering, telephone area, carpeting throughout, customer operated power doors, individual reading lights in first class, high-backed seats for comfort, public address system and dot matrix on board information system. A mock-up was unveiled in August 1991, bearing a resemblance to theClass 442 "Wessex Express" units operating to the South-West, but with sliding doors. Entry into service was due by 1993.[3]
However, due toBritish Rail's financial limitations in theearly 1990s recession, and the break-up of NSE in theprivatisation of British Rail from 1994, the train wasn't ordered.[2]
The cancellation of the Class 371, 381 and 471 led to an alternative proposal. This involved the construction of a new batch of dual voltage units, classed asClass 365 using the existingClass 465 bodyshell, at the same time converting them for long-distance usage. A total of 41 units were built, with 25 for the Great Northern routes from Kings Cross and 16 for Kent Coast routes.[4]
TheClass 319 were the primary dual voltage commuter unit operating over theThameslink route for nearly 30 years, but have been replaced byClass 700, part of the SiemensDesiro City family. Meanwhile, theElectrostar series is utilised over several long-distance routes in the South-East. Both theClass 375 andClass 377Electrostars have dual voltage sub-classes, as does theClass 387 that were temporarily operated by Thameslink while Class 700s were being delivered. The Class 365 fleet was used on the Great Northern routes, however was scrapped in the early 2020s.[5] TheClass 357 is used onLTS services.[6][7][8]
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