New design for Crossrail trains revealed

New Class 345 Elizabeth line trains

London’s Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) have revealed designs for the new Bombardier Aventra Crossrail trains due to enter service in May 2017.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP and TfL have unveiled designs for the new fully accessible Crossrail trains which are expected to 200 million customers a year. When fully open in 2019, Crossrail will add 10 percent to London’s rail capacity and serve Reading and Heathrow in the west through to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, passing through new tunnels under central London.

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The new Crossrail Aventra trains are currently being built at Bombardier Transportation’s UK plant in Derby with Barber & Osgerby acting as design advisors on the project. Each train will provide space for 1,500 customers in nine fully-interconnected, walk-through carriages. At over 200 metres in length, they are over one and a half times longer than the longest Tube train.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, said: “It’s fantastic to think that these sleek new trains will soon be transporting millions of people across our great city and beyond. They’re feature packed, eye-catching machines that showcase the best of British design and engineering. They’ll add vital capacity to our rail network and will help to ensure our economy continues its onward journey full-steam ahead. The largest construction project in Europe is another tantalising step closer to becoming a brand new working railway for the Capital.”

Constructed using strong, but lightweight materials such as aluminium for the body shell, the Crossrail trains will be light, yet well equipped for performance and customer comfort with features such as intelligent lighting and temperature control systems. The trains will regenerate electricity back into the power supply when braking to use up to 30 per cent less energy, as well as delivering faster journey times than the old trains they will replace between Liverpool Street and Shenfield.

Large, clear areas around the doors will allow quicker and easier boarding and alighting. A mixture of metro-style and bay seating will be available through the train, providing choice and comfort for customers. The trains will be driver-operated with on-train customer information systems delivering real-time travel information, allowing customers to plan their onward journeys whilst onboard. Free Wi-Fi will be available on the trains as well as on the platforms and people will have access to 4G.

Interior of Crossrail trains have been designed to wear in and not wear out

The interior design of each train includes darker floors and natural finish materials ‘that will wear in, and not wear out, ensuring they retain their high-quality feel for years to come.’ The colour palette has been chosen to provide a welcoming environment including a light coloured ceiling to maximise the feeling of height and openness.

There will be four dedicated wheelchair spaces on each train. In addition, there will be a number of multi-use spaces available, where seating can be tipped up to accommodate prams or luggage.

Rail Minister Claire Perry said: “I am delighted that these British-built trains have been designed with customers at their heart, with onboard facilities that are fit for a truly 21st century rail link.

“The spacious layout and longer trains will provide a significant boost to London’s rail capacity, meaning better journeys for passengers, and transforming the way people travel between east and west. I look forward to seeing the first train off the Derby production line next year, where this contract is supporting hundreds of jobs and apprenticeships.”

Howard Smith, TfL’s Operations Director of Crossrail, added: “The trains will have walk-through carriages, each with three wide doorways to enable people to get on and off quickly at central stations, air-conditioning, are fully accessible and use the latest technology to provide customers with real-time travel information to help them plan their onward journeys.”

Peter Doolin, Bombardier Transportation’s Vice President Projects, Crossrail & London Underground, said: “Bombardier is delighted to be working with TfL in designing, manufacturing and testing these iconic new trains for London – all done right here in the UK. The new Crossrail trains are based on our very latest Aventra product platform, which has proudly been designed and developed as a technology leading train for the UK. We look forward to continuing to work together with TfL on this flagship project to deliver these new trains for London.”