High Speed rail hits the UK
Posted in Random on June 28th, 2009 by AndyStarting 29 June UK domestic rail passengers in Kent can make a little bit of history. The first high speed line for commuters (imaginatively named HS1) will be open for business. I took a ride on the new service to check it out.
Ebbsfleet to St Pancras = 17 mins
A shiny new Class 395 train at Ebbsfleet
The initial shuttle service doesn’t cover the full area that it will when full service starts in December, but for now there is a regular service from the new station at Ebbsfleet up to the renovated St Pancras in London.
Ebbsfleet is pretty smart, and station is roomy and well laid out. I found a shiny blue high speed train waiting for me at the platform. These are Class 395 electric multiple units, made in Japan by Hitachi as a derivative of their Shinkansen trains. They’ve been adapted for the UK network, and operate out of a new purpose-built depot at Ashford. Hitachi maintain the trains, and their operated by Southeastern. An upgrade to your season ticket to allow you to travel on HS1 will cost you around £20 a week, or you can get a single trip upgrade for around £3. That’s a bargain IMO, as the journey drops from about 50 mins currently, to 17 mins. If you do that twice a day you’re talking about spending at least an hour a day less commuting.
Yep, it’s fast
Notice the blur...
Leaving Ebbsfleet the train quickly enters the tunnel it uses to cross under the Thames, and it’s not until it pops out the other side of the Dartford crossing that you realise just how fast the train is moving. And the good newsis that since it’s direct to St Pancras, so there’s no slowing down.
The trains are modern and spacious
The environment on board is quiet and comfortable. Overall it’s pretty similar to other modern stock. The seats are reasonably comfy, everybody gets a table of some sort, and there are power points available, although no wifi. Air conditioning is a welcome addition, as is the roomy 2-by-2 seating arrangement. Nobody sits facing another passenger, and there’s only one class of seating, the idea presumably being that everybody is a first class passenger on this service. On board there’s a costumer service bod, but no guard, as the train is operated solely by the driver.
The Class 395
A trio of 395s at St Pancras
The 395 is a new machine based on a Japanese design, but incorporates familiar technology found on other modern UK stock. Some sources mistakenly refer to the 395 as a “Javelin”, but this is actually the name of the service that it will run during the 2012 Olympics, not the train itself.
The units are dual-voltage, able to run on either the 750V DC 3rd rail system, or the 25kV AC overhead lines used on HS1. Traction is provided by 8 AC induction motors controlled by IGBT power electonics, giving smooth acceleration and the ability to use regenerative braking, which is bound to save a ton of electricity. HS1 uses European signalling standards, but the approach to St Pancras uses UK systems, so the train is fitted with both AWS/TPWS and TVM430/KVB equipment. Formations are currently 1 6-car unit per train, but will eventually be running as 12-cars. Top speed is 225km/h on HS1.
Other refinements include a GPS-powered Selective Door Opening safety system, Driver Only Operation provided by external CCTV cameras, and a modern Train Management System running the whole shebang. It’s an impressive machine.
Conclusion
If you live anywhere near Ebbsfleet or Ashford, this service will get you into London seriously fast, in substantially more comfort than you’re used to. I say cough up the extra dosh and step into the future of rail travel in the UK.
