Description
At the start of the 21st century, as part of its franchise agreement, SWT was required to replace the old slam-door rolling stock of Classes 411, 412, 421 and 423, which did not meet modern health and safety standards, with new trains. In April 2001 an order was placed with Siemens for 785 vehicles. This was originally to be split as 100 four-car Class 450/0 outer-suburban units, 32 five-car Class 450/2 inner-suburban units, and 45 five-car Class 444 express units.
The Class 444 fleet was built at Siemens' Vienna plant. Before being shipped to Britain via the Channel Tunnel, the trains were extensively tested on the test-track at Wildenrath. This was an attempt to reduce the time taken for new trains to enter service, by ironing out any problems beforehand. Many other designs of new train, such as the Bombardier Class 375 and Alstom Class 458 units, had been plagued by problems and poor reliability. The Desiro fleet entered service faster than its competitors, but still suffered teething problems.
The trains are formed of five coaches, and are numbered in the range 444001-045. Each unit is formed of two outer driving motors, two intermediate trailers, and an intermediate buffet coach. The description of this formation is DMSO+TSO+TSO+TSRMB+DMCO. Individual vehicles are numbered as follows.
- 63851-63895 - DMCO
- 67201-67245 - TSRMB - fitted with Pantograph Well
- 67151-67195 - TSO
- 67101-67145 - TSO
- 63801-63845 - DMSO
The units have end-gangways, allowing passengers to move between units when used in multiple. Trains are limited to a 10-coach length (i.e. two units), as longer trains cannot be accommodated in stations. At some stations with particularly short platforms (for example Bentley, in Hampshire), even a single unit of five coaches is too long for the platform, so passengers must board and alight via a single door opened by the guard. The fleet is painted in SWT's express livery of white, with a blue window band, and red/orange swishes at the cab ends.
Each five-car unit has a first-class section taking up just over half of one car at one end. First-class seats have BS 1363 sockets providing AC power for laptops or mobile phone charges, while the car at the other end is standard-class throughout and appears ordinary but has BS1363 sockets under the tables.
Like all new-build third-rail rolling stock in the UK, one coach in each unit is fitted with a recess for a pantograph. This allows for a future conversion to AC overhead power, although at present no trains in this fleet have been so fitted.
A new variable-stiffness hydraulic bush is being fitted to the whole Class 444 fleet so as to reduce track damage and thus infrastructure maintenance costs. This work is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2013.
Read more about this topic: British Rail Class 444
Famous quotes containing the word description:
“An intentional object is given by a word or a phrase which gives a description under which.”
—Gertrude Elizabeth Margaret Anscombe (b. 1919)
“Why does philosophy use concepts and why does faith use symbols if both try to express the same ultimate? The answer, of course, is that the relation to the ultimate is not the same in each case. The philosophical relation is in principle a detached description of the basic structure in which the ultimate manifests itself. The relation of faith is in principle an involved expression of concern about the meaning of the ultimate for the faithful.”
—Paul Tillich (1886–1965)
“Do not require a description of the countries towards which you sail. The description does not describe them to you, and to- morrow you arrive there, and know them by inhabiting them.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)