THE LARGEST SINGLE ORDER for new trains since privatisation of Britain's railways is up for tender. It will be for the new fleet of cross- London trains to be operated by First Capital Connect.
Due to be delivered over a three-year period from 2012, in time for completion of the £5.5bn Thameslink scheme, they are to offer a "step change in journey experience" for travellers and are expected to form the basis of new train designs for other commuter routes in the South East and the rest of the UK.
Features will include longer trains with greater capacity, more spacious interiors and wide, open connections between carriages, advances in safety and reliability, and intelligent use of new technology. Passenger information systems will be fed with real-time travel information on connections, which will also guide visitors arriving through the airports and Eurostar services.
Information will be transmitted to central London platforms to advise people where to stand so they can board the train where there is most space, and air-conditioning will automatically adjust according to the number of people in each carriage.
Up to 24 trains per hour - a train every two to three minutes - are expected to operate through central London at peak times by the end of 2015.