UK: TfL, the capital’s transport authority, reports that the first nine-car unit is now being tested on the works test track in Derby.
A series of main-line trials will follow shortly. The train is due to enter service later this year on the 117 km Elizabeth line, which serves the London conurbation.
Testing of the first Aventra EMU from the new batch for TfL at Derby. Source: Andrew Chalmers
This Class 345 unit is identical to the trains of the same model delivered between 2015 and 2019. Measuring 205 m, it carries 1,500 passengers, of which 454 are seated. It reaches a maximum speed of 145 km/h, accelerates at 1.1 m/s², and runs on 25 kV AC lines.
Interior of the Aventra EMU for the London commuter network. Photo: Today’s Railways
Aventra EMU production at Alstom’s Derby Litchurch Lane Works. Photo: Today’s Railways
The contract for 10 Aventra-platform trains was signed in summer 2024, averting the mothballing of Alstom’s Derby site, which the company had been weighing up amid a shortage of orders. The rescue deal saw the UK Department for Transport put up €261 mln for the trains and TfL a further €177 mln to maintain them through to 2046. The full fleet should be in service by the end of 2027.
