Class 360 'Desiro' Profile and Models

Class 360 'Desiro'

360108 at Kettering in August 2022. ©Keuneke

The British Rail Class 360 Desiro is an electric multiple-unit class that was built by Siemens Transportation Systems between 2002 and 2005. First Great Eastern ordered 21 four-car Class 360/1s to replace its slam-door Class 312 units. Built in Krefeld, Germany, the units feature air conditioning, plug doors, CCTV, a wheelchair area, and first class at the cab ends. They were primarily used on Great Eastern Main Line services from London Liverpool Street to Clacton-on-Sea, Colchester Town and Ipswich. They also ran to Walton-on-the-Naze and the Mayflower line. All were replaced by Class 720s in 2020/2021 and moved to East Midlands Railway (EMR) to operate services on the Midland Main Line from London St Pancras to Corby from May 2021. In June 2003, BAA plc ordered four Class 360 units for its Heathrow Connect service, which was designed to complement the non-stop Heathrow Express service by calling at a number of intermediate stations. In February 2021, Rail Operations Group (ROG) announced it had purchased the five-strong fleet from Heathrow Airport Holdings to be converted to freight units but this never transpired. Two were scrapped but three were acquired by the Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE). The units will be used in the running-in process for the GCRE's infrastructure test track.

(Information provided via Wikipedia)

Type of Unit

Electric Multiple Unit - 25kV 50Hz AC Overhead

Builder

Siemens

Build Dates

2002 to 2005

Total Built

26 sets

Coaches Per Unit

4 or 5-car

Power Output

2,080hp

Top Speed

100 to 110 mph

Passenger Capacity

280 to 333 seats

Operated By

East Midlands Railway
First Great Eastern
Global Centre of Rail Excellence
Greater Anglia
Heathrow Connect
Heathrow Express
National Express East Anglia
TFL Rail
Rail Operations Group

Main Duties

Regional Passenger

In Service Until

Present

Surviving Examples

21 in service
2 scrapped