Triple failure of Class 745s on first day of Stansted services
Class 745/1s suffered an inauspicious entry into traffic on the Stansted Express route on July 28, when the two units supplied (745103/106) both failed, as did a train sent to cover them (745108).
Ten Stadler 12-car electric multiple units were ordered by Greater Anglia for the London Liverpool Street-Stansted Airport route, alongside ten for the Norwich-London route. The ‘airport’ sets have already been used on the latter route for several months.
GA spokeswoman Lucy Wright told RAIL: “We are working closely with Stadler to investigate train faults which developed on two London Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport services. The two trains have been taken out of service and replaced to prevent further disruption to customers.”
Suggestions that the failures were caused by staff errors have been denied by GA sources, with Automatic Warning System (AWS) faults mentioned. Investigations are ongoing.
On the launch day, 745106 formed the 0506 London-Stansted, while 745103 formed the 0710 London-Stansted. GA replaced the former on the 1010 LondonStansted with 745108, which had been due to operate the 1030 London-Norwich. That service was instead worked by 745106 in order to move it to Stadler’s Norwich Crown Point depot.
On July 28, GA Franchise and Programmes Director Ian McConnell said: “Over the next six to nine months we will replace all the current trains on the Stansted Express services with new trains, as part of our phased programme for bringing our new trains into service.
“As we do so, we will be able to progressively transfer the current Stansted Express trains onto other West Anglia services, enabling some of the older trains to be withdrawn from service.”
Those transferring will be the Class 379 Electrostars that were due to be sent off-lease by the end of this month (the final members of the ‘classic’ fleet to leave GA), but which have no home after
GA. They will be used to replace 35-year-old ‘317s’ that need to be withdrawn by October 1.
McConnell added that the Bombardier Class 720s, due in traffic last year and for which the ‘317s’ and ‘379s’ are covering, will be introduced “on West Anglia services, which is expected to begin in the latter half of 2021”.