EMR/Luton Airport Express Class 360s

[StephenHunter]

When are they due to refurbish these and make them 2+2 seating? Are they in fact still doing the latter?

 

[liamf656]

Nothing planned for now. More discussion of the 360s here:

EMR Class 360's

So that’s why no proper refurbishment is forthcoming… Particularly if that's a typical load factor between St Pancras and the Airport... Just as the car industry sells the dream of traffic-free roads, trains are never busy in the adverts! I think the "no stress" claim is going to be the hard...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[RailWonderer]

Without having to read 99 pages of posts, EMR announced in 2019 they would be doing those refubishments (2+2 seating with tables and plug sockets) but by the time they got round to requesting funds from the DfT, the cost cutting began and they were turned town, so the trains (most of them by now) have external repaints and are getting new vinyls but no interior refurbing is being done, or is planned.

 

[QSK19]

Without having to read 99 pages of posts, EMR announced in 2019 they would be doing those refubishments (2+2 seating with tables and plug sockets) but by the time they got round to requesting funds from the DfT, the cost cutting began and they were turned town, so the trains (most of them by now) have external repaints and are getting new vinyls but no interior refurbing is being done, or is planned.

One of my theories is that there is no incentive to refurbish them. The service is popular and people will travel on the trains regardless of whether they’re refurbished or not - EMR could have put 321s, 365s, 319s, etc, on the route and people would have still travelled on them.

The above theory is not intended as a justification not to refurbish them (I am indeed very frustrated that they are not being refurbished); but there is arguably no incentive to refurbish them if there is no gain from the money spent to do this.

 

[RailWonderer]

One of my theories is that there is no incentive to refurbish them. The service is popular and people will travel on the trains regardless of whether they’re refurbished or not - EMR could have put 321s, 365s, 319s, etc, on the route and people would have still travelled on them.

The above theory is not intended as a justification not to refurbish them (I am indeed very frustrated that they are not being refurbished); but there is arguably no incentive to refurbish them if there is no gain from the money spent to do this.

Part of the revenue on that service is commuter driven so is inelastic - and the other half is leisure travellers that aren't bothered with driving to Northampton for the far cheaper LNR service so limited scope to expand leisure travel.

Compare that to the current Turbo refurbishment on GWR which is leisure travel heavy and the only alternative to GWR is driving most of the time. Plus unlike GWR which serves a large area, the EMR service only is Luton - Corby passengers - a much smaller area so less local MPs to complain etc.

 

[LowLevel]

The only gen available is that the 360 refurb project is currently "on hold" awaiting further direction from the DfT.