NGH
31 January 2016 at 22:47
Re Graham H, Timbeau, Anonymously,
Having a look at the excellent NSE history website chronology pages is worth while:
http://www.nsers.org/chronology.html
Kent Link aka Southeastern suffered a massive loss in patronage in the recession 1989 onwards (20% fall on NSE from 1988 to 1992) which provided justification for far fewer cars and units to be replace the older rolling stock (even after assumptions about networkers having more official standing room so a 10 car networker would have the same theoretical capacity as 12 car EPB. (the 465 end cars being 1.5m longer and intermediate cars 0.6m longer than EPB cars helping add capacity)
Very selected excerpts:
31 August 1989 – Kent Link total route modernisation major announcements by Transport Secretary Cecil Parkinson during a visit to London Charing Cross and London Bridge stations:
-Networker 4-car EMU £257m orders placed today for 100 units – 50 each from BREL York (Class 465/0 – 465001-50) and GEC-Alstom (Class 465/2 – 465201-50) – delivery from September and October 1991, respectively;
-Networker EMU approval in principle given for a further 276 vehicles for Kent Link: these total 676 of the 842 vehicles required for Kent Link to replace EPB EMUs ;
-£200m route infrastructure works for 12-car Networkers which will provide 16% increased seating capacity over present 10-car EPB formations: covers 137 route miles and consists of – platform lengthening at 63 stations, Driver-only operation, power supply upgrade, resignalling, gauge clearance, layout remodelling including London Cannon Street, Charing Cross, London Bridge and Orpington, new train maintenance depot at Slade Green and 16 stabling sidings at Grove Park with new staff accommodation..
Note: Due to Government capital spending restrictions in the early-1990s recession, route infrastructure works are deferred two years in final completion to 1996
So first 400 ordered 276 authorised…
30 April 1990 – Kent Link Networker Total Route Modernisation – Transport Secretary Cecil Parkinson gives authority in principle to BR Chairman Sir Bob Reid for platform lengthening at 63 stations to accommodate 12-car Class 465s and for 276 further vehicles for Kent Link
1 November 1990 – DoT ‘Transport Statistics for London’ review reports commuting down 15,000 in 1989 compared to 1988 – although still 21% up on 1982 for NSE.
13 May 1991 – Class 466 ‘Networker’ 43 2-car EMUs authorised (466001-43); contract subsequently awarded to Metro-Cammell
31 March 1992 – Class 465/1 Networker 47 4-car EMUs authorised (465151-97); 10 April 1992 announced that contract awarded to BREL York.
So 274 ordered vs the 276 authorised i.e. 1 more 2 car 466 and 1 less 4 car then originally envisaged? Hence the magic loss of 2 cars. and 166 /168 short of the original number required to replace the EPBs. Graham H’s numbers put the short fall at just 86 cars (or the difference of all the 2 car units being 4 car instead!)
12 November 1992 – £150m new grant for train leasing announced in Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Autumn Statement; ultimately used to procure new Class 465/3 (later 365) ‘Networker Express’ EMUs (see 13 October 1993).
41 365s delivered delivered = 164 cars. Only 4 cars short of the original number, the first 16x 365 had 3rd rail equipment fitted.
One possible permutation for the original order works out at extending/converting all 2 car units to 4car and an additional 20x 4 car units to get to the original total which suggest what the plan was as it can’t have been all new 4 car units… (only 1 sensible permutation).
Re timbeau,
But the SE Metro services lost 34 465s to outer services (465/2 becoming /9s) so there was still a net loss on the introduction of the 376s! 36 x 376s = 180 cars a decade later and transferring 34x 4car 465 to medium distance services =136 cars, so net +44 cars on suburban still a long way short. Thus reducing the size of 375 order…
There are many peak 395 formation that are 6 car so it keeps happening!
Factoring in the long distance 465/9 use than makes 810 in service out of 900 or 90%.
The extra stock require for all javelin services to be 2 unit /12 car and 12 car south of Tunbridge Wells post power supply upgrade and the 10 3 car units would probably account for something like the last 10%…
As always the longer distance users always seem to fair better.
