Out of all rolling stock existing today, which do you think will survive the longest?

[PTR 444]

Most rolling stock has an average lifespan of 40 years, although things don’t necessarily go to plan with certain trains going off lease or being scrapped early. Others are so reliable that I could see them living to 45 or even 50 years old. Taking into account all factors and possibilities, which passenger rolling stock in operation today do you think will be the last standing?

There isn’t enough room in the poll for every rolling stock family, so I have left out those which are most likely to be retired before the others.

 

[yrreb]

I think it also depends on investment as well as reliability those few decades later. I can see some of the Stadler fleets knocking around in the 2050s.

 

[htafc]

Whoever voted Sprinter is brave

 

[JonathanH]

I can see some of the Stadler fleets knocking around in the 2050s.

You would hope that some of the rolling stock being delivered now will make it past 2060, let alone into the 2050s, although it does seem circumstances mean that the OHLE units rarely actually reach 40 years.

 

[Trainguy34]

Whoever voted Electrostar DC, I salute you (it was between that and AT300 for me).

 

[172007]

Other- MK5 coaches. Sleepers.

Don't do a massive mileage, plenty of downtime for maintenance and so specialised they should go for 40 plus years.

 

[Metal_gee_man]

Whoever voted Electrostar DC, I salute you (it was between that and AT300 for me).

Me, SE & SN won't replace them until they literally drop

 

[jonesy3001]

I voted for sprinters, coz you know for a fact the daft are all talk and no action when it comes to the railways.
TOCs are crying out for new units before the 2040 deadline but they won't get them.

 

[GWVillager]

Has everyone just missed the locomotive option? The Class 37s seem to be indestructible now, so I reckon the 66s will still be around once all of the other options are gone.

 

[Topological]

Surely it would have to be which survives to the oldest age, otherwise it is a strange question.

The cynic in me still thinks I voted right voting sprinter

 

[fgwrich]

Absolutely anything from Siemens - the proper, classic, solid as a rock Desiro family.

 

[snookertam]

Absolutely anything from Siemens - the proper, classic, solid as a rock Desiro family.

I should have picked this. Really reliable stock, going by the class 380s. ScotRail missed a trick by not ordering more instead of the 385s.

385s are decent, and pretty reliable, but just don’t seem quite as sturdy IMO.

 

[PGAT]

Southern will keep their electrostars as long as possible. Given they have no long term plan for any replacement, are pretty reliable units and they're the only units Southern need to worry about (ignoring the dozen of turbostars) I bet they will last until the 2050s at least, maybe even scraping the edge of the 2060s

 

[AJDesiro]

Absolutely anything from Siemens - the proper, classic, solid as a rock Desiro family.

Agreed, unless the tradition of the WCML getting new units for stopper services continues, I could see the 350s lasting over 40 years, they still feel like relatively modern trains, 18 years later - and they've won golden spanners, they're incredibly reliable, solid units. Sadly, if they were to go off-lease, I don't know if they'd have anywhere to go to.

 

[jackot]

Absolutely anything from Siemens - the proper, classic, solid as a rock Desiro family.

I put exactly the same. I can see the 350/450/444s just about making it half way through the century, quite possibly longer than some of the slam doors they replaced!

 

[Sorcerer]

It's hard for me to bet on one bit of stock, but I think the Siemens Desiros are strong contenders. They are quite simply solid reliable trains. On that note I'd also like to think the Pendolino would last a fair amount of time since they have aged remarkably well and are still generally reliable units, but that would depend on whether or not they have a future beyond a post-HS2 WCML since 30-year-old tilting trains won't be the first choice of stock for most operators to lease. All I can confidently say is that it definitely won't be the old Eurostar fleet. Years of very high speed operation combined with salty sea air corrosion in the Channel Tunnel would affect most if not all trains longevity.

 

[Class172]

Whoever voted Sprinter is brave

Not as brave as the soul who voted for the Alstom-built 175/180s.

If the question were one of "which will have the longest lifespan" I could fully see a Sprinter taking that crown.

 

[DanNCL]

I've gone for other as I reckon it'll be the 555s. I'd be amazed if they didn't at least match the 45 years of the outgoing Metro fleet, which would mean the 555s would be around until at least the late 2060s. Hard to see just about anything else on the rail network now still being around in the late 2060s.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

I've gone for other as I reckon it'll be the 555s. I'd be amazed if they didn't at least match the 45 years of the outgoing Metro fleet, which would mean the 555s would be around until at least the late 2060s. Hard to see just about anything else on the rail network now still being around in the late 2060s.

Aren't 555s Stadler METRO like the 777s?

 

[michael74]

Whoever voted Sprinter is brave

GWR are putting the 150s through C6 I have a sneaking suspicion they will still be (literally) rattling around when I am seriously considering retiring.......

 

[xotGD]

Class 08.

They will never die.

 

[Samzino]

745 and 755 easily. Anyone voting the 345s are crazy

 

[Kite159]

Sprinters

Not a lot of computer stuff to go wrong due to old age. You can almost picture a GWR 150 going back & forth in the Cornish branches come 2050 lol

 

[fgwrich]

745 and 755 easily. Anyone voting the 345s are crazy

Or anything from Derby for that matter… Lightweight Ally doesn’t last forever!

 

[PTR 444]

Surely it would have to be which survives to the oldest age, otherwise it is a strange question.

The cynic in me still thinks I voted right voting sprinter

I suppose there are two ways of doing it, last surviving (as of today) and oldest age at retirement. For the former category, it’s highly unlikely to be anything older than the first generation Desiros and Electrostars unless something goes completely wrong, nothing strange about that at all. For the latter, it could well be the Sprinters considering they’ve nearly had 40 years and there are no plans to completely scrap them all just yet. I could see the first generation Turbostars and Voyagers having a very long innings too.

 

[Halish Railway]

I've voted for the 385s due to their excellent availability alluding to longevity as well as ever increasing uses with Scotland's decent rate of electrification and it being unlikely that they'd need to be displaced from their current roles.

 

[DanNCL]

Aren't 555s Stadler METRO like the 777s?

They are but the poll only had 777s down for that category, not 555s.

 

[brad465]

Has everyone just missed the locomotive option? The Class 37s seem to be indestructible now, so I reckon the 66s will still be around once all of the other options are gone.

The 66s also have safety in numbers, and whenever new locos are ordered these days, they never seem to be more than 30 per class type, so a situation like the 37s could occur where a section of the 66 fleet survives for decades, even when others are scrapped earlier.

 

[TheLunaPark]

Let’s face it, pretty much anything from Siemens is built like a brick sh*thouse and will outlive us all.

 

[jon0844]

I had to vote Desiro City as while the interiors are quite basic, and there are scuff marks here and there, they are otherwise showing themselves to be rock solid and likely to last many, many years.