^40million project to fit advanced energy saving traction equipment.

[whole diary]

[Surrey 455]

From http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/EnergySaving.aspx

The ^40million project between the South West Trains-Network Rail Alliance, Porterbrook and Vossloh to fit 91 Class 455 units with advanced energy saving traction equipment is well underway, with a second unit now undergoing installation at the Wimbledon Train Care Depot.

When installation is completed next year, the new equipment is expected to save ^2million in energy costs per year. This is the equivalent of the annual energy bills of more than 1,500 homes!

By my calculations these trains will need to stay in service for 20 years to recoup the outlay but I'm sure I remember reading a transcript of a customer Q & A session which suggested that these trains had another 10 years life in them which for many passengers commenting was too long and can they have something newer please? The 455 units are already 30 years old, would they work until they are 50?

[paul7575]

Not mentioned is that the prototype is over a year late compared to original plans.

Original release here for interest:  http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/fleetinvestment.aspx

I think Modern Railways determined that the project pays for itself over a relatively short time because the reduction in 455 maintenance makes it possible to maintain the 30 unit Desiro City order at Wimbledon depot, which means that fleet doesnt incur additional depot 'space and time' costs:

An additional benefit of the new traction units is the increased mileage that can be carried out between major servicing and maintenance works, which will increase from 10,000 to 15,000 miles.   This will therefore mean that the Class 455 trains will spend less time in Wimbledon depot and more time delivering services for passengers.  A longer term benefit of this maintenance improvement will mean that space will be freed up at Wimbledon depot, enabling South West Trains to look at future capacity developments.

The other indication that it is definitely considered worthwhile for a service life of only 10 years is that Crossrail 2 will probably happen by then and take over the majority of the 455 operations anyway.

Paul

[broadgage]

Yes, as posted above energy saving is not the only advantage of the new traction equipment. As well as the saving in depot space and time referred to above, the re-tractioned trains should have a slightly greater availability, in effect an extra train has been obtained, perhaps two.

Each train not in the depot is another one available to reduce the number of short formations.

I suspect that these units will remain in service for longer than is planned at present, and also that electricity prices will rise, both factors that increase the viability of the work.

My only real concern is reliability, I fully accept that we cant live in the past but have seen too many cases of new technology being less reliable than old.

[Surrey 455]

I have to say that it is not very often that these units have short formations on weekdays. At weekends though some of the routes will only have 4 coaches instead of the usual 8.

[Electric train]

Part of the benefit will also be a reduction of traction load on the infrastructure ie reduces the need to increase the capacity of the substations, the regen breaking helps with this.

The main saving will be the 3ph traction motors these do not have carbon brushes therefore much less maintenance required on the units an possibly spares of some of the original electronic components may be becoming difficult the source   

[broadgage]

I would hope the we will see the regenerative braking working, rather than the regen breaking though I did express slight doubts re reliability.