Rail Operations UK Limited (ROUK) have agreed with Heathrow Airport Limited to purchase five Class 360/2, along with spares.
ROUK see these Class 360/2 play a role in changing rail freight logistics across the UK in the years to come.
Heathrow Express, owned by Heathrow Airport Limited, operated these units on the Heathrow Airport to London Paddington “Heathrow Connect” service.
Back in 2018, TfL Rail became the operators of the five Class 360s from Heathrow Connect, but replaced these with Class 345s from July 2020, with the last one withdrawn in September 2020.
Since December 2020, all five trains were stored at Old Oak Common TMD.
Gordon Cox, ROG Business Development Director, explained that: “ROUK have identified the potential of this well-maintained multiple unit fleet to assist in our transformation of UK rail freight logistics.”
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Responses
Shame that East Midlands Railway couldn’t inherit the Class 360/2s to work alongside with the Class 360/1s that were cascaded from Greater Anglia. And the Class 360/1 to operate on London St. Pancras-Corby and Kettering service. But Class 360/2 to be used on small freight services that is really a great idea.
Or maybe the other suggestion would be for the Class 360/2s that could be stored and then could be upgraded and converted into Battery-Electric units or Hydrogen units. Just like what the Class 350/2 units that are also built by Siemens that are either to be upgraded and converted to Battery or Hydrogen units.