Govia Thameslink Railway has seen its 100th Class 377 Electrostar upgraded as part of the £100m Project Aurora upgrade programme. The train is now back in passenger service boasting an array of new features which will support both reliability and improve experience.

Porterbrook has funded the project alongside Alstom, who carried out the technical specification, design and material and Govia Thameslink Railway who have completed the required installation and testing. Project Aurora will see the upgrade of 270 trains and 1086 carriages, and aims to be completed during 2025.

The project operates a streamlined process, which sees two trains completely upgraded each week at the train operator’s Selhurst depot before being returned to passenger service.

Govia Thameslink Railways Engineering Director Steve Lammin said:

“We’re delighted to celebrate this ‘ton-up’ milestone with Porterbrook and Alstom. We’ve achieved it by giving these great trains a broad-ranging upgrade, including features our passengers have asked for, at a rate of two per week. I’m really pleased we’re working together to provide our customers with an even better on-board experience and more reliability over the coming years.”

Porterbrook’s Chief Operating Officer Ben Ackroyd said:

“It’s been a remarkable effort by everyone involved to reach 100 upgraded Electrostars. We’re all working together to deliver these improvements at pace because passengers told us it would make their journeys better. With two trains being worked on side-by-side in Selhurst every week and returned to service, even more, rail users are going to benefit from the new modern and sustainable on-board features.”

Peter Broadley, Alstom Managing Director Services, said:

“This project continues to successfully deliver upgrades to the Electrostar fleets for GTR customers. The works are on-time and on budget, and shows the huge benefits of working closely with our partners at GTR and Porterbrook. I’m looking forward to successfully completing the project and showcasing the benefits of upgrading trains, like these, that have been in service for a few years now.”

Upgrades made during Project Aurora include:

• Plug and dual USB sockets at every seat
• Enhanced passenger information services featuring new digital screens
• Energy-saving LED lighting throughout
• Automatic passenger counting, which will support Govia Thameslink Railway’s analytic process, which supports the management of effective timetables.
• Updates to the Train Data Network and the addition of Smart onboard data recorded will bring improved remote monitoring of a train’s operational systems. This addition and improvement will support reliability by cutting the time spent out of service for either maintenance or repair.
• Forward-facing and track debris CCTV, which allows a remote live stream and the ability to download images.

Govia Thameslink Railway has the largest fleet of Electrostars which operate between London, Surrey, Sussex and the south coast and also operate on Great Northern and Gatwick Express services.