Main line testing of London Overground Class 710s is set to begin at the end of this month.
Bombardier spokesman Will Tanner told RAIL that extensive testing has been carried out on six dual-voltage Class 710/2s at Willesden, ahead of their introduction. This work has focused on maintenance training and familiarisation.
When the first set was launched in June, it was announced that the four-car dual-voltage electric multiple units would enter traffic on the Gospel Oak-Barking route from November. However, the line’s user group had raised concern at the lack of ‘710s’ on the main line while LO 172002 had moved to Tyseley for assessment.
LO’s fleet of eight two-car Class 172 diesel multiple units will move to West Midlands Trains, but only when the ‘710s’ are introduced.
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AndrewJG8918 - 25/09/2018 02:24
I think that the Class 710 will begin service in November. Unless they might enter service bit earlier on some lines such as Lea Valley Lines (Liverpool St-Cheshunt, Chingford and Enfield Town, Romford-Upminster and Euston-Watford Junction services before they start operating in November on the Gospel Oak-Barking Line that will replace the Class 172 to West Midlands Trains. As some of the Class 172 have already been transferred to WM Trains. And to operate them on Coventry-Leamington Spa and Coventry-Nuneaton services.
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Nispie Oxhey - 01/10/2018 17:59
Yah, nice trains, 4 coaches much better than 2, maybe they need 5 coach soon?
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rukun - 12/11/2018 06:34
it is really frustrating to commute in the overground train between barking and gospel ock. The overcrowding is unbearable.
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John Leeming - 17/11/2018 12:24
The introduction of Class 710 between Barking and Gospel Oak had been delayed yet again - January 2019 is the current guess. Two of the existing 172s have been transferred to the Midlands, leading to a great many cancellations because of insufficient trains. The electrification is complete. Electric freight trains are running. Does anyone know if there is any technical reason why TfL can't do what Scotrail did when their new Hitachi trains were delayed, and make temporary use of a couple of spare electric units from somewhere? There seems to be no shortage of them at the moment.
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Reg - 16/03/2019 11:20
Where are they?. It’s march 2019 and I don’t see any on the Enfield town route.
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Andrew Jarman - 19/11/2018 19:37
They sent a 2nd 172 away this month meaning theres six units to cover six diagrammes. They then introduced a temporary timetable at the weekends after cutting 25% of the service. The lease on the 172's expire 31st December 2018 and none of the new trains have achieved 2000 miles of problem free testing. They suspended type approval for three weeks and it only restarted on the 17th November.
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