First MTR South Western Trains refurbishment.

Upgrades and associated overhaul works on 18 Class 442 trains.

GRT has secured a contract from First MTR South Western Trains to conduct traction upgrades and associated overhaul works on 18 Class 442 trains operating on the South-Western

Railway (SWR) franchise. The refurbished vehicles are due to enter commercial service from December 2019. The agreement will see company replace the trains’ existing DC traction equipment with the latest AC equipment featuring insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) technology from Kiepe Electric Düsseldorf.

Scope of work

New seats and Axminster carpets will be installed, along with real- time passenger information, LED lighting and passenger Wi-Fi. There will be at-seat power sockets in first and standard class, and table-top inductive charging facilities in first. There will be spaces for passengers with reduced mobility, and accessible toilets.

Work carried out

• The overhaul works are expected to improve the overall efficiency of the vehicles.
• A new braking system from Knorr-Bremse Rail Vehicle Systems is to be installed to improve environmental performance.
• Optimise the operating costs of the vehicles by enabling regenerative braking.
• Additionally, the refurbished vehicles will feature new seats, new LED lights and Wi-Fi services, as well as table-top charging facilities in 1st Class carriages.
• The trains will also provide universally accessible toilets and seating facilities for disabled passengers.