Porterbrook acquires Electrostar fleet

Porterbrook has taken ownership of 30 Class 379 Electrostars which it intends to lease to Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) to run on the Great Northern route.

The EMU fleet, which was previously operated by Greater Anglia before coming off lease, was built in 2011 and is expected to be able to run for at least another 20 years.

Stefan Rose, chief investment officer at Porterbrook, said: “We’re pleased to take these vehicles under our wing. This is an excellent fleet of Electrostars with a long service life ahead of them, perfectly suited to GTR’s requirements.”

GTR engineering director, Steve Lammin said: “Subject to acceptance, these additional trains will start the development of a design for the future growing demand across our network. These extra units provide an opportunity to support our business plan delivery in providing excellent service for our customers."

The new units will complement GTR and Porterbrook’s already extensive fleet of 962 Class 377s and 260 Class 387s, the largest Electrostar fleet in the UK, which have been serving passengers on London, Surrey, Sussex, Great Northern and Gatwick routes for a number years.