Improved wheelchair facilities will soon be available on trains running between Peterborough, Kings Cross, Kings Lynn and Cambridge.
A total of 40 Class 365 trains in the Great Northern fleet are to be modified, with the four-car trains being improved for passengers with mobility impairments. Changes include wheelchair-friendly toilets and wheelchair spaces with companion seats.
Eversholt Rail is funding the refurbishment, which will cost £31 million, with Bombardier Transportation upgrading the trains at its Ilford depot. Work is due to be completed in Autumn 2016, ahead of the Persons of Reduced Mobility Accessibility Regulations coming into force in 2019.
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Noam Bleicher - 26/02/2015 09:57
A good-news piece of whitewash to hide the fact the 365s are being downgraded. Most of the tables and carpets are being ripped out, to be replaced by airline seats and lino. The steady erosion of quality on our long-distance trains continues.
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Mike Reynolds - 21/03/2015 11:51
If you think the downgrading of the 365s is bad,the replacement 377s from the Bedford line are even worse.Unlike the 365s the first class is open plan with the second class,no dividing doors for privacy and peace.The Kings lynn,Cambridge line now has a health and growing first class customer base,in the main driven by lack of second class seats.When the 377s arrive,their will be plenty of disgruntled customers,who will be paying more for less.
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Dave - 27/04/2015 17:56
The old lino floor sections in the vestibule areas of the Class 365s are being upgraded to high quality carpets. The saloon areas are being changed for an advanced high friction treadmaster flooring, improving the interior ambiance and visibility whilst reducing downtimes due to easier cleaning. The upgraded units in fact retain the same quantity of tables; in the First class area the tables are being upgraded to a bespoke new design allowing easier access for PRM with no decrease in size. The original seats are retained, with the cushions and fabric coverings all being replaced for new on a bespoke basis, and a few position adjustments increasing the legroom in certain areas to comply with new Priority seat standards. These are just a few of the improvements being carried out under the overhaul - I can hardly agree that this can be termed a 'downgrade' - I wonder if you have yet traveled on one of the new units?
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Steve Cahill - 21/09/2015 14:57
I rather like the new format of the 365's. They seem brighter and cleaner. What really depresses me is the fact that we are still burdened with the horrendous class 317/321 trains which should have been pensioned off years ago. Horrible 3+2 seating arrangements, badly cramped legroom and no air-con. These are so outdated that they should not even be considered as fit for purpose - and we have this dubious pleasure to endure for at least another year and a half.
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