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New Moorgate trains have already generated enough electricity to power all the homes of Welwyn and Hatfield Borough for a month. Catherine West MP came to see for herself with and Great Northern MD Tom Moran
New Moorgate trains have already generated enough electricity to power all the homes of Welwyn and Hatfield Borough for a month. Catherine West MP came to see for herself with and Great Northern MD Tom Moran

Press release -

Great Northern trains save equivalent of over 4,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions after first year of full service

Great Northern’s new Hertfordshire trains have already generated enough electricity through their brakes to power the equivalent of all the households of Welwyn and Hatfield Borough for a month, potentially saving more than 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

Great Northern MD Tom Moran and Catherine West MP chose today, Clean Air Day (Thursday 8 October), to celebrate the trains’ first year of full service on the Moorgate route and their significant environmental contribution.

The 25 new Class 717 trains have completely transformed travel for Great Northern’s passengers travelling between London Moorgate and Stevenage, Hertford North and Welwyn Garden City. Featuring air conditioning, Wi-Fi, real-time information and power sockets at every seat, they replaced one of Britain’s oldest National Rail electric train fleets.

Passenger satisfaction soared 22 percentage points as a result.

In their short life to date, the trains have already generated 17 million kWh! This helps make the trains 33% more efficient than the trains they replaced. 

Great Northern MD Tom Moran said: “Our new trains have transformed our passengers’ journeys by replacing their cramped, outdated 42-year-old trains, with fully-accessible, spacious, modern air-conditioned units with the latest in passenger information, on-board Wi-Fi and power points at every pair of seats.

“Hidden away, underneath the carriages, electric motors help the trains brake, feeding the energy back into the network for use by other trains. That technology has already generated 17 million kWh – enough to power the homes of Welwyn and Hatfield Borough for more than a month, potentially saving more than 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

“With all our managed stations now using energy generated from a clean, renewable source, passengers can travel safe in the knowledge they are doing their bit for the planet.”

Catherine West MP said: “These new trains Great Northern has brought in have made a huge difference for commuters. They are modern, spacious and air-conditioned but best of all they are much better for the environment. I am very pleased to learn how much energy they generate and how many tonnes of carbon dioxide that could be saving.”

Electric trains are considered to be the most sustainable form of public transport and those with regenerative braking have even better ‘green credentials’.

The new Class 717 Moorgate fleet completed a £2bn fleet modernisation programme by parent company Govia Thameslink Railway, which also brought in 115 new Thameslink trains and new Class 387 carriages for the Gatwick Express and Great Northern, all with regenerative braking.

All these new trains, combined with the regenerative braking of other Southern Class 377s, mean that GTR’s fleet has generated more than 183 million kWh in the past 12 months, potentially saving more than 43,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

GTR has diesel trains on just two routes, both run by Southern Rail: the Marshlink line between Ashford and Hastings, Kent, and the Uckfield line in East Sussex. GTR is supporting Network Rail as it studies the feasibility of electrifying these routes and identifies back-up alternatives such as battery power to achieve a zero-carbon solution.

ends

Editor’s notes

Transport Focus National Rail Passenger Survey results for Great Northern trains (spring 2020 - survey carried out pre-Covid):

  • overall train satisfaction – 85% (up 22 percentage points on spring 2019)
  • upkeep and repair of the trains – 84% (up 34 points)
  • availability of power sockets – 78% (up 44 points)
  • provision of information during the journey (new trains feature passenger information screens and automated announcements) – 82% (up 26 points)

Total domestic energy consumption in Welwyn and Hatfield Borough for the year of 2018 was 182GWh https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/853754/Sub-national_electricity_consumption_statistics_2005-2018.xlsx

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Govia Thameslink Railway

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operates Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services as follows:

  • Thameslink – cross-London services between Bedford/Peterborough/Cambridge and Brighton/Horsham/Littlehampton/East Grinstead, and between Luton/St Albans and Sutton/Wimbledon/Rainham; plus services between London and Sevenoaks
  • Great Northern – services between London and Welwyn, Hertford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn
  • Southern – services between London and the Sussex coast (Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne, Bognor Regis, Hastings) and parts of Surrey, Kent and Hampshire (Ashford International, Southampton, Portsmouth)
  • Gatwick Express – fast, non-stop direct services between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria

www.southernrailway.comwww.thameslinkrailway.comwww.gatwickexpress.comwww.greatnorthernrail.com

Govia Thameslink Railway
United Kingdom