£100m reliability and onboard upgrade on South East’s biggest train fleet completed

• 1,222 Southern, Gatwick Express, Great Northern and Southeastern carriages upgraded over five years
• Benefits include plug and USB sockets, information screens and a new digital “backbone” bringing reliability improvements
• Project completed in-house at Southern’s Selhurst depot in South London

Millions of passengers in the south east have benefited from a mammoth £100m train upgrade project – the biggest in the UK – with the final unit rolling off the production line this weekend.

The 304^th ‘Electrostar’ train upgraded through Project Aurora rounds off a project which has completed on-time and on-budget over the past five years at Southern’s Selhurst depot in South London. It brings reliability and onboard benefits for Southern, Gatwick Express, Great Northern and Southeastern passengers.

The award-winning works were funded by rolling stock company Porterbrook, the UK’s leading rolling stock financier and asset management company, and completed by a dedicated team of Southern engineers who have been busy installing plug sockets, information screens, LED lighting, improved WiFi, and a new digital “backbone” to the train which has helped speed up the repairs process meaning trains spend less time out of service.

With more trains added to the scope mid-scheme, Aurora became one of the largest fleet upgrades, with 1,222 carriages completed in time for the 200th anniversary of the birth of the modern railway.

Steve Lammin, GTR’s Engineering Director, said: “The success of this modernisation scheme has resulted in wide-ranging benefits to passengers on some of the country’s busiest routes and I’d like to thank everyone whose dedication contributed to this.

“A project of this scale to be completed in-house by Southern engineers is a really impressive feat and has been key to the speed we’ve managed to get upgraded trains out and serving customers again.

“I hope passengers are feeling the benefit of these improvements as they use our trains to visit friends and family and explore some of the great destinations our railway has to offer.”

Video can be downloaded below. B-Roll available upon request

With the final train, Southern unit 387305, due back on the rails this weekend, serving customers in London, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Kent, staff were treated to a celebration event to mark their past five years of dedication to the project.

John Whitehurst, GTR's Chief Operating Officer added: “This project is a great example of what can be achieved through true industry collaboration to deliver meaningful benefits for passengers and the wider network.

"At GTR, we’re proud to be at the forefront of key initiatives like this, helping to shape a more integrated, efficient and customer-focused railway for the future. Projects like this demonstrate how GTR’s expertise will make a significant contribution to the future success of Great British Railways, setting a blueprint for how the industry can work together to deliver lasting improvements.”

At the project's peak, two trains were fully upgraded and returned to passenger service each week. The 304 trains together required:

• 280km of wiring
• 39,000 LED lighting tubes
• 36,000 power sockets (each with two USB sockets)
• 2.8 million fixings and fastenings

Ben Ackroyd, Chief Operating Officer at Porterbrook, said: “This has always been about making sure that we provide passengers with the best quality trains that we can, and we’re confident that they will see the benefits of these extensive upgrades. It’s been a real team effort, and I want to thank GTR, Alstom and all the other companies involved for playing their part in Project Aurora’s success.”

The trains now feature three pin plug and dual USB sockets at every seat, enhanced passenger information screens with new digital screens at the end of each carriage, energy saving LED lighting and new tech to count the number of passengers on a train which can be used to adjust and develop timetables to give people better services.

Behind the scenes, smart on-board data recorders and updates to the Train Data Network allow for improved remote monitoring of the train’s operational systems, which helps reliability and reduces the time trains spend out of service for maintenance or repair as engineers can diagnose faults before the train's arrival.

Forward-facing and track debris CCTV has also been installed on every train with the ability to remotely live stream and download images which aid in incident analysis and reducing future delays.

As the UK’s leading supplier of new trains and train services, Alstom provided technical specification, design work and materials for Project Aurora.

Steve Harvey, Alstom’s Services Director UK and Ireland, said: “Aurora marks a landmark achievement for UK rail, and I’m immensely proud of Alstom’s pivotal role in delivering this transformation. Our commitment continues as we provide ongoing support for this significant fleet, which we’ve serviced for over 20 years since its introduction.

“Completing the country’s largest fleet upgrade on time and on budget is a true testament to the dedication and expertise of our teams. The enhancements to our Derby-built Electrostar trains will make a meaningful difference to passengers’ journeys every single day.”

Project Aurora won the Fleet Achievement of the Year award at the National Rail Awards in 2023 for its efficiency, especially with such a huge scope of carriages to complete.

GTR has the UK’s biggest fleet of Electrostars, operating between London, Surrey, Sussex and the south coast. The trains also run on Great Northern and Gatwick Express routes and with Southeastern in Kent.

ENDS