No sign of Desiro orders

摘要

Approval of the order of Siemens Desiro EMUs for London Midland and TransPennine Express is expected to slip to September after DfT missed its previous target of May 2011. This would see the delivery of either 15 or 18 four-ear sets to provide additional capacity at London Midland, and enable TPE Manchester - Scotland services to switch to electric operation with the December 2013 timetable change. The exact total depends on a DfT decision on the proposed Barnt Green - Bromsgrove electrification scheme, which would increase the London Midland requirement by three trainsets. This small number has led Siemens to insist that it will only build one type of trainset, and a Class 380 derivative as proposed for TPE would not be compatible with London Midland's Class 350 fleet.