Come rain or shine, new Thameslink trains will be ready to tackle any extreme weather conditions.
The first Class 700 Desiro City vehicles, built by Siemens for the Thameslink route, are undergoing tests in a climate chamber to ensure that components can cope with extreme ambient temperatures, solar gain, ice, snow and wind.
The tests include ensuring doors can open and close in severe snow and ice, testing windscreen heaters work when the cab is iced up and ensuring wipers work at speeds of up to 100mph.
Jonathan Bridgewood, First Capital Connect Thameslink Programme director, said: “Train reliability during very cold winter months can be a real issue for our passengers so we’re delighted to have witnessed the testing of the future Thameslink train to such extremes of temperature.
“These rigorous tests not only build our confidence in the reliability of the train but they also show that passengers will always be able to travel in comfort whether it is bitterly cold outside or a real summer scorcher.”
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