October 2009

The introduction of regenerative braking on Class 377 Electrostar vehicles, resulting in initial energy savings of between 15-17%.  Electrostar trains were originally specified by Porterbrook with the capability to regenerate the energy created by braking into electricity and return this to the 3 rd rail supply grid. This is beneficial for the environment and also reduces energy costs for the Train Operating Company.  The infrastructure has been modified by Network Rail to enable it to receive regenerated energy, and Porterbrook has supported the industry approval process to allow trains to operate in regeneration mode on the network; the complete fleet was operational by October 2009.

September 2009

The South Central rail franchise, trading as Southern, was relet on 20 th September 2009. The Southern franchise, which is operated by Govia, is Porterbrook's largest single customer with over 900 pieces of rolling stock and accounts for almost 25% of the fleet by volume. The new franchise will run to July 2015 with the potential for a 2 year extension.

As part of the refranchising process Porterbrook was successful in securing new lease terms for all of the rolling stock that was operating within the previous franchise and hopes to continue building on this success by becoming the financier for a further 44 class 377 vehicles with Southern; an investment of over £54m.

August 2009

Porterbrook and Electro Motive Diesel Inc (EMD) agreed to trial an air conditioning unit in a Class 66 locomotive, on lease to First GB Railfreight.

The JT42 Class 66 cab air conditioning unit provides powerful cooling at 5kW, which reduces the cab humidity by removing moisture from the air, and maintains the cab temperature to a comfortable level to ensure that the driver is suitably cool on hot days. Features of the air conditioning units include a manual thermostat control, which is mounted near the driver's seat for easy reach, and adjustable louvers which allow the cooled air to be directed at both the driver and second man's positions.

The trial started in August 2009 and if successful could be rolled out to the entire Class 66 fleet.

March 2009

Porterbrook agreed to trial an alternative lighting system for trains. Working with EAO and supported by LED supplier MARL, Porterbrook agreed to fit a 3-car Class 323 unit with Bright Ambient Sensing Interior Lighting or BASIL for short. Unit number 323205 was fitted with LED lighting which adjusts its output depending on the ambient light level. LED technology offers lower power consumption for lighting and a very long “bulb” life such that they would only require replacement once in the vehicle life.

The object of the trail was to prove the system which would then be available for sale across any suitable fleet.

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