An additional fleet of 30 Class 379s, acquired by Porterbrook in March 2024 and reactivated by Alstom, will help Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) give its Great Northern and Thameslink passengers extra services, faster journeys and better connections.

The first two four-carriage units (numbers 379002 and 022) entered service on Monday 10 February as an eight-carriage train on the existing 17:42 from King’s Cross to Letchworth Garden City service.

The trains, originally built by Alstom at its Derby Litchurch Lane Works between 2010 - 2011 for Stansted Express, feature up-to-date customer information systems, accessibility features and plug sockets for charging devices.

Stefan Rose, Chief Investment Officer at Porterbrook, said: “I’m delighted that more of our Electrostars are entering service with GTR. When we acquired the fleet from Akiem last year we were confident that they would be perfectly suited to GTR’s requirements, and it’s excellent to see them back out on the network to serve passengers for many more years to come.”

GTR Engineering Director Steve Lammin said: “These extra trains we have started to bring into service are a real demonstration of GTR working with partners across the rail industry to give passengers extra services and better journeys right across the South East. They're supporting our steady recovery from the effects of the pandemic.

“Here, on the route north of London to Cambridge and King’s Lynn, we’ve worked with our partners across the rail industry to develop this new timetable for December 2025 that capitalises on the massive £4bn decade-long investment in the East Coast Main Line."

Peter Broadley, Services Managing Director UK and Ireland at Alstom, said: “As part of our ongoing commitment to smart and sustainable rail solutions, Alstom is delighted to support the reactivation of the Class 379 fleet. This project exemplifies the importance of collaboration within the rail industry to enhance capacity and experience for the fare-paying passenger, while optimising the use of existing assets."