Class 378 Multiple Working

[Crossover]

Apologies if this has been covered before.

Just been talking to a friend about differences between Class 378 and 379's and from which I was wondering if the 378's can work in multiple in service?

The reason I ask is there are no bellows at either end of the train (thought it looked smooth but hadn't clicked before!) and there is a bulge in the door so I was wondering if they are there for emergency evacuation onto the tracks (with steps built into the door) or if they can work in multiple in service with a gangwayed connection, or possibly as two separate units as per having no door at all?

 

[jopsuk]

Plenty of units work in multiple without gangways- but the closest similar would be 319s, 313-315 etc, which have escape doors in the ends.

 

[asylumxl]

I don't know about the infrastructure, but I imagine they're just for evacuation in single bore tunnels. Thameslink no longer requires it I believe as all the single bore tunnels are now gone.

 

[Minstral25]

Technically they should be able to for emergencies but unlikely in service as none of the lines they work can take longer trains (ELL/NLL most platforms are 4 coach only)

 

[ChrisCooper]

The only single bore tunnels on lines the 378s use are the Thames Tunnels on the ELL. Had the ELL trains been ordered seperate to the NLL and WLL ones then then the NLL and WLL trains might not have had the end emergency doors, although had they also gone for the same type then it's possible they would have had them just to simplify the design, the same way all the 313 derived classes have them despite only the GN 313s and Merseyrail 507s and 508s actually needing them.

 

[notadriver]

I think the section between Wapping and Shadwell might be partly twin bore as well.

 

[Class377/5]

378's can work in multiple and have done before when once has failed.

They can't work in multiple in service as they aren't designed for that. The escape doors actually lower down like on a Tube train. Current rules on new units are that you can escape from either end of the train, in the case of the 378, if you ran in multiples you could have a case where you became trapped on the trains, ie in a fire and couldn't escape, so this wouldn't be allowed.

Note TfL prefers to extend trains rather than use multiple units. Shoreditch High Street for example was build with passive provision for 8 car trains.

 

[Skoodle]

As others have said previously, there are two sections where the cab emergency egress is required; Wapping to Shadwell and Wapping to Rotherhithe.

There is no ability for two 378 units to have interconnected gangways for use in passenger service, the ends aren't designed for it and the cab isn't designed for it either. The emergency steps at each end are folded up in front of the door, and it's a case of pulling two handles to one, open the door and two, deploy the steps.

If however it is required to couple another unit and detrain passengers to the second train via the cab ends, then the steps can be detached from their pullies, moved to the secondman's side and a footplate is attached on the floor to go over the dellner coupler to provide better access to the other train.

 

[bnsf734]

Thanks for the photo Skoodle. I wondered how the end door worked.

Calv

 

[Crossover]

Thanks Class 377/5 and Skoodle for your replies. Very informative and answered what I thought would be the case, but wasn't certain about.

Also thanks Skoodle for the pic - expected the door to swing out, not to be a plug type sliding one. Learn something new every day