LONDON — A German train manufacturer has spent 10 million pounds in an attempt to replicate the dilapidated rail track used by its British customers, according to a wire service.
The company, Siemens, said on Thursday it had modified its test track by deliberately inserting gaps between sections of rail, making track heights and gauge widths uneven and installing an erratic electricity supply to simulate British commuter routes.
Siemens, which is building 785 carriages for South West Trains (SWT), said it does not want any nasty surprises when the new trains enter service over the next two years.
Strikes have crippled SWT services in London and the south of England in recent months, angering passengers and piling pressure on the Labour government to act to improve the country’s overcrowded and crumbling rail network, which has suffered several fatal accidents in recent years.
Frustrated travellers are often left waiting on platforms or sitting on stationary trains as engineering works, electrical problems or even leaves and sheep on the line disrupt services.
“Every detail has been considered,” Siemens and SWT said in a joint statement. “Pieces of fibreglass resin have also been placed on the tracks to replicate icy conditions and the perennial problems caused by leaves on the line.”
SWT Managing Director Andrew Haines said: “It’s a step backwards for them in technical terms, but the result should be better for our passengers.” The one billion pound train order — the biggest in Britain’s rail history — was signed a year ago.