Southeastern to receive 13 Class 377s from Govia Thameslink as part of EMU reshuffle

Southeastern is to receive 13 Class 377/1 EMUs over the next 12 months from Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR).

Currently in use with Southern, the first two sets, 377121 and 377122, will arrive in time for the December timetable change, when the operator is introducing more than 200 weekly services. The remaining 11 – 377123-133 - will be transferred before December 2025.

GTR’s Engineering Director, Steve Lammin, said the move was possible due to the arrival of 30 Class 379 units (RAIL 1023), which are due to start work on its Great Northern lines between London King’s Cross in January. The four-car sets had been in storage since 2022 when no longer needed by Greater Anglia.

The '379s' will allow GTR to move Class 387/1 units from Great Norhern routes to work on Southern routes as they are dual-voltage. 

Lammin added: “This will enable more services to run across the network to meet growing customer demand across the South East."

Sophie Barker, Head of Major Programmes at Southeastern, said: "The Class 377s have better acceleration and braking than the Networkers they're replacing. This should help us provide a more reliable service, while providing a better experience for customers.”

Southeastern is also continuing a procurement process to replace its Class 465 and Class 466 Networker units, which are 30 years old, with new or upgraded trains, while a £27 million refurbishment of its 29 Class 395 ‘Javelin sets has been completed.