I got to see the 376 at Derby before it was delivered and was a bit
shocked. SET claim it was the result of passenger/stakeholder
consultation. I expect more was down to the principle of more standing
room for shorter journeys, without knowing the full implication on the
end design. It is intended for journey times of 30-40 minutes and has a
normal range of Dartford/London (possibly Gravesend), but may extend to
Sevenoaks and Gillingham in the peak hours. It is replacing Networker
465s that are being 'refreshed' and cascaded to middle distance journeys
to Ashford and Faversham. The 376 is not a competitor for the 375/9 -
the 375 is longer distance and the /9 is just attempting to squeeze the
seats in to compensate for the slam door trains. There has been a lot of
criticism about the seats, very upright and some people with minor back
problems are in agony after using them - I hope there is a test case
soon by somebody affected. I had the joy of using them on the 17:46 out
of Cannon Street to Strood for a while on the old timetable, the 10 car
formation was taken off in the new timetable and replaced by 465/466
combinations as small as 6 car! - possibly punishment for the people who
complained.