Hi all,

dumb question (and I think there was a post about this last week but I can't
find it anymore..)

the below article, which class number of trains aer the Juniper's and
which are the Desiro's? can anyone enlighten me?

Geoff.



UNRELIABLE NEW TRAINS HEAD FOR SIDINGS

A fleet of four year old trains is to be shunted into sidings, because it
has proved so unreliable.

South West Trains says it will hand back thirty Juniper trains when the
lease expires next year.

The trains have been criticised for their complex systems, poor structural
quality, leaking drivers' cabs and frequent breakdowns. They were built in
Birmingham by the French group Alstom.

South West Trains says it will replace the Juniper rolling stock with new
Desiro trains, built by Siemens of Germany, which have already proved five
times more reliable. The Junipers broke down at an average rate of once
every 4,300 miles last year. The first Desiros to enter service have gone
more than 21,000 miles between faults.

South West Trains is desperate to improve punctuality. The company has one
of the worst records for delays and is running high profile campaign to
improve timekeeping on its commuter routes between Hampshire, Surrey,
Berkshire and London.

The leasing company Porterbrook, which will have to take back the Juniper
trains, now faces the difficulty of finding another company willing to put
them into passenger service.