The 2021 Porterbrook Lecture described how Porterbrook continues to lead the industry in the delivery of innovative upgrades to existing rolling stock, developing new technical adaptations throughout the asset life cycle. Conversion of the proven Class 319 fleet into Class 769 FLEX units is an example of one such Porterbrook programme aiming to tackle decarbonisation challenges. A video of the lecture is now available to view within the Member’s Area.

Neville Dyson and Max Ordish took DRES on their project delivery journey of repurposing tried and tested Class 319 units into Class 769 bi-mode and tri-mode units. The flexibility created by multiple Class 769 energy source options supports the industry’s decarbonisation targets by allowing operators to run on electrified routes where possible but also not limiting them by the extent of current electrified infrastructure. Neville and Max provided a high-level overview of the Class 769 specification, but will major on the challenges and successes of delivering the project through collaborative customer and supplier relationships.