THE end of the line has come for the Class 365 EMUs on the books of the Great Northern arm of Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR). The sets have been in service for just over 25 years.
The dual voltage‘Networker’ trains were the last to be built by ABB at Holgate carriage works,York, and when new, 16 sets – Nos. 365001-016 – worked initially for Network South East and a short time later went to work West Anglia Great Northern services, their third rail shoes being removed. Since then, all sets have remained north of the Thames, working to King’s Lynn and Peterborough.
ScotRail loan
In April 2018, 10 sets were lent to ScotRail due to a problem with the Class 385 windscreen curvature, but with the order for Class 387 and 700s on GN services, the 365s’role was one of‘peak busters’, supplementing peak services. Following the downturn in air traffic, GTR has transferred some Gatwick 387s north, which has allowed the 365s’service to end on May 15.