Southeastern and Hornby have today (Tuesday) officially unveiled the Railway 200 ‘Javelin’ train to celebrate Railway 200 while also recognising the transformative effect highspeed has had on Kent and the south-east of England.
Railway 200 is a year-long celebration which recognises the 200th anniversary of passenger rail services in the UK with events and activities taking place across the UK.
Although the new livery will be appearing across the highspeed fleet in the coming months, this train (395015) is the only one which will feature the specially designed Railway 200 graphic.
To coincide with the introduction of the train into customer service, Hornby have also released a Train Pack and Coach Pack, including the new livery and Railway 200 graphic. The packs can be purchased via the Hornby website.
The artwork showcases some of the iconic landmarks and destinations customers can visit by Southeastern highspeed train including; St Pancras International, The Orbit at Stratford, Kentish oast houses and hop fields, Rochester Castle, Harbour Arm Lighthouse in Folkestone, Turner Contemporary in Margate and the iconic White Cliffs of Dover. Representatives from some of those attractions, as well as others, joined Southeastern and Hornby at Margate today to officially unveil the livery and graphic.
Highspeed services first started operating from St Pancras International in 2009 and have since provided just over 177million journeys, including a post-pandemic record high of just over 15million* in the last financial year, a 6.6% increase compared to the year before.
It has also vastly improved transport links between Kent and central London, helping to drive economic growth, decarbonisation and social mobility. A report by Kent County Council in 2019 found HS1 had allowed a further 164,000 households in Kent to access job opportunities in central London.
The service has also made it quicker, easier and simpler for customers from across the country and beyond to visit Kent and experience some of the iconic and wonderful attractions across the Garden of England, such as those shown on the artwork.
Alicia Andrews, Commercial Director at Southeastern, said:
“The Southeastern High-Speed service is currently the only domestic high-speed service in the UK. We want to take this opportunity to celebrate the transformative effect rail investment can bring by connecting people with employment, housing, education and opportunities.
“In the last financial year, Southeastern highspeed set a new post-pandemic record of just over 15million journeys which shows how important it remains to the region.
“Railway 200 is a special year for us all and we have already unveiled a specially designed Network SouthEast train as well as celebrating the 189th birthday of London’s oldest station, Deptford and we are delighted to continue today by partnering with Hornby.
“We are delighted to showcase with this special train some of the attractions and businesses which have benefited, and will continue to benefit, from the connections provided by highspeed rail and Southeastern.”
Clarrie Wallis, Director, Turner Contemporary, added:
“High-speed rail has brought millions of visitors to Turner Contemporary, serving as a vital and environmentally friendly link to our gallery.
"We’re proud to manage the Creative Isle Community Rail Partnership in Thanet and to participate in the Railway 200 celebrations this year, highlighting the essential role rail plays in sustainably connecting people to art and culture in Margate and beyond."
Martyn Weaver, Hornby Brand MD, added:
"Collaborating with Southeastern on this project has been a fantastic way to celebrate 200 years of passenger rail travel.
“The Railway 200 livery is a striking tribute to this milestone, and it’s exciting to see it recreated both on the full-size Class 395 and in model form. It’s a great example of how railway heritage continues to inspire both the real and model railway worlds."
The programme to fit the new livery to the rest of the highspeed fleet is part of the already announced £27million investment to refurbish and modernise the UK’s fastest trains.
Customers who would like to see the train in action, can simply send a WhatsApp message to Southeastern on 07866 002 690 with the message #395015. An automatic response will then show which services the train will be operating on that day.
