The Class 345 is the rolling stock built for the Elizabeth Line, a major new railway project originally known as Crossrail - as it crosses London - which finally opened in 2022. The Class 345 was the first of the Bombardier Aventra family of electric multiple units to enter service on the network.
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| 345 040 at Abbey Wood |
| Information |
| Number built: |
630 (70 9-car sets) |
| Built: |
2015-19 |
| Builder: |
Bombardier Derby |
| Motor: |
Bombardier traction system (25kV AC OHLE) |
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No Class 341 was built but
it did appear on a carrier bag! |
The Elizabeth Line (Crossrail) is a 117 kilometre long line stretching from the west (as far as Reading) to the east (Shenfield) of London and serving major London stations such as London Paddington, London Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf. The line has a new deep level tunnel section through the centre of London. Unlike other deep level tunnels in London, the Crossrail tunnels are large enough for standard gauge trains and not tube sized stock. The Crossrail project was first mentioned in 1974 though no serious plans or proposals took place until the 1980s and early 1990s. If the project had begun under British Rail then the rolling stock could have been the Networker derived Class 341.
Finally, concrete proposals were formed up in the early 2000s with construction beginning in 2009, twenty one kilometres of new tunnels were needed under London. The Class 345 entered service in the Summer of 2017, operating under the TfL Rail brand until the Elizabeth Line was opened officially.
The Class 345 is designed to be able to move a lot of people very quickly. The train is designed to be able to carry up to 1, 500 passengers at up to 140 km/h (90 mp/h).
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| Front end comparison at London Liverpool Street, 345 015 in the centre |
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| Preparing to leave Custom House |
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| In TfL Rail days, 345 007 at London Liverpool Street |
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| Front end of 345 040 |
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| 345 014 at Stratford |
