Issue 21 Ventilation on your trains


The following answer was published in Issue 21 (Mar/Apr 2007) of
e-motion magazine.
Question

Ventilation on your new blue Desiro Class 450s and white Desiro Class 444s is terrible when the air conditioning and fans are not working, because the sealed windows can't be opened. From a health and safety perspective, how can you be sure there is adequate fresh air?
Answer

The Desiro carriages can feel very uncomfortable on a hot day if the ventilation fans go off. I can reassure you that there are air ventilation ducts on the roof at each end of the carriages. These allow fresh air to enter even when the doors are closed and the power is off. In line with health and safety requirements, the air-conditioning system has a fan that draws 10% of fresh air into the carriage when it is on. Desiro trains also have real-time fault monitoring so that any problems with the air conditioning or ventilation fans are picked up. They are also subject to daily function tests at the depot.

Mac Mackintosh, Engineering Director