The Chatham Main Line dates back to the 1860s, and has since its inception provided a link between the Medway towns and London. However, the call for faster journey times was answered in 2009, when Southeastern commenced operating domestic high-speed services on the newly built High Speed 1 route. For the past decade, services have been racing from the nation’s capital to Ebbsfleet, from where they join the classic lines and serve Gravesend, Medway and beyond. The British Rail Class 395 Javelin is a dual-voltage electric multiple unit (EMU) built by Hitachi as part of the Hitachi A-train AT300 family for high-speed commuter services on High Speed 1 and elsewhere on the Integrated Kent Franchise. The whole fleet is operated by Southeastern. The Class 395 can operate at a maximum speed of 140 mph (225 km/h) under 25 kV AC overhead electrification on High Speed 1, and 100 mph (160 km/h) on 750 V DC third rail supply on conventional lines. It is typically formed as a six-car train, although they can be rapidly coupled to one another to form a 12-car train as required. The type, which was entirely manufactured in Japan, is the first Hitachi-built rail vehicle to be sold to a European customer, as well as being the first British order for a Japanese train. The fleet was ordered during June 2005 by the ROSCO HSBC Rail, and was delivered to the UK between August 2007 and August 2009. Following the completion of 4,000 miles (6,400 km) fault-free running six months ahead of schedule, a 'preview' service was launched between London St Pancras and Ashford via Ebbsfleet on 18 June 2009. These were gradually expanded until the commencement of the full regular service on 13 December 2009. The use of the high-speed trains as part of the transport infrastructure for the Olympic Park formed part of the original bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The service was named the Olympic Javelin Shuttle, which formed the origin of the Javelin nickname. The Olympic services began 28 July 2012. Furthermore, the Class 395 has also been irregularly operated for charter services, the first such uses did not happen until after the 2012 Olympics due to a lack of free units. The British Rail Class 375 is an electric multiple unit train that was built by Bombardier Transportation (previously Adtranz) at Derby Litchurch Lane Works, from 1999 to 2005. The class form part of the Electrostar family of units, which also includes classes 357, 376, 377, 378, 379 and 387, is the most numerous type of EMU introduced since the privatisation of British Rail. These units form the basis of Southeastern's mainline fleet. These trains are owned by Eversholt Rail Group (formerly HSBC Rail) and leased to Southeastern for operation from London to Kent and parts of East Sussex. The Class 375 is the principal train used by Southeastern, and replaced the slam-door Mark 1 derived stock, which was more than 40 years old and did not meet modern health and safety requirements. All units have been converted from Tightlock to Dellner couplers. The British Rail Class 465 Networker is a class of 147 electric multiple units built by Metro-Cammell, British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) and ABB Rail between 1991 and 1994, designed for fast acceleration and high reliability. They were operated by Network SouthEast until 1996, and then by Connex South Eastern until 2003, South Eastern Trains until 2006 and Southeastern to the present day.
