LIFE got a little easier for commuters using Chiltern Railways’ locomotive-powered silver Mainline trains on Monday with the launch of the first set of coaches fitted with sliding power doors, instead of old-fashioned manual ‘slam’ doors.

They are the first of four to be introduced this year as the train operator gives a new look to the Mk3 coaches used on the trains, which were designed in the early 1970s.

They will be used on Chiltern’s key express services between London, Banbury and Birmingham.

As well as fitting the power doors to speed up station stops by removing the need for staff to close doors by hand, the vestibules of the coaches have been enlarged, with a number of toilets and luggage racks removed to create extra space for passengers.

All the remaining toilets have been fitted with storage tanks, so waste is no longer dumped on the tracks.

A prototype of the sliding door mechanism, based on a system used on South West Trains services, was put through rigorous tests over the past year designed to simulate 20 years of life in daily service.

Chiltern Railways’ project engineer Dave Hogwood said: “The aim of the tests was to assess long-term wear and reliability and help us predict maintenance requirements.

"The manufacturer recommends a major inspection at 15 years but we found that the prototype showed only slight wear at the end of the 20-year cycle.”

The coaches were also given corrosion repairs at Wabtec Rail’s Doncaster workshops before being repainted and are now fit for many more years in service.

Chiltern’s engineering director Kate Marjoribanks said: “This really does prove that you can deliver a first-class service using older rolling stock. The new power doors allow us to increase capacity and at the same time meet the needs of our passengers.”

Clubman trains displaced from London-Birmingham services by the loco-powered trains are set to operate Chiltern’s new Oxford-London service, if this is given the go-ahead following a public inquiry, which resumed at Oxford United’s Kassam Stadium yesterday to hear further evidence about environmental issues.

The Mk3 coaches are the same design as those used on First Great Western High Speed Train sets. There are no plans to fit these with power doors at present but a number are set to be given a life-extension overhaul to continue operating services to Devon and Cornwall into the 2020s, when new doors and toilets could be installed.