British Rail Class 701

The British Rail Class 701[2] is a class of Aventra electric multiple units being built for South Western Railway by Bombardier Transportation's Derby Litchurch Lane Works. They are due to enter service in December 2020 on the Reading, Windsor and South West London suburban lines.[3][4]

British Rail Class 701 Aventra
Class 701/5 unit at Velim in 2020
In service2020 (planned)
ManufacturerBombardier Transportation
Built atDerby Litchurch Lane Works
Family nameAventra
Replaced
Constructed2019-
Number under construction90 sets
Formation5 or 10 carriages per set
Fleet numbers701001 - 701060
701501 - 701530
Capacity701/0: 556 seats, 740 standing[1]
701/5: 269 seats, 330 standing[1]
Operator(s)South Western Railway
Depot(s)Wimbledon, Feltham
Line(s) servedReading, Windsor & South West London suburban.
Specifications
DoorsPlug, 2 sets of doors per carriage
Maximum speed100 mph (160 km/h)
Electric system(s)750 V DC third rail
Current collection methodContact shoe
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

History

In March 2017, South Western Railway (SWR) was awarded the South Western franchise with a commitment to introduce 750 new carriages.[5][6][7] In June 2017, SWR awarded a contract to Bombardier Transportation for 90 Aventra DC EMUs, with 60 ten-car and 30 five-car trains to be introduced from 2019.[8][9] There is an option to purchase as further 5 ten-car units if required by October 2020.[10] These new trains will eventually replace all of SWR's Class 455, 456, 458 and 707 fleets, the last of which will transfer to Southeastern.[11]

Initially classified as Class 705 (5-car) and Class 711 (10-car), the units were subsequently given the number Class 701 with 701/0 for the 10-car sets and 701/5 for the 5 car sets.[1]

Production was halted in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bombardier Transportation said it would restart train production at Derby from 14 April 2020.[12]

Maintenance

The Class 701s will be maintained at Wimbledon depot and the future Feltham Depot, which will open in 2021.[9]

Features

The Class 701 will feature regenerative braking, wide gangways between coaches, wide doors for ease and efficiency of boarding and alighting, 2+2 standard class seating arrangement, Wi-Fi and at-seat USB charging points, as well as real-time passenger information screens, air conditioning and accessible toilets for disabled passengers.[9]

Each five-car train will have 274 seats with room for 361 standing passengers, while a 10-car set will seat 556 passengers with space for 746 standing.[13]

SWR have called the 701s "a near-£1 billion investment," and they have said that "these modern trains are designed and operated to reduce station dwell times, so more customers can arrive at their destinations on time more comfortably".[3] They want to use the trains to increase peak capacity on suburban routes into London Waterloo by 46%.[13]

They also claimed that the trains were more sustainable due to the regenerative braking and the new toilets "biologically and thermally treat the waste and are accessible for all passengers, including those using wheelchairs".[3]

They mentioned that "there will be several multi-use spaces available, where seating can be tipped up to accommodate prams or luggage. Dedicated wheelchair spaces are available as well as cycle racks so passengers can safely and conveniently store their bicycles" as well as showing off preview images of the new trains.[14]

Fleet details
Class Operator No. built Year built Cars per set Unit nos. Routes served
701/0[15] South Western Railway 60 2019- 10 701001 - 701060 Reading, Windsor & South West London suburban
701/5[15] 30 5 701501 - 701530

Testing, delivery & introduction into service


The first Class 701, 10 car unit 701002, was delivered from Derby Litchurch Lane Works to Eastleigh Works on 10 June 2020, for testing, in order to progress to certification from the ORR before passenger introduction later in the year. As of August 2020, 5 completed ten car units have been moved to SWR facilities in Eastleigh and Wimbledon for initial testing.[16]

See also

References
  1. "Britain's New Trains". Britain's New Trains (1): 39. 16 December 2018.
  2. Clinnick, Richard (6 September 2017). "Class 707s enter traffic with South Western Railway". Rail. Bauer Media. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  3. "Class 701 "Aventra" | Our Trains | South Western Railway".
  4. "South Western Railway's £895 million Aventra unveiled - but entry delayed to 2020".
  5. "First, MTR beat Stagecoach to win South West Trains". Rail News. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  6. "RMT slams 'crazy' First MTR decision to drop new £200m SWT trains". Rail Technology Magazine. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  7. Clifton, Paul (30 March 2017). "New trains 'dumped' by South Western franchise winner". BBC News. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  8. "First, MTR unveil new trains for South Western". Rail News. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  9. "Bombardier to supply 750 EMU cars for South Western franchise". Railway Gazette. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  10. "Option enables SWR to expand Class 701 fleet". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  11. Clinnick, Richard (20 June 2017). "Bombardier wins South Western Aventra contract". Rail Magazine. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  12. "Bombardier to resume some operations in UK". The Mighty 790 KFGO | KFGO. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  13. "South Western Railway receives first class 701 Bombardier Aventra EMU". International Railway Journal. 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  14. 2020-06-11T14:21:00+01:00. "South Western Railway's first Class 701 delivered". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  15. "Rolling Stock Orders". AB Rail. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  16. "SWR Class 701 Deliveries". Rail Record. 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
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