Commuter trains are by their nature, well… how can I put this nicely? Boring as heck. They’re designed to get you from one station to another station, normally crammed to gills (well, not so much at the moment), without any niceties.
However, it seems that South Western Railway is trying to inject a little excitement in its new fleet of Class 701 trains – naming them “Arterio“.
Bombardier Class 701 “Arterio” – Image, South Western Railway.
The name has been christened to the £1 billion train fleet, that will serve South West London, Surrey and Berkshire from its terminal of London Waterloo.
According to the company, the name Arterio reflects the suburban network’s importance to the nation’s capital and presumably the arteries of it serves.
Let’s look at the more important things, rather than the name. The fleet will be made up of 90 train sets, comprised of 60 10-Car sets, and 30 5-car sets.
In terms of seating/standing numbers, a ten-car set will be able to seat 556 passengers with space for 746 standing, whilst five-car set can seat 274 passengers, with room for 361 standing passengers.
Onboard, the Arterio trains, the seating will be configured with two by two seating. There will be onboard Wi-Fi, at-seat charging points, screens showing real-time service information, air-conditioning, walk-through carriages, dedicated wheelchair spaces and fully accessible toilets across the entire suburban network for the first time.
The first Arterio train is expected to be introduced later this year on the London Waterloo-Reading line, with the fleet rolled out over two years. These will replace the existing Class 455, Class 456, Class 458 and Class 707 trains that are used on the suburban part of the South Western Railway network. The Class 444, Class 450 and Class 442 will remain on the longer distance routes that the company operates.
In Quotes
Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said:
“This is an important milestone for South Western Railway. This new fleet which will offer improved reliability and better facilities, getting passengers across the South West to their destination in comfort and on time.
“As services begin to return to normal levels and passenger numbers increase, it is our upmost priority to ensure everyone stays safe when travelling, which is why we continue to advise people to wear a face covering, travel at quieter times, wash their hands regularly and maintain social distancing.”
Mark Hopwood, South Western Railway’s Managing Director, said:
“The name Arterio reflects how important this fleet will be in carrying people in and out of the heart of the capital.
“Although passenger numbers may be low at the moment, people will want to travel again whether that is for work or leisure and we will be ready to play our part in helping that recovery. New trains that offer a transformed travelling experience will be key to that.
“The Arterio fleet is a massive investment for our business, and we are looking forward to our passengers joining us on this exciting journey.”
Matt Byrne, President UK & Ireland, Bombardier Transportation said:
“We are delighted that South Western Railway have chosen the name ‘Arterio’ for the 750-car fleet we have designed and are now building here in Britain.
“We are working with SWR to bring the trains into service as rapidly as possible, so they can help transform the vital routes serving London’s Waterloo Station.
Improving the passenger experience… a little bit.
The passenger experience on suburban commuter trains can be less than desired, with sometimes getting a seat being the best amenity on-board (and that’s not a given, the closer you get to London).
With the new features the trains are planning to offer (with onboard Wi-Fi, at-seat charging, air conditioning and even toilets onboard), it should make the commuting experience a little more bearable out of London Waterloo.
Providing you can get a seat…
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