It’s taken more than its fair share of time, but the first Alstom Class 701 trains (branded Arterio) for South Western Railways commuter network have finally taken to rails in passenger service.
South Western Railway Class 701 Arterio – Image, South Western Railway.
The trains will be initially deployed on the London Waterloo – Windsor route (and with a very limited operation pattern), before further deployment across the South West Railway commuter network, including the lines to Reading and South West London.
These trains will be in a mixture of a 5-car or 10-car configuration, with 274 seats/361 standing passengers, while a ten-car set will seat 556 passengers/746 standing.
For an inner-city London commuter train, they’ll feature something rather novel – a toilet (one in a five-car unit, two in a 10-car unit). Other passenger features include seating in a 2 – 2 arrangement. as well as offering higher capacity, onboard Wi-Fi, charging points, air conditioning and walk-through carriages.
There is also space for bicycles and wheelchairs aboard, although there is no level boarding offered.
SWR Arterio Fact sheet – Image, South Western Railway
Passengers can also access an on-train streaming service for those who wish to be entertained by SWR.
Once deployed en-mass, it will facilitate the removal of the BR Class 455 (which has been the backbone of the commuter operation), as well as the Alstom Class 458 (which are due to be reconfigured and redeployed on the South Western Network) and Siemens Class 707 (which have mostly been transferred to South Eastern, rebranded as CityBeam).
Like most south-of-the-river rolling stock, this train operates with third-rail electrical pickup, as opposed to overhead catenary.
They’ve been a long time coming
The Class 701 order was announced in July 2017, with delays in production, as well as issues with quality, manufacturing and software defects -along with a laundry list of issues. The type meant to be delivered and in squadron service by 2021… and yet… well.
We’re in 2024 now and the first “demonstration” runs are now happening, with crews still needing to be trained on the type.
When they enter squadron service, they’ll offer peak time capacity – although how much that is needed these days with the changes in working patterns could challenge that perception – or at least have slightly more space to roam and stand in.
But when?
Whilst the rollout has begun, there is currently no estimated completion date to have the fleet in squadron operation, let alone further route rollout stages.
With 90 trains to deploy and to have out earning revenue, as well also replacing older trains, it will be some time before the trains will be a daily sight.
And for those who enjoy the clicks and sounds of the classic PEP stock, it’ll be around for some time to come, I suspect.
If you want to ride one, it’s an idea to keep an eye on Railforum’s post on the type to see if it’s running.
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