South Western Railway formally launches its Arterio fleet

It’s taken some time – but after a five-year wait, South Western Railway has formally launched and rolled out its Class 701 Arterio fleet.

To celebrate, Unit 701031 was named Nighthawk by Stuart Broad CBE.

Five Arterios are already in service, serving the routes to Windsor & Eton Riverside and Shepperton, calling at some of SWR’s busiest stations including Earlsfield, Kingston, Richmond, Twickenham and Wimbledon.

Building on those destinations, it was also confirmed that the new fleet will serve stations including Dorking, Epsom, Guildford, Hampton Court and Reading over the next six months, with an extra 10 trainsets to come online to support this.

The Class 701 Arterio will replace the existing Class 455 trains that are currently in service on the South Western Railway London and Outer-Suburban network. They are based on the Aventra platform (trains such as the ones used by the Elizabeth Line, Greater Anglia, London Overground and West Midlands Railway)

Each ten-car Arterio carries over 50% more customers than the eight-car Class 455 trains they replace, significantly increasing capacity for customers. The £1 billion fleet will also improve customer comfort, providing modern features including Wi-Fi, charging points at every seat, real-time information, accessible toilets and air conditioning.

The class is split into two types – the 701/0 (Made up of 10 carriages, 556 seated, up to 746 standing) and the 701/5 (made up of five carriages, with 274 seated and 361  standing passengers).

In Quotes

Stuart Broad CBE, former England cricketer, said:

“I’m honoured to join South Western Railway today and name one of their new Arterio trains Nighthawk, a role I had great fun playing for England.

“Trains play a huge role in bringing sports fans to the heart of the action they love, building excitement as they make their way to the big game. It’s exciting to think of the Nighthawk journeying across London, connecting even more fans to iconic sporting destinations that bring us all together.”

Stuart Meek, Interim Managing Director for South Western Railway, commented:

“Today represents another major milestone on the continuing rollout of our 90 new Arterio trains, which will completely transform every single journey on our suburban network. Introducing a new fleet is a monumental achievement and is the culmination of all the hard work of our colleagues and partners to get these trains on the track.

“The Arterio fleet is more than just a means of travel, it is a symbol of connection, bringing people and communities together to enjoy events and the moments that unite us. We’ve named our trains in honour of the celebrated sporting venues across our network and our role in connecting communities with all the exciting events and destinations our suburban services have to offer.

“Customers love the Arterios we already have in service, and thousands more of them will soon benefit from the next wave being rolled out. Over the next six months, Arterios will call at 74 stations, operating 80 peak services every weekday, with customers along new routes including Dorking, Epsom, Guildford, Hampton Court and Reading able to enjoy extra capacity and comfort.”

Rail Minister Lord Hendy said:

“I’m pleased passengers travelling on South Western Railway are now doing so on a fleet of brand new Arterio trains, which will significantly improve the experience for millions of commuters travelling in and out of the capital.

“Through additional capacity, these trains will offer more comfortable, reliable services and were proudly built right here in the UK – demonstrating the strength of our rail manufacturing sector as well as our ambition to deliver a network fit for the future.”

Marco Michel, Derby Litchurch Lane Managing Director at Alstom, said:

“Today is a proud moment for everyone involved as our 90 Derby-designed and built Class 701 Arterios are officially launched by South Western Railway. Part of the Aventra family, the country’s largest train manufacturing programme in a generation, these technologically advanced trains embody our commitment to smart and sustainable mobility.

“Working in partnership with South Western Railway, we are thrilled to deliver a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient and comfortable travel experience for hundreds of thousands of customers across the railway’s suburban network.”

Rollout

The next Arterios will be rolled out as follows across the South Western Railway Suburban network:

• Currently: Operating, Windsor, Shepperton, Surbiton, Strawberry Hill, Windsor and Eaton
• February – Kingston and Shepperton  Hounslow Loop
• March Epsom, Guildford and Dorking
• May: Chessington South
• June: Reading

Note, that the new Classs 701 trains will be focused on peak time services first, before being extended to the rest of the timetable, with this plan requiring 15 trainsets.

It’s taken long enough

For trains that were meant to be ordered in 2017, with deliveries commencing in 2019, seeing them come into squadron service at the tail end of 2024 is… well, they’ve made it into service is the nicest things this writer can say.

After a soft launch in January this year, there appears to be confidence in rolling these trains out en masse, as driver training is ramped up to support their operation. With the intensive timetable, the class will operate, supporting a busy commuter network out of London Waterloo.

It’s hit other train companies, with the fleet cascade of the Class 707 partially delayed over a period of four years, and the retirement of the BREL Class 455s delayed.

Hopefully, the soft launch of the new Class 701s has given Alstom/Bombardier time to iron out the software and operational issues before bringing these trains into squadron service.