Class 701 'Aventra' trains for South Western Railway: progress updates

[Goldfish62]

When they were ordered the total of 750 (60x10, 30x5) vehicles was intended to replace all of the 455, 456, 458, and 707. I think that was 742 vehicles. Seems pretty close to me. Should the 458s be counted as being replaced?

Yes, because that was the original plan and still is if you consider they are being removed from suburban services and are only remaining because they're replacing the 442s.

 

[swt_passenger]

Yes, because that was the original plan and still is if you consider they are being removed from suburban services and are only remaining because they're replacing the 442s.

That’s what I was thinking. It was a relatively big order, but at the time it was done the “extras” were really just a minor rounding up…

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Could someone who is across this ever-lengthening saga produce a flow chart of where we are now,and how we have got here with these units please? Given the additional costs of keeping the old stock in use,the build and snagging costs of the 701s,the cost of storing them,the likely degradation of them sitting around ,the interest payments and whatever else is involved could be an interesting read. Remind me when the first one was completed.

We all know what happened to the 442 project,and whilst nobody is openly suggesting the 701 scheme be cancelled,just when will the various issues preventing them being operated in passenger service start to be resolved? Will the apparent freezing of GBR have any effect on who pays for what and when going forward? With a two year recession ahead,bullets may need to be bitten.

Siemens must be watching on and smiling.

I wrote to Transport Select Committee suggesting they have an enquiry into why it is taking so long to get new trains into traffic in the UK but the chair has been changed out from Huw Merriman to Iain Stewart in between post Sunaks appointment so have to see.

 

[traji00]

Unit 701038 is currently stabled at Shepperton siding as 5Q70. It looked like emergency lighting was on.

 

[Sebastian O]

Unit 701038 is currently stabled at Shepperton siding as 5Q70. It looked like emergency lighting was on.

Any pictures?

 

[traji00]

Any pictures?

Unfortunately not — I only noticed as we were pulling out of Shepperton.

 

[deepeetw]

Unfortunately not — I only noticed as we were pulling out of Shepperton.

Plenty of time if it is still there, describer for that berth now shows “1MTH BRTH”

 

[165009]

As of about 12 hours ago, there were 5 of them at Feltham, 3 at Clapham Yard, and 3 at Wimbledon Park, switched off so I would guess it's not universally solved if it has been.

Hi, do you have any idea what the 3 at Clapham and 5 at Feltham were?

 

[Pinza48]

Hi, do you have any idea what the 3 at Clapham and 5 at Feltham were?

The 3 at Clapham Junction were 701.014, 028 and 047

 

[Elorith]

Hi, do you have any idea what the 3 at Clapham and 5 at Feltham were?

Didn't get the unit numbers I'm afraid.

 

[W'looMan]

I managed to get this as I changed ends at Shepperton.

 

[RobShipway]

I managed to get this as I changed ends at Shepperton.

Looking at the photo in W'looMan post above, the class 701 units do not seem as wide as the class 707 units. Does that that the 5 car 701 units will have less capacity than the 707 units?

 

[Robert Carroll]

I believe the 701s are a bit wider inside than a 707, helped by not having door pockets as they have plug doors not sliding doors.

 

[Goldfish62]

Looking at the photo in W'looMan post above, the class 701 units do not seem as wide as the class 707 units. Does that that the 5 car 701 units will have less capacity than the 707 units?

An illusion due to the respective designs and the application of yellow. Any variance will be a few mm.

 

[XAM2175]

An illusion due to the respective designs and the application of yellow. Any variance will be a few mm.

I don't have an over-body width for the 701 but if we assume it's the same as a 720 then the difference in exterior widths is 30 mm. As noted though the 701 will reclaim a bit of that with narrowed interior panelling.

I agree it looks more profound than that though!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

701s are 2.78m wide.

707s are 2.80m wide.

This is a difference of only 2cm externally - I suspect the internal measurement will be equal given the door differences mentioned above meaning no pockets.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

An illusion due to the respective designs and the application of yellow. Any variance will be a few mm.

Not helped by the Desiro City being closer to the camera, either.

 

[dingdinger]

Plenty of time if it is still there, describer for that berth now shows “1MTH BRTH”

Seems to have been moved now.

 

[deepeetw]

Seems to have been moved now.

Much like with the rest of the programme, no idea what’s going on then!

 

[Mikey C]

Not helped by the Desiro City being closer to the camera, either.

As Tom Baker's Doctor Who explained to Leela

 

[RobShipway]

I believe the 701s are a bit wider inside than a 707, helped by not having door pockets as they have plug doors not sliding doors.

An illusion due to the respective designs and the application of yellow. Any variance will be a few mm.

701s are 2.78m wide.

707s are 2.80m wide.

This is a difference of only 2cm externally - I suspect the internal measurement will be equal given the door differences mentioned above meaning no pockets.

Thanks.

 

[VWRO2]

Seems to have been moved now.

Currently outstaying it's welcome at Staines carriage sidings. Was supposed to have been moved on today yet still there, isolated.

 

[Goldfish62]

Currently outstaying it's welcome at Staines carriage sidings. Was supposed to have been moved on today yet still there, isolated.

I have just passed it. It now has grafitti.

 

[Invincible]

I have just passed it. It is now has grafitti.

Should not happen now the town is officially called Staines upon Thames.

A British Town Changed Its Name Because of Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen

In this week's Maphead, Ken Jennings explores the British town that changed its name to distance itself from a fictional character.

www.cntraveler.com

 

[Recessio]

Should not happen now the town is officially called Staines upon Thames.

A British Town Changed Its Name Because of Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen

In this week's Maphead, Ken Jennings explores the British town that changed its name to distance itself from a fictional character.

www.cntraveler.com

Interesting that they haven't renamed the station. Though I'm not too surprised by the graffiti, it is Staines after all.

How comes this unit is sat there anyway?

 

[VWRO2]

Not 100% sure to be honest, don't know whether it failed at Shepperton last week or not. However, it is isolated but this isn't an uncommon sight for these units. Has caused some berthing issues at Staines though with 4 road having it's conductor rail removed just 2 weeks ago. Foresight and all that....

Interesting that they haven't renamed the station. Though I'm not too surprised by the graffiti, it is Staines after all.

How comes this unit is sat there anyway?

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Rock Rail South Western have added 031 and 048 to the "charged" register implying they've accepted them even if SWR aren't happy.

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10754652/filing-history

 

[Invincible]

I went to an RCTS talk yesterday evening where Claire Mann, MD of SWR, was the speaker. Her message was that she is not accepting more 701s and won't begin driver training until some remaining issues are sorted out, notably another software drop towards the end of this year. She seemed hopeful that things would get going after that. The capacitors issue was not raised in the discussion (I forgot about it and she did not mention it) but it seems that the software is still the main issue as it keeps on crashing when they try to start up a unit. My impression was that there is no major dispute with the unions regarding the 701s but that the unions want a train that works and so does she. As Mrs Mann used to be a train driver, she can see the drivers' point of view.

Presumably SWR will test the new software release on a test track before the mainline?

 

[Snow1964]

Rock Rail South Western have added 031 and 048 to the "charged" register implying they've accepted them even if SWR aren't happy.

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10754652/filing-history

For convenience the Rock rail units with charges is now just over 25% of the fleet (190 of 750 vehicles) :

Charges 2-4, 6-9, 11-22 cover following 19 units :
004, 006, 011, 012, 016, 017, 019, 023, 025, 029, 031, 032, 034, 035, 037, 042, 044, 047, 048

charges : 1 (general), 5 (simulators), 10 (spare parts) also exist, hence 22 charges, but only 19 trains.

 

[Goldfish62]

Presumably SWR will test the new software release on a test track before the mainline?

I assume they'll do what every other operator has done with new software installs, whatever that is.