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

[markle]

On 701037 this morning and the guard is announcing:

"I apologise for the poor condition of the train this morning. For your own comfort please do not sit in any seats that are barriered off or have a "do not use" sticker on them. If you notice any issues with other seats please let me know and I will mark them accordingly"

I can't see any issues in my part of the train, but I do wonder what diagram it was operating last night?

 

[norbitonflyer]

On 701037 this morning and the guard is announcing:

"I apologise for the poor condition of the train this morning. For your own comfort please do not sit in any seats that are barriered off or have a "do not use" sticker on them. If you notice any issues with other seats please let me know and I will mark them accordingly"

I can't see any issues in my part of the train, but I do wonder what diagram it was operating last night?

Its last two workings last night were the 2306 waterloo to Hampton Court and 2359 Hampton Court to Wimbledon

 

[Goldfish62]

Which means the Kingston Rounders 2Kxx/2Oxx were all 701s too on sunday, as they interwork with the Sheppertons

I suppose that while the introduction of further 701s to service has seemingly ground to a halt thus preventing any new weekday diagrams, ongoing crew training is allowing an increase in weekend work for the units that are available.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Which means the Kingston Rounders 2Kxx/2Oxx were all 701s too on sunday, as they interwork with the Sheppertons

The 2Vxx/2Rxx services from Waterloo to Kingston via Hounslow were 455s though, so apart from the Shepperton branch the only stations to be all 701 were Norbiton, St Margarets, North Sheen and Mortlake.

 

[Snow1964]

I suppose that while the introduction of further 701s to service has seemingly ground to a halt thus preventing any new weekday diagrams, ongoing crew training is allowing an increase in weekend work for the units that are available.

And there is the spin off of not unnecessarily adding miles to the old units. Which if there is a 701 introduction pause and older sets do few extra weeks than planned, means fewer will reach mileage limits before maintenance.

We are at a point where only 22-23 units (220-230 vehicles of a 750 vehicle fleet) are in regular service, so still only about 30% of the fleet. The SWR suburban /Windsor lines timetable is around 50-65 trains depending on which timetable (2019 full version or current thinned out version) is discussed.

 

[tfw756rider]

Mea culpa.

"My mistake" (to save anyone else looking it up)

 

[NSEWonderer]

701009 was having a nice run around till the incident at Whitton, currently stuck at Whitton Junction.

Realtime Trains | 5Q20 0959 Clapham Yard Sidings to London Waterloo | 07/10/2025

Real-time train running information for 5Q20 0959 departure from Clapham Yard Sidings to London Waterloo on 07/10/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[markle]

Its last two workings last night were the 2306 waterloo to Hampton Court and 2359 Hampton Court to Wimbledon

Doesn't say much about unit availability if they had to put it in service this morning, but at least it was on a diagram with only one passenger service.

 

[43096]

"My mistake" (to save anyone else looking it up)

And so much more refined than the grotesque “my bad”!

 

[Gateline7842]

701002 seen at clapham

Realtime Trains | 5T91 1845 Clapham Yard Sidings to Reading | 07/10/2025

Real-time train running information for 5T91 1845 departure from Clapham Yard Sidings to Reading on 07/10/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[mansonlo49]

47727 currently on its way to Long Marston to pick up a unit, 701/0??

 

[Peter Wilde]

Its last two workings last night were the 2306 waterloo to Hampton Court and 2359 Hampton Court to Wimbledon

Hmm … could illustrate a downside of using a very long train on a lightly used service. Less deterrent to vandalism and generally bad behaviour, also deters people from using trains if they think they may be sitting in an empty coach wondering who might get on at the next station. The ideal is surely for a train to be a bit busy, but still with plenty of seats available; makes users and potential users feel more comfortable.

Was it really such a great idea to specify most of the 701s as 10 car fixed formations? The old Southern Railway approach of all units being either 4 car or 2 car was so much more flexible, allowing trains to be sized according to demand; units were easier to store in sidings, too. And faults only took up to 4 cars out of service, not the whole 10. Yes, more work for staff but in an AI-dominated future is that a bad thing?

 

[Goldfish62]

Hmm … could illustrate a downside of using a very long train on a lightly used service. Less deterrent to vandalism and generally bad behaviour, also deters people from using trains if they think they may be sitting in an empty coach wondering who might get on at the next station. The ideal is surely for a train to be a bit busy, but still with plenty of seats available; makes users and potential users feel more comfortable.

Was it really such a great idea to specify most of the 701s as 10 car fixed formations? The old Southern Railway approach of all units being either 4 car or 2 car was so much more flexible, allowing trains to be sized according to demand; units were easier to store in sidings, too. And faults only took up to 4 cars out of service, not the whole 10. Yes, more work for staff but in an AI-dominated future is that a bad thing?

One train that has been badly soiled. I've set similar on 450s and 455s in the past. Let's not overthink the issue.

It's pretty irrelevant anyway because SWR / SWT have long tended to keep formations fixed throughout the day and not split them for the evenings. Plus the guards on 701s are in the saloon rather than in a middle cab oblivious of what may be going on in a part of the train. .

 

[nctd2306]

Our favourite website (RTT) has currently got 701020 allocated to the diagram that includes 2C55, is this likely to be the correct allocation and if so wouldn't that make it 020's passenger debut?

(I'm asking as I'm aware 020 has been "allocated" before only for it to be erroneous)

 

[norbitonflyer]

One train that has been badly soiled. I've set similar on 450s and 455s in the past. Let's not overthink the issue.

It's pretty irrelevant anyway because SWR / SWT have long tended to keep formations fixed throughout the day and not split them for the evenings. Plus the guards on 701s are in the saloon rather than in a middle cab oblivious of what may be going on in a part of the train. .

There are pros and cons to this, but extra cabs means extra expense in building them, and less space for passengers when in service.

Coupling and uncoupling in service can be difficult - what if the coupling is frozen solid and refuses to disengage?

Or, converesly, if when coupling up the units refuse to talk to each other? (Remember the problems with the 458s on introduction where, if the stories going round at the time are correct, the units could only be coupled in a depot, on a straight piece of track, and where there was somewhere to but the cover plates. Whether this was a misunderstanding between the TOC and the supplier in the specification, or
something else, (or complete fiction) I don't know.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Oct 2025 ==

Our favourite website (RTT) has currently got 701020 allocated to the diagram that includes 2C55, is this likely to be the correct allocation and if so wouldn't that make it 020's passenger debut?

Looks that way - 2V45 will be its first run in passenger service - 1607 Hounslow rounder (2C55 will be its second)

But we won't know for sure until 1607

The other half of the diagram, this morning, was covered by 701051

 

[reddragon]

There are pros and cons to this, but extra cabs means extra expense in building them, and less space for passengers when in service.

Coupling and uncoupling in service can be difficult - what if the coupling is frozen solid and refuses to disengage?

Or, converesly, if when coupling up the units refuse to talk to each other? (Remember the problems with the 458s on introduction where, if the stories going round at the time are correct, the units could only be coupled in a depot, on a straight piece of track, and where there was somewhere to but the cover plates. Whether this was a misunderstanding between the TOC and the supplier in the specification, or
something else, (or complete fiction) I don't know.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Oct 2025 ==


Looks that way - 2V45 will be its first run in passenger service - 1607 Hounslow rounder (2C55 will be its second)

But we won't know for sure until 1607

The other half of the diagram, this morning, was covered by 701051

Realtime Trains | 5V45 1453 Wimbledon Park Depot Sdgs to London Waterloo | 08/10/2025

Real-time train running information for 5V45 1453 departure from Wimbledon Park Depot Sdgs to London Waterloo on 08/10/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

This is 701.020s inward duty, so we know now!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Oct 2025 ==

701.020 shown as going to start service p17 WAT

 

[GW43125]

Confirmed by sight 701020 on 5V45. I believe this makes the 24th unit to run in service, and thus 30% of the fleet.

 

[reddragon]

Confirmed by sight 701020 on 5V45. I believe this makes the 24th unit to run in service, and thus 30% of the fleet.

or 623 posts per unit entering service

 

[GW43125]

or 623 posts per unit entering service

Petition to add this counter to the front post

 

[WWTownEnth]

Might we get another diagram next week then?

 

[SEtrains]

Might we get another diagram next week then?

There’s certainly not a lack of units but there might be a lack of trained crew. After the delivery of a 701 to Wimbledon this evening, 40/60 (66.6%) of the 701/0s will have arrived onto the SWR network to stay permanently. This is of course if I have done my calculations correctly, fingers crossed that I have.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

There’s certainly not a lack of units but there might be a lack of trained crew. After the delivery of a 701 to Wimbledon this evening, 40/60 (66.6%) of the 701/0s will have arrived onto the SWR network to stay permanently. This is of course if I have done my calculations correctly, fingers crossed that I have.

Which is definitely enough to expel 455s.

 

[swr444]

Might we get another diagram next week then?

Yes. Diagram starting with 2M03. Unsure of the entire days allocation. But it’ll cycle between 2M/2G/2F

 

[WWTownEnth]

Yes. Diagram starting with 2M03. Unsure of the entire days allocation. But it’ll cycle between 2M/2G/2F

Good news. Thanks for the update.

 

[43096]

There’s certainly not a lack of units but there might be a lack of trained crew. After the delivery of a 701 to Wimbledon this evening, 40/60 (66.6%) of the 701/0s will have arrived onto the SWR network to stay permanently. This is of course if I have done my calculations correctly, fingers crossed that I have.

Delivery of units is one thing. Completion of fault free running and final commissioning is something else.

 

[wickham]

5Q70 1435 Long Marston to Willesden SWS for 5Q81 Willesden SWS to Wimbledon Park is running hauled by 47727 (08.10.25), anyone know which 701 is being conveyed please.

 

[Mr T]

5Q70 1435 Long Marston to Willesden SWS for 5Q81 Willesden SWS to Wimbledon Park is running hauled by 47727 (08.10.25), anyone know which 701 is being conveyed please.

701050. Confirmed by sight.

 

[The_Train]

Confirmed by sight 701020 on 5V45. I believe this makes the 24th unit to run in service, and thus 30% of the fleet.

Shows how out of date my 701 records are then as I had this as being at MOD Bicester still

 

[Nimbus020]

Yes. Diagram starting with 2M03. Unsure of the entire days allocation. But it’ll cycle between 2M/2G/2F

Excellent - thanks for posting - another early morning 701 @ Malden Manor

 

[Pete_uk]

Some 701s have just stopped at Stroud station in Gloucestershire heading in the London direction...