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

[NSEWonderer]

At the risk of derailing this thread, all of the SWR fleet can be remotely monitored at any time in detail, as can the FFCCTV and internal CCTV.

Agreed however the 701s report much more frequently several parameters more than 455.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Next week's new diagram is a bit more complicated as it does involve a change to a current one;
5N92 0635 Farnham Shed to Farnham
1N92 0646 Farnham to London Waterloo
Then works 2C19, 0850 to Reading from a current diagram.

2H96, 0800 Shepperton to London Waterloo on a current diagram now forms;
2O17 0900 London Waterloo to London Waterloo via Richmond and Wimbledon
2K21 1027 London Waterloo to London Waterloo via Wimbledon and Richmond
2O29 1200 London Waterloo to London Waterloo via Richmond and Wimbledon
2K33 1327 London Waterloo to London Waterloo via Wimbledon and Richmond
2O41 1500 London Waterloo to London Waterloo via Richmond and Wimbledon
2K45 1627 London Waterloo to London Waterloo via Wimbledon and Richmond
1N95 1813 London Waterloo to Aldershot
5A96 1951 Aldershot to Clapham Yard

A 701 is berthed at Farnham Shed with the ECS from 2F71, 2250 London Waterloo to Woking running there.

As a Farnham boy, great news
This therefore will mean they’ve operated on all routes they’re planned to work on a regular basis.

 

[TEW]

Thank you for this. Presumably the pair of 450s released from this will knock out another pair of 455s? I think that after this change, only four pairs of 450 will remain on the outer suburban Windsor line trains via Staines (diagrams commencing 1S08, 2C08, 2C12 & 1N90).

Yes, the diagram starting with 2G08, 0537 Guildford to London Waterloo goes over to 450.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Nov 2025 ==

is it all still operated by 701/0? Thanks

701/5s won't be seen until at least the middle of next year in passenger service.

 

[mansonlo49]

701/5s won't be seen until at least the middle of next year in passenger seservice.

I see, thanks for this, just thought the 5 cars be used somewhere here

 

[norbitonflyer]

Next week's new diagram is a bit more complicated as it does involve a change to a current one;
5N92 0635 Farnham Shed to Farnham
1N92 0646 Farnham to London Waterloo
Then works 2C19, 0850 to Reading from a current diagram.

2H96, 0800 Shepperton to London Waterloo on a current diagram now forms;
2O17 0900 London Waterloo to London Waterloo via Richmond and Wimbledon
2K21 1027 London Waterloo to London Waterloo via Wimbledon and Richmond
2O29 1200 London Waterloo to London Waterloo via Richmond and Wimbledon
2K33 1327 London Waterloo to London Waterloo via Wimbledon and Richmond
2O41 1500 London Waterloo to London Waterloo via Richmond and Wimbledon
2K45 1627 London Waterloo to London Waterloo via Wimbledon and Richmond
1N95 1813 London Waterloo to Aldershot
5A96 1951 Aldershot to Clapham Yard

A 701 is berthed at Farnham Shed with the ECS from 2F71, 2250 London Waterloo to Woking running there.

2C19 is currently part of a diagram starting with 2co5, 2c16. Will they revert to 450s? Or something else?

 

[Siemens Staines]

Yes, the diagram starting with 2G08, 0537 Guildford to London Waterloo goes over to 450.

Thank you, your information is much appreciated.

 

[TEW]

2C19 is currently part of a diagram starting with 2co5, 2c16. Will they revert to 450s? Or something else?

2C19 is currently booked to be formed off of 2H96.
The unit off 2C05/2C16 is booked to work 2R15 and stays the same next week.
It may be that they are often swapped in practice as they're at Waterloo around the same time but that's how they're diagrammed.

 

[Bessie]

The 7:03 off Martins Heron to Waterloo (leaves Reading at 6:39) was a Class 701 today. Diagram used to be Class 450. Has this moved over to being a 701? And to answer my own question post 15,304 said it moved across last week. I was working away from home last week so missed this!

 

[Feathers44]

For clarity on the matter, I was the guard for this service. Not to apportion any blame, but the dispatchers wrongly assumed that the driver was up front and initiated the dispatch procedure.

Then, when I wasn't able to gain interlock (and nobody answered the cab-to-cab phone), it transpired that the driver wasn't there, at which point the service was "delayed" pending the arrival of the driver.

Following a phone call with control, I was then told that "a driver* has turned up but he doesn't sign 701s" and that because of this the service was to be cancelled, which I then had to relay to passengers.

* It was not known whether this was the rostered driver or a driver drafted in to cover the duty in the absence of the rostered driver, so may have not necessarily been a planning error if the latter.

Thanks for that. From my spot on platform 11, I was assuming a cover driver but the sequence of events had confused me enough that I’d not considered that it may have boarded already. Not a task I envy.

i will say in favour of the 701s that when the Dorking turned up some time later, it still had room enough to absorb the lot of us from CLJ without reaching the crush load state I’m so familiar with from the 455s (with the 450s being even worse) on that route at that time of day.

 

[norbitonflyer]

2C19 is currently booked to be formed off of 2H96.
The unit off 2C05/2C16 is booked to work 2R15 and stays the same next week.
It may be that they are often swapped in practice as they're at Waterloo around the same time but that's how they're diagrammed.

My mistake - I was looking at an old post with an earlier diagram

 

[mansonlo49]

47727 hauling another 701/0 unit out today

Realtime Trains | 5Q88 0957 Marchwood Mod Gbrf to Eastleigh Trsmd | 13/11/2025

Real-time train running information for 5Q88 0957 departure from Marchwood Mod Gbrf to Eastleigh Trsmd on 13/11/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Big Jumby 74]

It may be that they are often swapped in practice as they're at Waterloo around the same time but that's how they're diagrammed

From my (long) past experience of complex STP changes involving stock introductions, such as at present, the Control will likely adhere to the planned/issued diagrams, unless forced to change same by service disruption or unit defect. To do so otherwise could have unknown consequences later in the day, which although the planners will be aware of (having planned the diagrams) the Controllers, given their shift patterns, may not be immediately aware of, and could potentially cause their own colleagues on the next shift a wee headache!

But a good point none the less for the outside observer to be aware of.

 

[St. Paddy]

47727 hauling another 701/0 unit out today

Realtime Trains | 5Q88 0957 Marchwood Mod Gbrf to Eastleigh Trsmd | 13/11/2025

Real-time train running information for 5Q88 0957 departure from Marchwood Mod Gbrf to Eastleigh Trsmd on 13/11/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Reported elsewhere as 701016

 

[Vinyl_Lap]

I can confirm it was 701016. Saw it pass St Denys

 

[LambicHedgehog]

Saw 701011 moving around the yard at Wimbledon this morning. Had always wondered how long it takes to reactivate a unit that's been in storage for a while, looks like it takes less than a day to get one moving

 

[Stephen42]

The loco for the Marchwood move took the path back to Eastleigh East Yard. There's another move from Marchwood to Eastleigh for tomorrow:

Realtime Trains | 5Q21 1142 London Waterloo to London Waterloo | 13/11/2025

Real-time train running information for 5Q21 1142 departure from London Waterloo to London Waterloo on 13/11/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Saw 701011 moving around the yard at Wimbledon this morning. Had always wondered how long it takes to reactivate a unit that's been in storage for a while, looks like it takes less than a day to get one moving

That was reported as the unit last week. Yesterdays move was reported as 701010. They do seem to get units on the move quickly, though ready for passenger service is a much bigger hurdle.

 

[mansonlo49]

The loco for the Marchwood move took the path back to Eastleigh East Yard. There's another move from Marchwood to Eastleigh for tomorrow:

Probably due to the one cancelled last week, which makes two Marchwood drags this week

 

[Vinyl_Lap]

Out of interest, what are the 701s doing in Marchwood MOD?

 

[swt_passenger]

Out of interest, what are the 701s doing in Marchwood MOD?

Storage on non-electrified sidings. Unless there are major MOD operations going on the sidings are not used much, so new classes being introduced have been stored there temporarily for many years, I think Southern 377s were stored there at one time.

 

[Vinyl_Lap]

Storage on non-electrified sidings. Unless there are major MOD operations going on the sidings are not used much, sobnew classes being introduced have been stored there temporarily for many years, I think Southern 377s were stored there at one time.

That's very interesting, many thanks

 

[wickham]

Storage on non-electrified sidings. Unless there are major MOD operations going on the sidings are not used much, so new classes being introduced have been stored there temporarily for many years, I think Southern 377s were stored there at one time.

Just a technacallity, pretty sure it was 375s stored at Marchwood, not 377s which, if I recall correctly went into traffic pretty quickly from new.

 

[swt_passenger]

Just a technacallity, pretty sure it was 375s stored at Marchwood, not 377s which, if I recall correctly went into traffic pretty quickly from new.

That’s highly likely, it was quite a while back, but the aim was only to show it’s not that new an idea.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Just a technacallity, pretty sure it was 375s stored at Marchwood, not 377s which, if I recall correctly went into traffic pretty quickly from new.

Nope, a few 377/1's were stored there

 

[wickham]

Clapham Yard at 1120 today (13.11.25):
701002 701015 701024 701028 701033 701050 701054 701503 (on it's own), 701528 and another, presumably still 701529.
Another 16 were noted in traffic between 1120 and 1300, plus 458533+458530:
Can anyone say were 701001 is now hiding - it was doing fault free mileage runs in late September but seem now to have gone to ground !

 

[Peter Sarf]

Clapham Yard at 1120 today (13.11.25):
701002 701015 701024 701028 701033 701050 701054 701503 (on it's own), 701528 and another, presumably still 701529.
Another 16 were noted in traffic between 1120 and 1300, plus 458533+458530:
Can anyone say were 701001 is now hiding - it was doing fault free mileage runs in late September but seem now to have gone to ground !

701504 was paired with 701503 for a while at least. But recently I have noticed it seems to have disappeared from Clapham Junction leaving 701 503 alone. Does anyone know where 701504 has gone ?.

 

[Big Jumby 74]

Does anyone know where 701504 has gone ?.

An educated guess, it might be round at Strawberry Hill. Possibly inside the shed as those roads were mostly 8 car length, and there are no 455 diagrams from there now (AFAIK?) so unless any of the latter are stored there prior to scrap moves, there may well be some space for two or three 5 car units? The five roads to the East side of the shed alongside the Strawberry Hill-Teddington road are all required for the 5 x 10 car 701 based there, assuming the diagrams issued on the SWR site are operating as shown.

 

[Peter Sarf]

An educated guess, it might be round at Strawberry Hill. Possibly inside the shed as those roads were mostly 8 car length, and there are no 455 diagrams from there now (AFAIK?) so unless any of the latter are stored there prior to scrap moves, there may well be some space for two or three 5 car units? The five roads to the East side of the shed alongside the Strawberry Hill-Teddington road are all required for the 5 x 10 car 701 based there, assuming the diagrams issued on the SWR site are operating as shown.

Strawberry Hill sounds likely. I have even recently been wondering why 701528 + 701529 have been "hoarding" a >= ten car siding at Clapham Junction. They do not seem to move much if at all ?.

 

[Feathers44]

For clarity on the matter, I was the guard for this service. Not to apportion any blame, but the dispatchers wrongly assumed that the driver was up front and initiated the dispatch procedure.

Then, when I wasn't able to gain interlock (and nobody answered the cab-to-cab phone), it transpired that the driver wasn't there, at which point the service was "delayed" pending the arrival of the driver.

Following a phone call with control, I was then told that "a driver* has turned up but he doesn't sign 701s" and that because of this the service was to be cancelled, which I then had to relay to passengers.

* It was not known whether this was the rostered driver or a driver drafted in to cover the duty in the absence of the rostered driver, so may have not necessarily been a planning error if the latter.

Actually thought we may be in for a repeat today although this time I was sitting on 020 (I think) at Waterloo as departure time came and went. The CIS wasn’t set up so I had my suspicions.

The guard handled it well, clear announcement, waiting for the driver, no ETA etc. This time all was well, a driver materialised and once we got clearance we were on our way. 11 late but a knock-on from a delayed in-bound service is what we were told. Whoever was working the train clearly had ‘the knack’ I’ve heard described for clear PA announcements too.

 

[Bigfoot]

I have even recently been wondering why 701528 + 701529 have been "hoarding" a >= ten car siding at Clapham Junction. They do not seem to move much if at all ?.

One of them moves every weekday, back and forth about 10 feet, about 8 or 10 times.

 

[Peter Sarf]

One of them moves every weekday, back and forth about 10 feet, about 8 or 10 times.

Thanks.

That's tantalising .