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

[davews]

This can cause odd situations on Platforms 7 and 8 at Vauxhall, where the platform displays will say Waterloo only and Strawberry Hill, but both trains say the destination is Waterloo. Definitely does confuse some customers.

I must admit, even though knowing the routes the trains take, being slightly confused the other week when I got on a 701 at Clapham Junction for Wimbledon and the PIS saying it was a train for Waterloo. Then a long long list of stations it was calling at including places like Richmond I had passed through just minutes before ......

 

[Siemens Staines]

I make it 52 701s in passenger service this morning with the only outstanding diagram being 2*458/4 (2U05) which I have added to the 458 thread.

 

[norbitonflyer]

I must admit, even though knowing the routes the trains take, being slightly confused the other week when I got on a 701 at Clapham Junction for Wimbledon and the PIS saying it was a train for Waterloo. Then a long long list of stations it was calling at including places like Richmond I had passed through just minutes before ......

I have also been on rounders that have got confused about how far along their route they have got - for example an up service leaving Platform 10 at Clapham Junction saying the next station is Wandsworth Town. The best one was being warned to "mind the gap" when the train was held at singals at Queenstown Road - we were on the up main slow so the "gap" was three tracks (both fast ones, and the down Windsor)

 

[swr444]

I have also been on rounders that have got confused about how far along their route they have got - for example an up service leaving Platform 10 at Clapham Junction saying the next station is Wandsworth Town. The best one was being warned to "mind the gap" when the train was held at singals at Queenstown Road - we were on the up main slow so the "gap" was three tracks (both fast ones, and the down Windsor)

This was because the guard hadn’t updated the code. Usually done at twickenham, strawberry hill or Kingston

 

[WWTownEnth]

017
018
024
026
038
051

are the seven missing today so I make it 52/59 in service.

 

[Big Jumby 74]

so I make it 52/59 in service

Very nearly there then, given 53/60 is the (current) plan. With my crystal ball plugged in, I would still wager any enhanced uplifted timetable (@ during 2027) will require 56/60, in other words, approximately 95% availability each day, exactly as it was 40-50 years ago with suburban fleets, so nothing new to report on that front!

I will now unplug my crystal ball and depart stage door right...

 

[WWTownEnth]

Very nearly there then, given 53/60 is the (current) plan. With my crystal ball plugged in, I would still wager any enhanced uplifted timetable (@ during 2027) will require 56/60, in other words, approximately 95% availability each day, exactly as it was 40-50 years ago with suburban fleets, so nothing new to report on that front!

I will now unplug my crystal ball and depart stage door right...

Surely the 15 formations of 30x5 cars will also need to be factored in to this?

There are 10 pairs of 450s currently operating diagrams on the Windsor side and these will all need to go over to 701s, effectively making a total of 63 diagrams for the current timetable. There will be 75 formations to cover these so plenty of head room to enable additional pre Covid service patterns to be reintroduced.

 

[w11_supremecy]

This was because the guard hadn’t updated the code. Usually done at twickenham, strawberry hill or Kingston

The guard doesn’t set the PIS on 701s. They have the ability to set it before the Driver is present, but only the Driver can actually edit the PIS and the route.

 

[swr444]

The guard doesn’t set the PIS on 701s. They have the ability to set it before the Driver is present, but only the Driver can actually edit the PIS and the route.

We are talking about in the past how 455 & 450s PIS worked. I know very well how the 701 system works.

 

[w11_supremecy]

We are talking about in the past how 455 & 450s PIS worked. I know very well how the 701 system works.

I see. Fair enough I stand corrected.

 

[Big Jumby 74]

Surely the 15 formations of 30x5 cars will also need to be factored in to this

Correct. That is why in past posts I have been keen to get across the stabling capacity issues that would/will (are?) coming to the fore today when every suburban train (Readings included) would become 10 car.

I have pointed out before that the 10 car SWT 2006-2017 plan (not the SWR post 2017 class 701) took 10 car stabling capacity to its limits, and a good number of locations had sidings modified/extended to accomplish same. I was involved in same, and I still have my documentation from same.

But that plan still had 3 x 8 car 450 on the Reading road and substantially more 8 car 455 still in the mix. This was largely due to DfT investment restrictions at the time, but one consequence being stabling capacity, which had been maxed out for 10 car suburban services at that time, not by lack of finances, but by lack of physical space on the ground within permitted stabling locations at that time, to extend/modify further siding capacity.

Since then Feltham depot (10 x 10 car roads) has come on line under SWR's ownership, this being the second attempt to build a new (10 car siding length) depot at that location.

Again I was involved in early meetings about the first proposal, a joint venture between SWT and BAA, which thankfully was put to bed very early on, particularly the ramifications to the SW network if Clapham Yard was lost, which formed part of the discussions. I still have details from those meetings, including the proposed track plan for Feltham, which bears little resemblance to that which is there today.

The 5 car 701's will likely be a mix (I would guess) of 5 and 10 car formations from a stabling point of view, depending on where there are sidings currently that can accommodate 5 car units (and I am not about to divulge these in detail here!), but this will (again I guess?) involve a number of early starts being 5 car formed which may well then combine with other 5 car diagrams prior to the core a.m. peak period, and conversely a number of late evening 10 car services (formed of 2 x 5 cars) will need to be divided before working last trains that involve stabling in short sidings. Hence part of the reason for the additional training on 5 car units.

Please refer back to my post #18,412 for a hint of why progress may be seen to be slowing up in this regard.

Why were these problems, ie; a maxed out 10 car stabling capacity when SWT ran the service and a proposed SWR 10 car plan meaning substantially more fixed 10 car trains to remedy the shortfall as mentioned above (which in the 10 car passenger train service thinking, I have always said was an ideal situation, never made any secret of that), but the stabling problems for a service that required every train being 10 car, seem not to have been taken in to account when the FG/MTR/SWR bid was submitted, possibly?

That is something for those in the industry, be that SWR/DfT to answer possibly?

What I can confirm is that prior to the the 2017 refranchise date change, every piece of stock planning information/references, all internal documents relating to stabling etc, were all passed to DfT as was legally required at the time.

I will say no more!

 

[Joel_1902]

State of play at Clapham Yard this afternoon. Any ideas on the gaps please? Assuming some have been there a while now.

701529 701528 (presumed)

701512 7015xx

701503 7015xx

701517 7015xx

701520 7015xx

 

[norbitonflyer]

017
018
024
026
038
051

are the seven missing today so I make it 52/59 in service.

That's only six - I think you missed 701016 as that also doesn't show up on RTT (it's been missing for three weeks now).

However 701017 came out to play later.

 

[bb21]

That's only six - I think you missed 701016 as that also doesn't show up on RTT (it's been missing for three weeks now).

However 701017 came out to play later.

Only 026 and 051 are currently stopped. Rest are on exam or being attended to for minor faults.

Exam schedules have been revamped recently after significant improvements in reliability and recent upticks in availability are partly thanks to that.

 

[WWTownEnth]

Only 026 and 051 are currently stopped. Rest are on exam or being attended to for minor faults.

Exam schedules have been revamped recently after significant improvements in reliability and recent upticks in availability are partly thanks to that.

Thanks for the uodate. Fingers crossed we will get to see all 53 701 diagrams covered by - well, err. - 701s very soon.

 

[43096]

Only 026 and 051 are currently stopped. Rest are on exam or being attended to for minor faults.

If a unit is on exam or having a (minor) fault fixed then it is stopped!

 

[WWTownEnth]

016
018
024
038
043
047
051

are the seven not in service today.

That leaves 52/59 in traffic this morning.

 

[Siemens Staines]

I agree, I make it 52 701s in passenger service this morning with the only outstanding diagram being 2*458/4 (2C03) which I have added to the 458 thread.

 

[Joel_1902]

701512 and its partner seem to have disappeared from Clapham Yard this morning, can’t see a path out though.
Cheers
Joel

 

[WarrenTManager]

701512 and its partner seem to have disappeared from Clapham Yard this morning, can’t see a path out though.
Cheers
Joel

701512/701509 had a jaunt out to Waterloo I think on a 5T headcode.

 

[Joel_1902]

State of play with the 701/5s down here.
Went past Farnham this morning and the 5 pairs are still there.
701506 701518
701507 701511
701513 701523
701516 701530
701521 701527

The following are at Clapham today-
701503 701504
701509 701512 on 5T80 etc
701517 701519
701520 701522
701528 701529

The following I managed to ID at Wimbledon.
These were in the south bit of the depot
701505
701514
701525

701526 was on the other side on the buffers with soon to end resident 458533.

The only one I haven’t managed to find is 701515 which I presume is at Wimbledon somewhere. If anyone knows where abouts?

 

[ejx2]

Might have missed something but do the 701/5s need to be certified on the routes they're going to be using or can they just use the same certification as the /0s?

 

[WarrenTManager]

State of play with the 701/5s down here.
Went past Farnham this morning and the 5 pairs are still there.
701506 701518
701507 701511
701513 701523
701516 701530
701521 701527

The following are at Clapham today-
701503 701504
701509 701512 on 5T80 etc
701517 701519
701520 701522
701528 701529

The following I managed to ID at Wimbledon.
These were in the south bit of the depot
701505
701514
701525

701526 was on the other side on the buffers with soon to end resident 458533.

The only one I haven’t managed to find is 701515 which I presume is at Wimbledon somewhere. If anyone knows where abouts?

515 is/was London end of 10 road shed.

 

[Siemens Staines]

At last. For the first time in over 3 months, all morning peak diagrams booked 701s are operated by 701s, with 53 in service this morning. Consequently no 458/4 are in service.

 

[WWTownEnth]

016
018
038
039
043
059

are the six not working this morning, leaving 53/59 in service.

A full house for all 53 701 diagrams at last!

 

[Goldfish62]

At last. For the first time in over 3 months, all morning peak diagrams booked 701s are operated by 701s, with 53 in service this morning. Consequently no 458/4 are in service.

And achieved before the end of Summer (astrological, not meteorological).

 

[norbitonflyer]

016
018
024
038
043
047
051

are the seven not in service today.

That leaves 52/59 in traffic this morning [yesterday, 15th].

Two of them made it into traffic later in the day, making 54, although not all at the same time.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 16 Sep 2026 ==

016
018
038
039
043
059

are the six not working this morning, leaving 53/59 in service.

A full house for all 53 701 diagrams at last!

And with 016 back in service this evening after a three week absence, that's 54 in service again today.

 

[Siemens Staines]

I make it 52 701s in passenger service this morning with the only outstanding diagram being 2*458/4 (2U07)

 

[WWTownEnth]

Does anyone know what the latest with 029 is? It can’t be far away from service now…….can it?

 

[wickham]

701/5s today (Thursday 17.09.26):
At 1345 today 701525+701514 now formed as a pair were shunted from Wimbledon Park Top Yard to East Wimbledon Depot and put into the commissioning road (so this is a change of pairing). 701503, 701505 and 701515 were all in sidings in the Top Yard while 701526 was "on the blocks" in it's usual place by the East Wimbledon Depot road entrance. At about 1410 the following were noted in Clapham Yard: 701529+another beside the cleaning shed (701529 at the London end - is this change around?):
701512 inside the cleaning shed (presumably with another behind but not confirmed), 701520 with another and 701517 with another, in the yard.
701029 was NOT seen at all today at either location, but 701028 was seen in service (as previously reported).