701 operation

[norbitonflyer]

Now that 701s have been in service for a whole year (well, one of them has.........) I thought it timely to transfer the record of which units have run, and when, to a new thread instead of having it hidden halfway down the 701 thread in the "traction" area. I little thought when I started recording them that there would still only be six diagrams a year later

To date (January 9th 2025) only seven units have been in passenger service. (EDIT - By the end of March it was still only nine)
37 by the end of 2025

Totals, first and most recent outings (if blank, was in service on the day of the latest update)
Number in parenthesis is the number of days in passenger service, regardless of whether it was a complete diagram or not.

701037 (537) 09/1/24,
701039 (554) 10/1/24,
701043 (554) 16/1/24,
701028 ( 3) 06/2/24,9/2/24
701036 (548) 07/3/24,
701031 (445) 28/10/24,
701017 (494) 25/11/24,
701046 (382) 17/3/25,
701034 (401) 18/3/25,
701042 (360) 21/5/25,
701035 (370) 28/5/25,
701044 (364) 09/6/25,
701041 (350) 17/6/25,
701025 (337) 24/6/25,
701018 (338) 06/7/25,
701051 (338) 14/7/25,
701012 (323) 21/7/25,
701013 (319) 28/7/25,
701058 (291) 11/8/25,
701057 (315) 13/8/25,
701053 (284) 26/8/25,
701005 (285) 27/8/25,
701056 (290) 08/9/25,
701021 (273) 15/9/25,
701020 (253) 08/10/25,13/8/26
701009 (231) 17/10/25,
701060 (240) 31/10/25,
701026 (245) 03/11/25,
701048 (239) 08/11/25,
701050 (230) 18/11/25,
701033 (221) 26/11/25,
701059 (223) 05/12/25,
701030 (223) 09/12/25,
701010 (156) 22/12/25,31/7/26
701052 (204) 23/12/25,
701047 (197) 31/12/25,
701054 (208) 02/1/26,
701038 (144) 05/2/26,7/8/26
701022 (168) 09/2/26,
701007 (143) 24/2/26,25/8/26
701011 (152) 26/2/26,
701001 (144) 02/3/26,
701006 (134) 06/3/26,
701049 (125) 20/3/26,
701008 (105) 31/3/26,
701023 (121) 07/4/26,
701045 (119) 10/4/26,
701019 (83) 18/4/26,
701055 (93) 06/5/26,
701032 (81) 15/5/26,
701002 (89) 18/5/26,22/8/26
701016 (67) 04/6/26,24/8/26
701014 (48) 09/6/26,
701040 (65) 15/6/26,
701027 (55) 29/6/26,
701004 (46) 10/7/26,
701003 (28) 27/7/26,
701024 (22) 29/7/26,
701015 (19) 07/8/26,
701029 (not yet in service)

Total number of outings - 13,708

Firsts
U- Windsor, 9/1/24 701037
Saturday 2/11/24 701043 (Rugby extra)
Sunday, 15/12/24 701036
D -Dorking, 24/3/25 701043
K, O - Kingston rbt, 1/1/25 701037
J*- Hampton Court,
M- Chessington,
& D - Guildford, 19/5/25 701034
DfT operation, 25/5/2025 701046
C- Bracknell: 17/6/2025 (am) 701044 (Ascot special)
C- Reading 17/6/2025 (pm) 701042 (Ascot special)
S- Addlestone, 28/7/2025 701051
F- Woking 25/8/25 701037
G- Cobham line, 26/8/25 701035
N- Farnham, 17/11/25 701057

*2Jxx also used for the Farnham- Guildford service, not currently 701 operated
I will endeavour to keep this updated.

EDIT - now re-ordered by date of entering service

 

[RedPostJunc]

Now that 701s have been in service for a whole year (well, one of them has.........) I thought it timely to transfer the record of which units have run, and when, to a new thread instead of having it hidden halfway down the 701 thread in the "traction" area. I little thought when I started recording them that there would still only be six diagrams a year later

To date only seven units have been in passenger service. I will endeavour to keep this updated.

Totals, first and most recent outings (2024 dates in italic) Number in parenthesis is the number of days in passenger service, regardless of whether it was a complete diagram or not.

701039 (109) January 10th, January 9th
701037 (108) January 9th, January 9th
701043 (108) January 16th, January 9th
701036 (89) March 7th, January 9th
701017 (26) November 25th, January 9th
701031 (22) October 28th, January 9th
701028 (3) February 6th, February 9th

(total 465)

It would be clearer if you added the year to the date.
The units currently being used for training, for example, 701042. Are they fully kitted out and could be switched to passenger operation? If not, what needs to be done to make them available?

 

[Peter Sarf]

Unit	Days Service	First	Latest	Notes
701039	109	10/01/2024	09/01/2025
701037	108	09/01/2024	09/01/2025
701043	108	16/01/2024	09/01/2025
701036	89	07/03/2024	09/01/2025
701017	26	25/11/2024	09/01/2025
701031	22	23/10/2024	09/01/2025
701028	3	06/02/2024	09/02/2024

I thought I would turn your info @norbitonflyer into a table so it can be ordered by unit-number, number-of-uses OR First-use-date . But I have not figured out how to sort the table - probably impossible so a dead end .

Meanwhile I think I look forward to the day your first post contains 90 entries......

 

[norbitonflyer]

It would be clearer if you added the year to the date.

I've changed the format to make it look a bit neater.

 

[Peter Sarf]

I have to wonder if the brief use of 701028 back in February 2024 was a mistake by SWR ?.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Only four out this morning - no Surbiton and no Shepp via Richmond

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Jan 2025 ==

[Tuesdday] And again only four - the Surbiton is operated by 2x455 (one being the retro-liveried 5868) and some early Windsor runs cancelled, the rest of the diagram being taken up by the unit that worked the early Shepperton turn (701017). A fifth unit turned out this evening

 

[Peter Sarf]

Bump, see post #1, updated.
(otherwise "Watched threads" does not see an edited post, just a new post)
Credit to @norbitonflyer.

 

[norbitonflyer]

At last, it's starting to get interesting - two new units in two days, some variety in the "most recent date in service" column, and 028 not propping up the table

701043 (156) 16/Jan/24, 18/Mar/25
701037 (155) 09/Jan/24, 17/Mar/25
701039 (153) 10/Jan/24, 18/Mar/25
701036 (140) 07/Mar/24, 18/Mar/25
701017 (83) 25/Nov/24, 17/Mar/25
701031 (66) 28/Oct/24, 18/Mar/25
701028 (3) 06/Feb/24, 09/Feb/24
701046 (2) 17/Mar/25, 18/Mar/25
701034 (1) 18/Mar/25, 18/Mar/25

(total 755)

 

[norbitonflyer]

Only four this morning. Dorking is a 455, and the Shepperton via Richmond diagram is missing altogether

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Only four this morning. Dorking is a 455, and the Shepperton via Richmond diagram is missing altogether

The Dorking was always planned to be a 455 today - it's Friday.

 

[norbitonflyer]

The evening Shepperton is running, with 701046, so five out to play today, but not all at once

 

[norbitonflyer]

Seven out yesterday (not all at once), but only four today (no Dorking, no Shepperton peak)

 

[m79900]

This has got to be some kind of record for slowest entry into service. I seem to remember Geoff Marshall showcasing the first complete units pre-covid.

 

[norbitonflyer]

This has got to be some kind of record for slowest entry into service. I seem to remember Geoff Marshall showcasing the first complete units pre-covid.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 Apr 2025 ==


No 701s out at all today (Sunday), as both the Windsors and the Sheppertons are diverted via Brentford (the latter by reversal at Twickenham) due to scheduled maintenance at Richmond and an unscheduled fault at New Malden.

However, two 701s were working the Windsor service (via Brentford) yesterday. I assume the difference is that some Windsor services on Sunday make calls on the Brentford loop.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Today marks 707017's 100th day in service

 

[norbitonflyer]

Between them the nine units in service have now racked up 1,000 days

701017 (110)
701028 (3)
701031 (103)
701034 (35)
701036 (171)
701037 (185)
701039 (180)
701043 (187)
701046 (30)

Total 1004

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Between them the nine units in service have now racked up 1,000 days

701017 (110)
701028 (3)
701031 (103)
701034 (35)
701036 (171)
701037 (185)
701039 (180)
701043 (187)
701046 (30)

Total 1004

Strictly speaking, can we count 701 028 as being "in service" since it was apparently used by mistake?

Still over 1000 service days with the other eight, though.

 

[stadler]

Strictly speaking, can we count 701 028 as being "in service" since it was apparently used by mistake?

Still over 1000 service days with the other eight, though.

How could it be put in service by mistake. If it was in service on three days then surely it was perfectly fine to be in service. There did not appear to be anything making it unsafe or unsuitable for passenger operation. My guess is that it probably developed a fault after those three days in service and they have not bothered to fix it or put it back in service yet as they have so many others.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Strictly speaking, can we count 701 028 as being "in service" since it was apparently used by mistake?

Still over 1000 service days with the other eight, though.

If it was a mistake, presumably one of the other units should have run on those days instead, so we would still be past 1,000.

(at the time only one diagram was being operated)

 

[Peter Mugridge]

How could it be put in service by mistake.

Several posters on here ( probably on the class 701 progress thread in the traction section but I'm not going to search back for them! ) said at the time that it wasn't supposed to have been used.



Edited the bit in brackets - for some reason I thought I was on that thread when I was posting...

 

[NSEWonderer]

Several posters on here ( probably on this very thread but I'm not going to search back for them! ) said at the time that it wasn't supposed to have been used.

It was but the unit has found itself more of a firm choice for most of the testing and training runs, since. It still can be substituted in where truly required which as more units come out, its unlikely so. Till full roll out.

 

[Class15]

Several posters on here ( probably on the class 701 progress thread in the traction section but I'm not going to search back for them! ) said at the time that it wasn't supposed to have been used.

I find that very hard to believe personally, maybe for one day but if it was a mistake it wouldn’t have lasted 3 days surely.

 

[StephenHunter]

Nine of 90 isn't very many.

 

[stadler]

Nine of 90 isn't very many.

It is 11 out of 90 now. But i agree still very poor. Over six years late and this is all they can manage. Plus we are yet to see any of the five coach units enter service.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Now that 701s have been in service for a whole year (well, one of them has.........) I thought it timely to transfer the record of which units have run, and when, to a new thread instead of having it hidden halfway down the 701 thread in the "traction" area. I little thought when I started recording them that there would still only be six diagrams a year later

To date (January 9th) only seven units have been in passenger service. (EDIT - By the end of March it is still only nine)

Totals, first and most recent outings
(2024 dates in bold) Number in parenthesis is the number of days in passenger service, regardless of whether it was a complete diagram or not.

701043 (202) 16/Jan/24,3/Jun/25 : (first Saturday working, Rugby extra 2nd November 2024 - also first Dorking, 24 March '25)
701037 (199) 09/Jan/24,3/Jun/25 (first in service - to Windsor, 9th January 2024 - first Kingston roundabout, 1st Jan 2025)
701039 (193) 10/Jan/24,3/Jun/25 (first via Brentford, 2nd July 2024 - first to Shepperton (both ways) 30th September 2024)
701036 (183) 07/Mar/24 3/Jun/25 (first Sunday working, 15th December 2024)
701017 (128) 25/Nov/24 3/Jun/25
701031 (113) 28/Oct/24 3/Jun/25 (first from Surbiton, 28th October 2024)
701034 (49) 18/Mar/25, 3/Jun/25 (first to Hampton Court and Guildford, 19th May 2025)
701046 (36) 17/Mar/25, 28/May/25 (first under DfT operation, 25th May 2025)
701042 (8) 21/May/25, 3/Jun/25
701035 (4) 28/May/25, 2/Jun/25
701028 (3) 06/Feb/24, 09/Feb/24



(total 1117)

I will endeavour to keep this updated.

Thanks for updating.
(effectively bumped for all those, like me, who take an age to find/encounter it as it does not otherwise come up as an alert for a new post in a watched thread).

 

[norbitonflyer]

Sorry for the seven day hiatus in updating. Now in hand - including a twelfth unit in passenger service!

 

[Bessie]

Sorry for the seven day hiatus in updating. Now in hand - including a twelfth unit in passenger service!

Thanks for the update. It seems like one new unit per week entering into service.

 

[99009]

Thanks to @norbitonflyer for keeping this updated; 701051 is the latest unit to enter service today.

Is the entry date for 701041, 7th June, correct? If so it's in the wrong place in the list for order of entering service, as 701044 is listed above it as entering service on 9th June.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Thanks to @norbitonflyer for keeping this updated; 701051 is the latest unit to enter service today.

Is the entry date for 701041, 7th June, correct? If so it's in the wrong place in the list for order of entering service, as 701044 is listed above it as entering service on 9th June.

Thanks for spotting that - entry to service for 701041 was 17th June - now corrected

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Jul 2025 ==

Just realised that yesterday (16th) was the first day with 14 in service, and today all fifteen were out and about.

 

[99009]

Just to bump this topic and to add to the excellent post from @norbitonflyer the numerical order for the 701's that have entered passenger service (including 028 because it worked those handful of days) is as follows:

701005, 701012, 701013, 701017, 701018, 701025, 701028, 701031, 701034-701037, 701039, 701041-701044, 701046, 701051, 701053, 701057, 701058.