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

[norbitonflyer]

I don't recall a shunt in that direction before. As far as I am aware the crossover was only ever used to access the bay. But todat trains were crossing it in the other direction, and there is a stop signal (at least as shown on OTT) at the Teddington end of platfoprm 1 at Hampton Wick presumably specifically uinstalled for the sort of move taking place every 30 minutes today.

Likewise there is now a stop signal at the Norbiton end of platform 2 at Kingston, intsalled to allow 10-car trains from the Teddington direction to reverse at Kingston (the bay - platform 1 - being too short for them).

Whether this is good or bad for Kingston at times of disruption it is hard to say - in the old days trains used to terminate in the bay if They wanted to "reduce congestion" towards Waterloo (with intending onward passengers having to wait until Control did deign to have a train actually call at Kingston (which would inveitably become very crowded) - a favourite game is to terminate one train at Kingston and then run the next one through non-stop.

In future, since 10 car trains can only reverse in the through platform, preventing anything else using it, Control seem to prefer to divert Shepperton trains via Richmond (presumably using the paths vacated by the Hounslow loop trains now they no longer run back through Richmond)

 

[OneTrackMinded]

Deleted

 

[swr444]

Can confirm that driver training re-starts on tuesday

 

[Bigfoot]

Likewise there is now a stop signal at the Norbiton end of platform 2 at Kingston, intsalled to allow 10-car trains from the Teddington direction to reverse at Kingston (the bay - platform 1 - being too short for them).

That's been there for probably just short of a decade. Maybe even more than a decade. It was definitely added during SWT times.

 

[Siemens Staines]

I agree, it's very dishonest. Not sure why, guessing because there's no 701 crew to run it.
However, it does say it on their website.

View attachment 178357

Unsurprisingly, these Shepperton cancellations have been rolled over and apply to this week also

 

[OneTrackMinded]

Driver training officially restarts today after months of delay thanks to a drawn out negotiation process between SWR and the unions.
Here's hoping this is the last obstacle and the rollout has all green signals ahead.

 

[swtrains]

Today's testing:

5T91 - Clapham Yard - Reading - normal.
5T92 - Reading - Weybridge - normal.
5T93 - Weybridge - Clapham Yard - goes via mainline, finishing at around 1:30AM.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:Q38908/2025-04-22/detailed

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:Q38906/2025-04-22/detailed

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:Q38904/2025-04-23/detailed

 

[OneTrackMinded]

New article from Modern Railways about the latest 701 delay. I can’t share it here as it’s paywalled but if you’d like to have a read you can quite easily find it online.

 

[markle]

New article from Modern Railways about the latest 701 delay. I can’t share it here as it’s paywalled but if you’d like to have a read you can quite easily find it online.

I'm not sure it adds much new information and could be summarised by:

An SWR spokesperson told MR: “We are sorry

 

[WWTownEnth]

How many units could now be brought into passenger service if - and I appreciate it’s a big if - there were sufficient trained guards and drivers to operate them? The MR article suggests 17 x 10 car. Is that correct?

 

[OneTrackMinded]

I noticed this morning that many of the 701s that are usually parked up at Clapham Junction were missing. Not sure if that means anything

 

[800001]

701048 has moved to Long Marston.

 

[Peter Sarf]

I noticed this morning that many of the 701s that are usually parked up at Clapham Junction were missing. Not sure if that means anything

Wonder how many are service trains and in use (I think usually six at Clapham have been used).
Then the rest might be out on training runs - at last !.

 

[wickham]

Clapham Yard at 1100 today (23.04.25): 701528 + 701529 in their usual place, up loop side of the cleaning shed. Other parts of yard: 701018, 701028, 701041, 701042, 701044, 701057, 701058: In addition, 701034 & 701043 passed in service while I was there.

 

[OneTrackMinded]

Interesting extract from a new Rail article - https://www.railmagazine.com/news/2...ed-by-mps-over-south-western-railways-blunder

The Transport Secretary also confirmed that she had asked the managing directors of SWR's parent companies MTR and First Group for a meeting "as a matter of urgency" to discuss its plans on how it is addressing the problems with SWR's rolling stock before it comes into public ownership on May 25.

 

[ScottGallagher]

Interesting extract from a new Rail article - https://www.railmagazine.com/news/2...ed-by-mps-over-south-western-railways-blunder

Wouldn't the OLR or whatever it's called now be already doing this as part of handover?

 

[Goldfish62]

Wouldn't the OLR or whatever it's called now be already doing this as part of handover?

DOL (DfT Operator Ltd) doesn't take over for a few weeks yet. The contract is still between First MTR and the DfT until then.

 

[hwl]

Interesting extract from a new Rail article - https://www.railmagazine.com/news/2...ed-by-mps-over-south-western-railways-blunder

No tea or biscuits unless it goes on for more than 4 hours...
I'd expect DfT to have a long list of difficult questions that will be brought up.

 

[OneTrackMinded]

No tea or biscuits unless it goes on for more than 4 hours...
I'd expect DfT to have a long list of difficult questions that will be brought up.

Good. This should have been done years ago mind you.
However I have a suspicion that both CEOs have coincidently just booked a holiday to Spain for a month and won't be available...

 

[jammmmmsssssss]

https://archive.is/20250423170753/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/23/unions-derail-train-upgrades-row-who-closes-doors/

This article is actually awful (archived version to get around the paywall)

 

[DMckduck]

https://archive.is/20250423170753/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/23/unions-derail-train-upgrades-row-who-closes-doors/

This article is actually awful (archived version to get around the paywall)

So much misinformation to incite the anti union rhetoric, it's a good thing they didn't get rid of guards, otherwise there wouldn't be a service on the South Western at all.

 

[swtrains]

Today's testing:

5T91 - Clapham Yard - Farnham Depot - goes via Richmond and Woking.
5T92 - Farnham Depot - Woking - goes to Woking (Pl 2), reverses and goes onto Pl 3.
5T93 - Woking - Clapham Yard - goes via Addlestone and Richmond, finishing at around 1:20AM.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:Q38907/2025-04-23/detailed

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:Q38905/2025-04-23/detailed

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:Q38903/2025-04-24/detailed

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Interesting extract from a new Rail article - https://www.railmagazine.com/news/2...ed-by-mps-over-south-western-railways-blunder

better late than never and whilst shes at she should call in EMR/Hitachi as well

 

[Clarence Yard]

No tea or biscuits unless it goes on for more than 4 hours...
I'd expect DfT to have a long list of difficult questions that will be brought up.

Well considering the DfT have been heavily involved in the latest plan (37 units in traffic by Xmas 2025), the driver training programme for the rest of the year, the December 2025 timetable and a decision on extending any 455 lease, are they going to be answering those difficult questions themselves?

This looks like posing to me as well as political positioning for the post takeover situation.

 

[43096]

Well considering the DfT have been heavily involved in the latest plan (37 units in traffic by Xmas 2025), the driver training programme for the rest of the year, the December 2025 timetable and a decision on extending any 455 lease, are they going to be answering those difficult questions themselves?

This looks like posing to me as well as political positioning for the post takeover situation.

Which is fair comment, but there is an awful lot that was squarely on SWR's shoulders before the Covid bail-out by the Government, where the fleet should have already been in service with training underway. In reality SWR had done nothing of any importance to get ready for the new fleet.

 

[Mainsideman]

https://archive.is/20250423170753/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/23/unions-derail-train-upgrades-row-who-closes-doors/

This article is actually awful (archived version to get around the paywall)

Wow. How do they getting away with articles such as this

 

[weeklycommuter]

Interesting extract from a new Rail article - https://www.railmagazine.com/news/2...ed-by-mps-over-south-western-railways-blunder

The Transport Secretary made this statement to the House of Commons Transport Select Committee at around 1108 today 23 April. The question about South Western Railway rolling stock contract starts around 1105. The full session of the House of Commons Transport Select Committee can be watched at the following link.

Parliamentlive.tv

Transport Committee

parliamentlive.tv

 

[PG]

https://archive.is/20250423170753/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/23/unions-derail-train-upgrades-row-who-closes-doors/

This article is actually awful (archived version to get around the paywall)

I'm (mildly) curious to know what works at stations, quoted by SWT in the article, have actually commenced to permit Driver Open and Close to be introduced? One suspects the number to be pretty close to zero since I'd imagine any such works require DfT sign-off...

 

[swtrains]

https://archive.is/20250423170753/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/23/unions-derail-train-upgrades-row-who-closes-doors/

This article is actually awful (archived version to get around the paywall)

Brilliant article, they should have mentioned that no drivers have been trained since Christmas because of the stupid union disputes.

This statement is not shocking to anyone in the know, but disappointing as usual: The Telegraph can reveal that the latest setback means the 90-strong Arterio fleet will not be fully deployed until as late as 2027.

Also thought this was a great idea from the article: "If we’re expected to use 40-year-old trains, perhaps ticket prices should revert back to those from the 1980s?”
Why are we paying so much for such rubbish service?

New article from Modern Railways about the latest 701 delay. I can’t share it here as it’s paywalled but if you’d like to have a read you can quite easily find it online.

This article suggests that "only 17/90 trains are currently able to carry passengers" and "some will have to return to Alstom for rectification work due to the length of time out of traffic." I wonder if this will be another bump in the road ahead.

 

[lewisf]

https://archive.is/20250423170753/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/23/unions-derail-train-upgrades-row-who-closes-doors/

This article is actually awful (archived version to get around the paywall)

So this isn’t a new delay, rather just a poor report on what’s been going on so far?