Class 701 'Aventra' trains for South Western Railway

[hwl]

thanks for that lot

"motors in Hennigsdorf" is the key text for my comment about the legacy of Mitrac motors - Hennigsdorf being ex AEG, which is where I thought they descend from, and the production point of view.

Motor design and manufacturing being two very very different things.

Most Adtranz / Bombardier motor designs were ex BBC Zurich design heritage and originally usually Vienna (now TSA factory) manufactured, with some ASEA Vasteras design heritage and some AEG design heritage. Most of the manufacturing was switched to the ex AEG / ex LEW factory for cost and political reasons early in the Adtranz era. I think all of the ex AEG heritage motor designs have been phased out of new production in the last ~5 years due to competition (mostly Siemens) forcing higher performance requirements.

 

[DMckduck97]

Is their not enough woking and waterloo crew who sign the curve and use this stock on other routes to do the diversions? This would keep the desiros of the metro routes!

Keeping the desiros off the metro routes is desirable in practice, but operationally there is minimal logic. 701 will be core traction on metro routes but 450s will still be needed otherwise SWR lose a lot of let's say get out of jail free cards.

Right now you can get a 444/450 to Woking at least with any "metro crew" and Guildford at the furthest, sign the desiro off metro routes and without a specific crew that train doesnt leave Waterloo.

I suspect the full 701 introduction still won't see the last of the desiro on metro routes

 

[Warrior2852]

Deleted

 

[swt_passenger]

The route map originally showing on the SWR website as shown in the following news article dated 22 January 2021 showed the Arterios running to Alton.

That map was also assumed to be wrong here the first time it appeared, I suspect it’s just a map they already had for some other purpose…

 

[H&I]

An Excellent vide. The trains look very good inside and out.

Apparently, YouTube wouldn't process to 4K on that video. I have had to reupload the video, and here it is! This should properly process to 4K 60 fps in due course.

 

[IndianPacific]

Does anyone know / have a photo of what the bike spaces are like on these trains?

I’m assuming it’s the (fairly) usual Velcro straps in front of some tip-up seats, but it’d be good to know where they are, how well signed it is, if they’ve done anything fancy with them.

Thanks in advance.

 

[nctd2306]

Does anyone know / have a photo of what the bike spaces are like on these trains?

I’m assuming it’s the (fairly) usual Velcro straps in front of some tip-up seats, but it’d be good to know where they are, how well signed it is, if they’ve done anything fancy with them.

Thanks in advance.

Not sure if this is what you're after but it's the closest picture I got, I think this might be the wheelchair area rather than bike area though

 

[swt_passenger]

Not sure if this is what you're after but it's the closest picture I got, I think this might be the wheelchair area rather than bike area though

That’s definitely signed/labelled as a wheelchair area, top left of the adjacent window.

 

[Invincible]

Windsor under Thames! Affected roads but not the train.

Apparently, YouTube wouldn't process to 4K on that video. I have had to reupload the video, and here it is! This should properly process to 4K 60 fps in due course.

 

[markle]

Does anyone know / have a photo of what the bike spaces are like on these trains?

I’m assuming it’s the (fairly) usual Velcro straps in front of some tip-up seats, but it’d be good to know where they are, how well signed it is, if they’ve done anything fancy with them.

Thanks in advance.

Here you go. There's 1x 3-bike bay on a five car train (car 3) and 2x 3-bike bay on a 10 car train (cars 3 and 8)

Interesting points to note:
- Straps retract into the sidewall
- There's a pedal anchor for the first bike (never seen this before)
- There's no tip-down seats, which IMO is great as it means you don't have to ask someone to move for your bike
- There are separate bays for wheelchair passengers and those with pushchairs
- Signage on the exterior side of the train is poor (just a small cycle icon next to the relevant door)

 

[IndianPacific]

Here you go. There's 1x 3-bike bay on a five car train (car 3) and 2x 3-bike bay on a 10 car train (cars 3 and 8)

Interesting points to note:
- Straps retract into the sidewall
- There's a pedal anchor for the first bike (never seen this before)
- There's no tip-down seats, which IMO is great as it means you don't have to ask someone to move for your bike
- There are separate bays for wheelchair passengers and those with pushchairs
- Signage on the exterior side of the train is poor (just a small cycle icon next to the relevant door)

Thank you so much!

Yes, the pedal anchor thing does seem interesting. My complete guess is three bikes only officially fit in the way round they have in the diagram so they’re using it to try and force the orientation. If so them I’m not sure it’ll work in real life though as people either won’t pay attention to it, or on a busier train, just not be able to turn their bike around.

Anyway, a bit of a shame the exterior signage is still small but nice to hear there are more dedicated spaces. Hopefully not too long before I catch a trip on one of these trains!

 

[ScottGallagher]

The interior is quite cold, not as cold as the 700s but being a suburban unit the white seat backs and toilet walls are just asking to get tagged, hopefully that can be managed effectively.

 

[OneTrackMinded]

The interior is quite cold

Heat wise or colour wise?

 

[nctd2306]

Heat wise or colour wise?

I'm guessing colour wise, with the combination of blues and dark grey/silver
I'd hope a brand new train, built in this decade, would have adequate heating. Then again these are 701s so I don't think anyone would be surprised if it broke

I'll add that the temperature did seem fine to me at least when I travelled on one last Friday

 

[2873]

RTT says that 701043 will be running the 2U91/2/3/4 today, but it hasn’t been activated yet

Realtime Trains | 2U91 1025 London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside | 16/01/2024

Real-time train running information for 2U91 1025 departure from London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside on 16/01/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Goldfish62]

The interior is quite cold, not as cold as the 700s but being a suburban unit the white seat backs and toilet walls are just asking to get tagged, hopefully that can be managed effectively.

The pale coloured seat backs of the 458s and 707s haven't been tagged. The walls in the 458 toilets are off-white and are generally free of tags.

RTT says that 701043 will be running the 2U91/2/3/4 today, but it hasn’t been activated yet

Realtime Trains | 2U91 1025 London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside | 16/01/2024

Real-time train running information for 2U91 1025 departure from London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside on 16/01/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Last Wednesday it wasn't activated until about 10 min before it left Wimbledon.

 

[Snow1964]

More charges have been registered by Rock Rail on 11th January

701 : 009, 036, 039, 056, 515, 516,

ROCK RAIL SOUTH WESTERN PLC filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK

ROCK RAIL SOUTH WESTERN PLC - Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity

find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk

So I think list of charges is now :


Missing units are
001-003, 005, 007-008, 010, 020-021, 053, 055, 057-060
501-507, 511, 513-514, 517-530

44 of 60 10car = 440 vehicles. 73.3%
6 of 30 5car = 30 vehicles. 20.0%
470 of 750 vehicles is 62.67%

Just spotted some more charges have been added on the linked companies House webpage

units 507, 511

So full list is now 450 of 750 vehicles

004, 006, 009, 011, 012, 013, 014, 015, 016, 017, 018, 019, 022, 023, 024, 025, 026, 027, 028, 029, 030, 031, 032, 033, 034, 035, 036, 037, 038, 039, 040, 041, 042, 043, 044, 045, 046, 047, 048, 049, 050, 051, 052, 054, 056, 507, 508, 509, 510, 511, 512, 515, 516

Missing units are
001-003, 005, 007-008, 010, 020-021, 053, 055, 057-060
501-506, 513-514, 517-530

 

[WarrenTManager]

RTT says that 701043 will be running the 2U91/2/3/4 today, but it hasn’t been activated yet

Realtime Trains | 2U91 1025 London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside | 16/01/2024

Real-time train running information for 2U91 1025 departure from London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside on 16/01/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Prepped and on yard sheet as 5U91. 1039 is prepped as spare.

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

"Activated 16/01/2024 09:29" says Realtime Trains.

 

[ScottGallagher]

I'm guessing colour wise, with the combination of blues and dark grey/silver
I'd hope a brand new train, built in this decade, would have adequate heating. Then again these are 701s so I don't think anyone would be surprised if it broke

I'll add that the temperature did seem fine to me at least when I travelled on one last Friday

Heat wise or colour wise?

Sorry definetley colour wise !

 

[Mzzzs]

Geoffs video on class 701.

 

[Warrior2852]

RTT says that 701043 will be running the 2U91/2/3/4 today, but it hasn’t been activated yet

Realtime Trains | 2U91 1025 London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside | 16/01/2024

Real-time train running information for 2U91 1025 departure from London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside on 16/01/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Is this the schedule for the next few days, is it running all 4 services up to Friday?
(assuming all goes as planned)

 

[Class93]

First trip from Staines to Windsor today. Would agree the window seat is a little cramped but otherwise, an excellent train and can’t wait for them to be deployed fully.

 

[swr444]

The 701 doing the 2U's today had a little break down in the Queenstown Road area as it headed back to Wimbledon park...

 

[CarrotPie]

Geoffs video on class 701.

I watched his video of the build in Derby in 2019 for comparison. Dos anyone know the identity of the unit(s) fitted with a pantograph?

 

[Goldfish62]

The 701 doing the 2U's today had a little break down in the Queenstown Road area as it headed back to Wimbledon park...

14 min delay showing on RTT.

 

[swr444]

14 min delay showing on RTT.

Driver had to reboot the whole unit apparently

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Ah well, it’s a new unit, it happens.

They’ve managed every service trip booked for them since the first so far, unlike the 730s, 777s, 197s, 231s and c2c 720s which all had cancellations & 350 substitutions, cancellations & 50x substitutions, 150/175 substitutions, 150/769 substitutions and 357 substitutions galore in their first weeks.

 

[Goldfish62]

Ah well, it’s a new unit, it happens.

They’ve managed every service trip booked for them since the first so far, unlike the 730s, 777s, 197s, 231s and c2c 720s which all had cancellations & 350 substitutions, cancellations & 50x substitutions, 150/175 substitutions, 150/769 substitutions and 357 substitutions galore in their first weeks.

Yes indeed!

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Ah well, it’s a new unit, it happens.

They’ve managed every service trip booked for them since the first so far, unlike the 730s, 777s, 197s, 231s and c2c 720s which all had cancellations & 350 substitutions, cancellations & 50x substitutions, 150/175 substitutions, 150/769 substitutions and 357 substitutions galore in their first weeks.

difference is they didn't wait four years before they put them out in traffic