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

[MasterPhillips]

Obviously it was planned. But I thought the Waterloo and North Downs trains struggled anyway with only three (4,5,6) platforms available.

The Gatwick services only take up one platform, usually 5. Whilst the SWRs tend to alternate, although they don’t actually need to as there is never more than one in the station at a time.

 

[Siemens Staines]

Obviously it was planned. But I thought the Waterloo and North Downs trains struggled anyway with only three (4,5,6) platforms available.

They did before SWR switched to using the leaf-fall timetable all year round for the Waterloo - Readings. Other than for events, down Waterloo trains no longer cross up Waterloo trains in the platforms at Reading . Prior to that, SWR required two platforms at Reading.

 

[Class450/4DES]

Seeing 701028 sat at platform 6 at Reading this afternoon it struck me that it spends a whole hour there, blocking the platform for other trains. Is this just testing or is training involved as well?

It did eventually move as I saw it at Aldershot today. It was testing, not sure on the latter though.

 

[WWTownEnth]

Any news on additional diagrams starting next week with the summer timetable?

 

[Snow1964]

Bidstats is showing award for the new nationalised SWR leases

class 701 £494m Rock Rail South Western
Class 158/159 £78.9m Porterbrook leasing
Class 455 £46.2m Porterbrook leasing

so yes appear to be spending extra £46.2m because of failure to withdraw the 455s due to late usage of 701s

Also class 444/450 £377m with Siemens as train service agreement
and for completeness £49.9m for maintenance of gates with Cubic

Direct award of a 5 year contract for the leasing of 60 x 10 car units and 30 x 5 car units of Class 701 rolling stock and related spares and special tools. The lease of the rolling stock is on the basis that the contracting authority (rather than the supplier) is responsible for all maintenance of the vehicles. The Lease also contains a right to transfer or sub-let the contract to certain third parties and an obligation for the supplier to enter into a direct agreement with the Secretary of State in parallel to the Lease. The direct agreement permits the Secretary of State to call for a New Contract in the event of the termination or expiry of the contracting authority's services agreement with the Secretary of State. The duration of the New Contract would typically be up to 3 years and the terms of the New Contract and the circumstances in which the direct agreement can be relied upon are all unambiguously set out in the direct agreement. The Lease also contains provisions addressing adjustments to monthly rentals on the basis specified in the Lease if certain modifications to the rolling stock are required which are to be funded by the Lessor. In the event that the contract is transferred or sub-let to a third party, a direct agreement is relied upon by the Secretary of State or modifications to the rolling stock are required and are to be funded by the Lessor, it is considered that these would be permitted modifications provided for in the contract.

Appears to be £494m for 5 years for all 750 class 701 vehicles, so £99m a year (a lot of which is being paid for semi-permanently parked trains)

Lease for Class 701 Rolling Stock [Award]

Direct award of a 5 year contract for the leasing of 60 x 10 car units and 30 x 5 car units of Class... A Contract Award Notice by South Western Railway. Value £494M.

bidstats.uk

 

[Benjwri]

Bidstats is showing award for the new nationalised SWR leases

class 701 £494m Rock Rail South Western
Class 158/159 £78.9m Porterbrook leasing
Class 455 £46.2m Porterbrook leasing

so yes appear to be spending extra £46.2m because of failure to withdraw the 455s due to late usage of 701s

Also class 444/450 £377m with Siemens as train service agreement
and for completeness £49.9m for maintenance of gates with Cubic



Appears to be £494m for 5 years for all 750 class 701 vehicles, so £99m a year (a lot of which is being paid for semi-permanently parked trains)

Lease for Class 701 Rolling Stock [Award]

Direct award of a 5 year contract for the leasing of 60 x 10 car units and 30 x 5 car units of Class... A Contract Award Notice by South Western Railway. Value £494M.

bidstats.uk

On has to wonder, given the original cost of the trains was £895 million, what the value to the taxpayer is of leasing trains these days, given they will certainly last significantly more than 10 years.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Any news on additional diagrams starting next week with the summer timetable?

If there were, I would have expected more units to have entered service by now rather than just the eight (to cover six diagrams)

Note that back in November we were told there would be twelve diagrams by now, with a thirteenth starting this month.

 

[OneTrackMinded]

If there were, I would have expected more units to have entered service by now rather than just the eight (to cover six diagrams)

Note that back in November we were told there would be twelve diagrams by now, with a thirteenth starting this month.

There's going to be 14 diagrams scheduled at the timetable change. However, not all of them will be able to be covered immediately, so will be substituted by 455s. Week by week, they will be replaced, with this approach allowing this to happen as soon as possible instead of having to wait for the start of a new week to switch over.

 

[WWTownEnth]

That IS good news

 

[Towers]

Bidstats is showing award for the new nationalised SWR leases

class 701 £494m Rock Rail South Western
Class 158/159 £78.9m Porterbrook leasing
Class 455 £46.2m Porterbrook leasing

so yes appear to be spending extra £46.2m because of failure to withdraw the 455s due to late usage of 701s

Also class 444/450 £377m with Siemens as train service agreement
and for completeness £49.9m for maintenance of gates with Cubic



Appears to be £494m for 5 years for all 750 class 701 vehicles, so £99m a year (a lot of which is being paid for semi-permanently parked trains)

Lease for Class 701 Rolling Stock [Award]

Direct award of a 5 year contract for the leasing of 60 x 10 car units and 30 x 5 car units of Class... A Contract Award Notice by South Western Railway. Value £494M.

bidstats.uk

How long is the initial 455 lease?

 

[Snow1964]

How long is the initial 455 lease?

455s for upto 3 years extra to Spring 2028 (but likely to be gone earlier as option to give months notice for each unit)

Can't remember the initial lease, must have started mid 1990s when they were privatised for about 6 year term (happy to be corrected), but BR owned them for around 10-12 years before transferred to Lease Co

 

[Invincible]

On has to wonder, given the original cost of the trains was £895 million, what the value to the taxpayer is of leasing trains these days, given they will certainly last significantly more than 10 years.

If the Conservatives get back in power the policy is to revert to GBR/DFT giving out short term franchise contracts to private train operators again, hense short leases (which do not give taxpayer and ticket buyer advantages but boost profits of private ROSCOs) ?

 

[Carlisle]

Far too early to say what a future conservative, Reform or whatever government policy would be .

 

[Invincible]

Far too early to say what a future conservative, Reform or whatever government policy would be .

Hense the confusion with Civil servants in the DFT about a new 5 year lease (which ideally, and most cost effective, should be more tied to the potential life of the trains)

https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020267-2025

 

[Goldfish62]

There's going to be 14 diagrams scheduled at the timetable change. However, not all of them will be able to be covered immediately, so will be substituted by 455s. Week by week, they will be replaced, with this approach allowing this to happen as soon as possible instead of having to wait for the start of a new week to switch over.

Sounds like a proper rollout at last, the sort that happens elsewhere but has been elusive in SWR Land so far!

 

[swr444]

There's going to be 14 diagrams scheduled at the timetable change. However, not all of them will be able to be covered immediately, so will be substituted by 455s. Week by week, they will be replaced, with this approach allowing this to happen as soon as possible instead of having to wait for the start of a new week to switch over.

and we should hopefully find out what diagrams will be operated by either tomorrow or thursday when the STP's come out

 

[WWTownEnth]

and we should hopefully find out what diagrams will be operated by either tomorrow or thursday when the STP's come out

what’s an STP please?

 

[T74]

what’s an STP please?

Short term planning ?

 

[Nimbus020]

4-car 455 services out of Waterloo during the 'peak' this (warm) eve: 17:02 to Guildford, 17:12 to Shepperton, 17:33 to Guildford, 17:50 to Reading (should be fun), 17:54 to Dorking, 18:20 to Woking, 18:33 to Guildford

 

[nctd2306]

Although not today, the evening diagram that starts with 2V49 is a favourite for short formed 455s, last week alone it ran with a 4 car 455 three times(!)
Unfortunately the evening diagrams that come out of Wimbledon depot seem to be the worst affected, 2C55 (the 17.50 to Reading)is another example of a service that always gets the short straw when there aren't enough units

 

[OneTrackMinded]

4-car 455 services out of Waterloo during the 'peak' this (warm) eve: 17:02 to Guildford, 17:12 to Shepperton, 17:33 to Guildford, 17:50 to Reading (should be fun), 17:54 to Dorking, 18:20 to Woking, 18:33 to Guildford

Hopefully for the Reading service this is the last week that will happen

 

[MontyP]

Hopefully for the Reading service this is the last week that will happen

There's been an awful lot of "hopefully" associated with the 701s for a long time now!

As a wise mentor of mine once said, hoping for the best is not a project management technique that he would recommend!

 

[Goldfish62]

There's been an awful lot of "hopefully" associated with the 701s for a long time now!

As a wise mentor of mine once said, hoping for the best is not a project management technique that he would recommend!

This particular instance isn't really about 701 introduction, rather it's do with 458 diagrams being introduced from next week. And that's something that has actually been happening relatively smoothly!

 

[swtrains]

Today's testing:

5T91 - Clapham Yard - Waterloo - goes via Hounslow loop via Hounslow before heading to Waterloo.
5T92 - Waterloo - Waterloo - another Hounslow loop via Hounslow.
5T93 - Waterloo - Clapham Yard - Kingston loop via Wimbledon, before heading to Yard.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:Q47548/2025-05-14/detailed

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:Q47547/2025-05-14/detailed

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:Q47533/2025-05-14/detailed

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

4-car 455 services out of Waterloo during the 'peak' this (warm) eve: 17:02 to Guildford, 17:12 to Shepperton, 17:33 to Guildford, 17:50 to Reading (should be fun), 17:54 to Dorking, 18:20 to Woking, 18:33 to Guildford

701s cannot come soon enough. There are almost 100 services being short-formed daily at the moment.

 

[NSEWonderer]

701012 yesterday as I was passing was doing some movements on the long road known as 49 road that goes from clapham junction depot towards the buffers just before Wandsworth. Must have been training for low speed movement.

 

[Bikeman78]

Hopefully for the Reading service this is the last week that will happen

Shall we have a sweepstake for which day next week a 455 will go to Reading?

 

[Goldfish62]

Shall we have a sweepstake for which day next week a 455 will go to Reading?

Monday.

But not necessarily on one of the existing 455 diagrams.

 

[OneTrackMinded]

I've heard a lot of conflicting info about how many new planned 701 diagrams will be in the May timetable change. Some say 14, others say 18, and I've also heard 20.
We'll just have to wait for the STPs to come out I guess.

 

[nctd2306]

Shall we have a sweepstake for which day next week a 455 will go to Reading?

Likely every day until the first 701 goes to Reading (and that won't be next week)
I also wouldn't be surprised if there's actually a temporary increase in 455s to Readings to cover for any 450s that go back to the mainline (and were supposed to have been 701)

 

[Goldfish62]

Likely every day until the first 701 goes to Reading (and that won't be next week)
I also wouldn't be surprised if there's actually a temporary increase in 455s to Readings to cover for any 450s that go back to the mainline (and were supposed to have been 701)

That's not what's been reported at all, thankfully. 458s are returning to the Reading line next week with the one remaining diagrammed pair of 458/5s returning on weekdays (the current all-day 455 diagram I believe) as well as one 458/4 pair being introduced.

The number of 455 diagrams are being decreased due to an increase in 458 diagrams and a gradual increase in 701 diagrams, which is just as well as they're falling to bits!