Krefeld, 2016-Jul-15
The new SWT Class 707 trains are due to enter service from Spring 2017
The first five South West Trains (SWT) new Class 707 trains have entered testing at Siemens’ dedicated test track. This marks a significant step towards the completion of the state-of-the-art trains, which will service the route between London Waterloo and Windsor.
The contract for the manufacture of the £210 million fleet (comprising 30, five-car electric multiple units) was originally awarded to Siemens in September 2014. The first trains began testing earlier this month ahead of delivery to SWT Wimbledon depot by leasing company Angel Trains this autumn.
With this milestone, the Siemens-built Class 707 Desiro City trains are one step closer to being ready for passenger service along the route from spring 2017. They will serve many of the busiest stations on the network, including Clapham Junction, Twickenham, Richmond, Hounslow and Brentford and provide space for more than 18,000 extra passengers during the busiest times of the day.
The new Class 707 trains will also ensure increased space and improved accessibility through ‘open gangways’ and upgraded on-board facilities such as free WiFi – delivering a step-change in service for passengers along the route. The trains will also feature improved passenger information including real-time TfL and London Underground updates as well as information about individual carriage capacity.
All units are required to undergo extensive testing to ensure that they are compatible with the safety and operational specifications along the route. Siemens’ state-of-the art test track in Wildenrath, Germany, has been designed to test new UK fleets to Network Rail standards, minimising disruption to the busy UK network. To ensure reliability across the SWT fleet, Siemens has fitted the hi-tech operating system from its recently launched Thameslink Class 700. This ensures the South West Trains fleet benefits from the extensive testing programme undertaken by the new Thameslink fleet.
The new fleet will be lighter and more energy efficient than previous generations, offering a weight saving of around 25 %, meaning less wear and tear for the track.
When they are introduced into service in 2017, the new trains will significantly boost capacity along the route, allowing an additional 18,000 passengers per day to travel in and out of London Waterloo during the busiest times of the day. The completed roll out will also allow a ‘cascade’ of the existing train fleet, providing additional carriages and space for passengers for all other lines on the South West Trains network.
Steve Scrimshaw, Managing Director, Rail Systems at Siemens, said:
“It is always great to see such a major contract progress and reach important milestones. The testing phase is the most important as it allows us to ensure that each and every unit we deliver is safe and reliable for passengers.
“We still have a while to go before the entire fleet is complete but sending the first units in for testing on schedule is a significant achievement that we can all be proud of.”
Christian Roth, Managing Director, South West Trains, commented:
“This is an important milestone in the project to provide a fleet of brand new, state-of-the-art trains for our passengers.
“The Siemens built Class 707 trains not only provide better facilities, including free WiFi and modern climate control, they’re also part of the £800million investment to provide 30% more space for passengers during the busiest times of the day.
“It’s really pleasing to see them being built and we look forward to welcoming them to the UK a little later this year.”
Malcolm Brown, Chief Executive Officer for Angel Trains, added:
“We are delighted to be procuring and leasing a new fleet of state-of-the-art Siemens-built Class 707s for South West Trains, offering increased capacity, air-conditioning, easier passenger access and on-board Wi-Fi. We understand that, as the capital’s population grows, so do the travelling needs of passengers moving to, from and within London. Angel Trains is committed to providing value to customers and investing in London’s rail network.
The new trains will ensure increased space and improved accessibility
Media contacts
Silke Thomson-Pottebohm, Siemens
Tel: 07808 822780
Email: silke.thomson-pottebohm@siemens.com
Alison Emery, Siemens
Tel: 07808 827784
Email: alison.emery@siemens.com
For further information, please see: www.siemens.co.uk/press
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About Siemens
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. The company is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is No. 1 in offshore wind turbine construction, a leading supplier of gas and steam turbines for power generation, a major provider of power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2015, which ended on September 30, 2015, Siemens generated revenue of €75.6 billion and net income of €7.4 billion. At the end of September 2015, the company had around 348,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.
About South West Trains
- South West Trains is one of Europe's busiest commuter train operators, running around 1700 trains a day out of London Waterloo covering routes through Hampshire, Surrey, Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Devon, Somerset and Greater London, serving a mixture of commuters and longer-distance travellers.
- More than half a million passengers use South West Trains services every day.
- Island Line services on the Isle of Wight are also operated by South West Trains.
About Angel Trains
Angel Trains is one of Britain’s leading train leasing companies and has been an owner and lessor of rolling stock since 1994. The company leases to all 19 franchised operators and two open access operators in the UK. Angel Trains is passionate about financing and delivering high quality, modern assets to its customers and is committed to working with the Government, the Rail Delivery Group ("RDG") and other stakeholders to provide innovative funding solutions to modernise and improve the UK's train fleet. Angel Trains has invested £3.8 billion in new rolling stock and refurbishment programmes since 1994 and is one of the largest private investors in the industry. Website: https://www.angeltrains.co.uk/
