SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY'S NEW £1BN TRAIN FLEET FINALLY LAUNCHED AFTER FIVE-YEAR DELAY

After enduring a delay of half a decade, South Western Railway proudly presented its £1bn fleet of new trains at London Waterloo Station. The operator is introducing 90 Class 701 Arterio trains to its service, which were built by Alstom in Derby.

Yet, the roll-out of these trains has been significantly behind schedule due to an extended conflict with unions concerning safety issues, along with several unrelated technical problems, as reported by City AM.

Notably, the Rail Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) implemented two months of strikes amidst a dispute over the role of guards and drivers.

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Further complications arose from faulty software, resulting in many trains being idled in sidings for considerable periods. Earlier this year, train drivers' union Aslef flagged another issue regarding the size of the windscreen wipers on the Arterios, arguing they obstructed the drivers' visibility of trackside signals.

Despite these setbacks, a "development" service has been in place, with five Arterios having already been running on routes to Windsor and Eton Riverside and Shepperton. A solitary train commenced operation in January, offering a single return service off-peak between Waterloo and Windsor.

South Western Railway's Interim Managing Director, Stuart Meek, commented that the new trains will "completely transform every single journey on our suburban network."

Over the upcoming six months, Arterios will be servicing 74 stations and running 80 services during peak times each weekday. Customers on new routes, including those to Dorking, Epsom, Guildford, Hampton Court, and Reading, are set to benefit from increased capacity and improved comfort on their journeys.

At the unveiling, Meek conceded to reporters that while new trains would offer improved capacity, they wouldn't address "perennial issues" such as track infrastructure and signalling problems, which have led to numerous delays and cancellations over the past year. The ten-car Arterios are set to accommodate around 50% more passengers compared to the older eight-car Class 455 trains they are replacing.

Over the coming six months, the fresh fleet will extend services to destinations including Dorking, Epsom, Guildford, Hampton Court, and Reading. Training is currently underway for some 750 drivers to operate the new trains.

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2024-11-29T12:48:32Z