HomeRail NewsSWR to receive final Class 707 trains in January

SWR to receive final Class 707 trains in January

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South Western Railway (SWR) is set to receive the last of its new Class 707 EMUs from Siemens.

The final sets will be delivered to Clapham Junction by the end of January 2018, completing SWR’s fleet of 30 trains.

The first pair of five-car 707s was delivered at the end of 2016 and the first train of the Desiro fleet entered service in the summer.

Class 707s will only operate on the SWR network until mid-2019. FirstGroup/MTR, which took over the franchise from Stagecoach, plans to replace them with a new fleet of Bombardier Aventras.

Speaking to RailStaff at the launch of the SWR franchise, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “The franchisees have no obligation to use the existing trains.

“This is a different strategy it’s about having a more harmonised fleet of trains that improves efficiency, improves ways of working.

“It does mean that Angel Trains has a fleet of Siemens trains that won’t have a home after 2020, but we’re not in a position today where we have got a surplus of trains on our network, and I’m absolutely certain they will find a home and help deliver longer trains and more capacity in other places.”

Photo: Siemens

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