Final City Beam trains set to move to Southeastern from SWR
The final City Beam trains at South Western Railway are set to soon move over to Southeastern after a lengthy delay.
A total of 30 Class 707s were constructed and 28 have now moved over. The remaining two were due to move but held back due to a pretty shambolic introduction of new “Arterio” Class 701 trains on SWR.
What Southeastern have branded as “City Beams” were ordered for South West Trains before that franchise ended. Despite being all but new the current operator ordered new stock as part of the then-franchise agreement leaving the stock without a home.
The prospect of trains just a couple of years old sitting unused in sidings wasn’t a good look, and they moved to Southeastern sending Networkers to storage. In fact, I recently passed one sitting up north.
With driver training finally underway on SWR’s new trains years behind schedule – and other stock being refurbished – SWR are set to give up their sub-lease sending 707s to SE Metro.
The stock has air con (which has been a godsend recently) unlike Networkers though lack toilets. Southeastern Metro services now see three types of train: the Networkers, City Beams and Class 376s.
A tender was issued for potential new stock back in 2022, but whether all Metro stock would be replaced or even whether it’s approved remains to be seen.
About time that the 2 last remaining Class 707s “707024” and “707030” should be transferred from South Western Railway to Southeastern. And South Western Railway to start introducing the Class 701 Arterio Aventras on the London Waterloo orbital (clockwise and anti-clockwise via Brentford, Kingston and Strawberry Hill).
Shepperton, Chessington South, Chertsey, Virginia Water, Weybridge, Hampton Court, Reading, Guildford, Woking, Dorking and Aldershot routes. And perhaps SWR should allow the Class 458/4 & /5s to operate on Waterloo-Alton service.
Mind you Siemens could have built more Class 707s for Southeastern instead of inheriting them from South Western Railway. And to cascade the Class 707 that South Western Railway would have kept could have gone to Southern.
And to use them on London Bridge-Caterham, Cattenham Corner, Epsom Downs, West Croydon, Sutton and London Bridge-London Victoria via Peckham Rye.
I think that South Western Railway should give up using the last remaining 707 units “707024” and “707030” and to cascade the remaining 2 Class 707 Desiro City trains to Southeastern. And with the Class 701 Arterios to start operating on the Southwest London anti-clockwise and clockwise orbital routes via Hounslow, Strawberry etc.
And to start introducing the Class 701 Arterios on London Waterloo-Reading, Shepperton, Chessington South, Woking, Dorking, Guildford and other outer-suburban routes. With the Class 458/4 to be used on the outer-suburban services and possibly used on the Aldershot and Alton service.
Will be much missed by the regulars on the 08.01 stopping train from Surbiton to Waterloo. Appreciate ten carriages and AC on a busy train. Hope we see 701s soon!