| British Rail Class 700 Desiro City | |
|---|---|
 AThameslink Class 700 atBedford in 2024 | |
 The standard-class interior of a Class 700 unit | |
| In service | 20 June 2016 – present[1] |
| Manufacturer | Siemens Mobility[2] |
| Built at | Krefeld,Germany[2] |
| Family name | Desiro City[2] |
| Replaced | |
| Constructed | 2014–2018 |
| Number built | 115[3] |
| Formation |
|
| Fleet numbers |
|
| Capacity |
|
| Owners | Cross London Trains[4] |
| Operators | Govia Thameslink Railway |
| Depots | |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Aluminium |
| Train length |
|
| Car length | 20.2 m (66 ft 3 in) |
| Width | 2.80 m (9 ft 2 in) |
| Floor height | 1.10 m (43.31 in) |
| Doors |
|
| Wheel diameter | 820–760 mm (32.28–29.92 in)(new–worn)[5] |
| Wheelbase |
|
| Maximum speed | 100 mph (160 km/h) |
| Weight |
|
| Axle load |
|
| Traction system | SiemensIGBT |
| Power output | |
| Electric system(s) | |
| Current collection |
|
| UIC classification | (See§ Fleet and formation details) |
| Bogies | Siemens SGP SF7000[5] |
| Minimum turning radius | 120 m (390 ft)[5] |
| Braking system(s) | Electro-pneumatic (disc)andregenerative |
| Safety system(s) | |
| Coupling system | Dellner |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge |
| Notes/references | |
| Sourced from[6] unless otherwise noted. | |
TheBritish Rail Class 700 is anelectric multiple unit passenger train from theDesiro City family built bySiemens Mobility. It is capable of operating on25 kV 50 Hz AC fromoverhead wires or750 V DC fromthird rail. 115 trainsets were built between 2014 and 2018, for use on theThameslink network, as part of theThameslink Programme in theUnited Kingdom. As of 2021[update], they are operated byGovia Thameslink Railway.
In 2011, the consortium Cross London Trains (XLT) consisting ofSiemens Project Ventures,3i Infrastructure, andInnisfree was announced as preferred bidder withSiemens Mobility to manufacture the trains. The decision was politically controversial as the trains were to be built in Germany, while the competing consortium led byBombardier Transportation hada UK train factory. Both the procurement process and final close of contract were significantly delayed, resulting in the expected first delivery date moving from 2012 to 2016. The £1.6 billion contract to manufacture and provide service depots for the trains was finalised in June 2013. The first train was delivered in late July 2015.
A fleet of 60 eight-car and 55 twelve-car trains entered service between spring 2016 and 2019.[3] Having replacedClass 319s,377s, and387s, The Class 700 is the only class operated on the Thameslink network.[7][8] Each train is able to reach 100 mph (160 km/h) and carry 1,146 passengers in an eight-car train, and 1,754 passengers in a 12-car train. Maintenance depots have been built atHornsey andThree Bridges.
TheDepartment for Transport began its procurement process (Thameslink Rolling Stock Project, orThameslink Rolling stock Programme) on 9 April 2008, with the aim of introducing more passenger capacity on Thameslink lines to match expected demand. In addition, the bidders were to provide depots for vehicle maintenance and storage and finance for the rolling-stock project whereby revenues would be generated from the long-term leasing of rolling stock to thetrain operating company and associated maintenance payments.[9][10][11]
The general specifications included: high reliability, short station dwell times, integrated information technology including passenger information and information for vehicle maintenance, a top speed of 100 mph (160 km/h), and high acceleration and deceleration performance in line with a high-frequency timetable.[a] The trains were to be designed for low weight, low track forces, and high energy efficiency. A standard 12-car train was to be about 240 metres (790 ft) long and shorter eight-car trains were limited to 162 metres (531 ft).[9][10][11]
The passenger accommodation was to include versions for both "metro" and "commuter" trains,[b] based around a 2+2 seating arrangement, with fold-up seats and designed for high levels of standing passengers.[9][10][11] Ride quality and noise levels were expected to equal or be better than those of current vehicles and climate control (air-conditioning) was to be fitted.[13] The vehicles were to be fitted fordriver-only operation, and to includeGSM-R communications radio, as well asAWS,TPWS, andERTMS level 2 safety systems. The ability to be used in 'Automatic train operation' (ATO) mode, where an on-board computer controls the motors and brakes, was also specified.[13]
Vehicles were to operate on 750 V DC and 25 kV AC electrification systems, withregenerative brakes. Maintenance time was to be reduced by the use of modular components, remote diagnostics, and the avoidance of over-complicated systems.[13] The Department for Transport gave a target of 384 tonnes (378 long tons; 423 short tons) when empty for a 243 m (797 ft) train.[13]
In July 2008, the Department for Transport shortlisted consortia includingAlstom,Bombardier,Hitachi, andSiemens as train builders.[14] Theinvitations to tender were issued to the four bidders in November 2008.[12]
Hitachi exited the bidding process in April 2009.[15]
In July 2009, Siemens unveiled theDesiro City, a development of design and technology used in itsDesiro UK range and theDesiro Mainline range.[16] Development of the design had begun in 2007, with an investment of about £45 million.[2][17]
In September 2009, Alstom unveiled theX'trapolis UK, unusually anarticulated vehicle, using 15.6 m (51 ft) cars, with individual carriages proposed to be supported at one end by a bogie and at the opposite end by a linkage to the next carriage. The shorter vehicle allowed a slightly wider design; the smaller number of bogies was to have resulted in a train approximately 40 tonnes lighter than a conventional design.[18] However, the design would have resulted in a higher axle load. The bid was rejected in October 2009.[19]
Bombardier Transportation offered theAventra, a design incorporating a development of theFLEXX Eco inside frame bogie with bogie-mounted traction motors.[20][21][22]
Both Bombardier's and Siemens' rolling-stock designs were conventional EMUs incorporating inside frame bogies and modern passenger and rolling stock information systems.[2][16][17][20][21][22]
The contract for the order was originally planned to be signed in summer 2009, with the first vehicles in service by February 2012, and squadron service by 2015.[9][10][11] The award of the contract was delayed by the2010 general election[23] and the subsequentspending review, following which the procurement was announced to be proceeding in late 2010.[24]
On 16 June 2011, Cross London Trains Ltd, a consortium formed by Siemens Project Ventures GmbH, Innisfree Ltd., and 3i Infrastructure Ltd., was named preferred bidder for thePFI contract, and the targeted entry of trains into service was rescheduled to 2015–2018. The vehicles would be manufactured at Siemens' plant inKrefeld, Germany, and maintenance depots were to be built atHornsey (London) andThree Bridges (Sussex).[2]
The contract was significantly delayed: initially Siemens had hoped to reach agreement in early 2012;[25] by late 2012 commercial close was hoped for by the end of the year, and financial close in early 2013.[26] Key aspects of the commercial contract were reported to have been finalised by December 2012.[27]
As a result of the delays to the procurement, in late 2012, train operating companySouthern began procurement of 116 dual-voltageClass 387 EMU vehicles (29 units) from Bombardier that would be used temporarily on the Thameslink route until 2015; the order contract was finalised in July 2013.[27][28][29][30]
In mid-2013 theNational Audit Office (NAO) reported that the contract delay could negatively impact the delivery of the entire Thameslink Programme.[31]
The £1.6 billion contract to finance, supply, and maintain a 1,140-carriage fleet of passenger rolling stock was eventually finalised between the DfT, the supplier Siemens, and the Cross London Trains consortium on 14 June 2013.[32][33][34]
To finance the work, loans were arranged with nineteen banks, withLloyds,Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation,KfW andBTMU acting asmandated lead arrangers; theEuropean Investment Bank also provided a debt facility. Loans for the construction of the rolling-stock depots were throughSiemens Financial Services.[35]
Development of the new SF7000bogie began in 2007, with the intention that it would be the UK-market replacement for the preceding Siemens SGP SF5000 model. To reduce energy consumption and track access charges, a key feature of the design was reduced weight: weight-saving design elements included short wheelbase, inboard frames, a bolsterless bogie design, and hollow axles. Total bogie weight is 6.3 tonnes (powered) and 4.4 tonnes (trailer), a reduction of around one third from the SF5000 design.[36][37]
The primary suspension system uses layered rubber, with pneumatic secondary suspension. Motor bogies have awheelbase of 2,200 mm (87 in), while trailer bogies are 100 mm (3.9 in) shorter. Both variants use wheels of 820 mm (32 in) nominal diameter.[5] Braking is by tread brakes andregenerative braking on motor bogies, and two axle-mounteddisc brakes per axle on trailer bogies.[36][38]
Prototypes of the new bogie were completed at Siemens' bogie plant inGraz, Austria in late 2011.[39]
Manufacture of pre-series production trainsets began before formal financial close of the project in mid-2013.[40]
A mock-up of the train was unveiled at theExCel centre in January 2014, and then displayed at various stations in London and the surrounding area.[41][42]
In March 2014, testing of a 12-car unit began at theWegberg-Wildenrath Test and Validation Centre;[40] a completed unit was presented by Siemens in Krefeld, Germany in April 2015.[43]
The first train arrived in the UK by the end of July 2015, and was delivered to theThree Bridges depot.[44] The first test run on theBrighton Main Line took place in December 2015.[45]
The first train in service was unit 700108 forming the 1002 Brighton to London Bridge service on 20 June 2016. By 18 September 2017, Class 700s replaced allClass 319,377, and387 units previously in use on the network.[7][8][46] All units were accepted by Thameslink by summer 2018, and by the end of 2019 all were in passenger service.
The Class 700 fleet, at 60 eight-car and 55 twelve-car units, is over double the size of the old Thameslink fleet. This increase has been used not only to enhance capacity, but also to expand the Thameslink network.
On 6 November 2017, Class 700s started on theGreat Northern route with the first, 700128, operating the 0656Peterborough toLondon Kings Cross service.[47] The Great Northern route has since been partially incorporated in the Thameslink network after through services through theCanal Tunnels began on 26 February 2018.[48] On this route, Class 700s replaced parts of theClass 365 fleet.
On 11 December 2017, Class 700s took over peak-time services fromLondon Bridge toLittlehampton and weekday-only services from London Bridge toHorsham from Southern with the former starting from Bedford instead of London Bridge.[49][50]
From 21 May 2018, Class 700s also entered service on the newRainham toLuton service, having replaced theSoutheasternClass 465s fromGillingham toLondon Charing Cross.[51] The Class 465s are now being used to enhance capacity on other routes.
Class 700s are still due to enter service on a planned new service betweenCambridge andMaidstone East but a date for this has not yet been confirmed.[52]
Because the trains were to be built outside the UK, the decision to award the contract to Siemens proved controversial: there was widespread criticism of the UK government's bidding process and perceived lack of support for British manufacturing,[53][54] which in turn led to a review of governmental procurement mechanisms.[55][56][57][58] Additionally, the decision to procure a train with a new bogie design untested in the UK was challenged by several observers at a parliamentary investigation into the train procurement; rival bidder Bombardier already had a proven low-weight bogie.[59]
In 2014, theNAO reported on theDepartment for Transport's handling ofIntercity Express and Thameslink rolling-stock procurement projects. The report questioned the DfT's attempt to take leadership in the project, contrary to general policy, without any prior experience of large-scale rolling stock procurement; the NAO also said the DfT had handled communications with bidders poorly, increasing the likelihood of a legal challenge to its decisions.[60][61]
The Class 700 units have been criticised for having fewer seats than those they replaced.[62] There are 666 seats on the 12-car versions of the Class 700, compared to 714 on a 12-car formation of a ThameslinkClass 377/5 and 807 on a twelve car formation of a Great NorthernClass 365. The reduction in the number of seats is intended to provide more standing room on busy trains into Central London, but has been criticised by those who use the trains for longer journeys. There will, however, be more seats overall, as the services will run more frequently.
Additionally, the seats themselves have been criticised for being an uncomfortable shape and having insufficient padding. They are also narrow and positioned close together – another design intended to increase standing space. These poor levels of comfort, along with their tall, thin, tapered appearance, have led them to sometimes be nicknamed "ironing boards";[63] they have also been likened to sitting onconcrete.[64]
Thameslink have claimed that the lack of padding was required to meet fire regulations; however, theRail Safety and Standards Board have claimed that this is untrue, and that it was simply a measure by the DfT to reduce costs.[65]
Upon delivery, the trains were also missing various amenities which were considered standard, including seatback tables andWi-Fi, which are now being retrofitted to some units.[65] As of April 2023[update], 58% of Class 700/1 (12 coach) and 23% of Class 700/0 (8 coach) are fitted with Wi-Fi with no plans to extend this further across the fleet.[66]
The new fleet were allocatedTOPS classification '700' in 2013.[3] This was divided into subclasses 700/0 for eight-car units and 700/1 for 12-car units.[27][67]
The first class compartment at the rear of each unit is declassified at all times.[68][69]
In July 2013Eversholt Rail entered into an agreement with Cross London Trains to provide long-term (22-year)asset management for the fleet of trains.[70]
There are 60 eight-car units and 55 twelve-car units.[71] Each is a fixed length continuously gangwayed vehicle.[3] The initial livery is "light grey with pastel blue doors and a white diagonal flash at the carriage ends".[3]
| Subclass | Operator | Qty. | Year built | Cars per unit | Unit nos. | Formation & UIC classification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 700/0 | Thameslink | 60 | 2014–2018 | 8 | 700001–700060 | |
| 700/1 | 55 | 12 | 700101–700155 |
In July 2019, unit 700155 was wrapped with vinyltrainbow stickers to celebrate LGBT Pride and to markBrighton's annual pride event.[73]
As of April 2020, unit 700111, alongsideSouthern unit377111 and Great Northern unit717011, has been wrapped with a specialNHS appreciation livery to show support for the NHS and the 200,000 essential commuters travelling on Govia Thameslink Railway's network each week during the nationwide lockdown caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic.[74]
Unit 700124 is namedDriver Phill Marchant Keeping us moving for more than 12 years[75]
In 2008, theDepartment for Transport commissioned a study into the location of depots for the future Thameslink rolling stock: Network Rail preferred two depots based on an expectation that at times the central area of the Thameslink route would be closed for maintenance outside commercial operational hours, with no workable alternative electrified routes available; as a result, depots on either side of the central Thameslink area were required, enabling trains to reach a depot on a nightly basis without passing through central London. A single-depot solution was also investigated, but no suitably large sites were identified for such a facility.[76] Sites were considered at:Wellingborough;[c]Hornsey;[d]Cricklewood;[e]Selhurst;[f]Three Bridges;[g] andTonbridge.[77] By late 2008, the sites had been narrowed to Hornsey, Three Bridges and Tonbridge; finally Hornsey and Three Bridges were selected as a two-depot solution.[78]
In August 2009, planning applications for both sites were submitted byArup acting on behalf ofNetwork Rail.[79][80] However, in December, the Hornsey application was blocked bySecretary of State for Communities and Local GovernmentJohn Denham on grounds of its scale.[81][82] Potential sites for the northern depot were reassessed and possible options reduced to three: a main depot at Coronation Sidings Hornsey; a main depot adjacent to the existing depot at Hornsey; and a site atChesterton, Cambridge – a depot reduced in size on the site of the original plan was chosen as the best option for Network Rail.[83] In 2011 revised plans were submitted for both the Hornsey and Three Bridges schemes, with the Hornsey scheme reduced in size and the Three Bridges scheme expanded.[84] In mid-2013,VolkerFitzpatrick was awarded the approximately £150 million contract to build the two depots.[85][86]
The Three Bridges and the Hornsey depots were officially opened in October 2015 and December 2016 respectively.[87][88]
TheThree Bridges depot is located 0.93 mi (1.5 km) south ofThree Bridges railway station on either side of theBrighton Main Line.[h] TheHornsey depot is located on the east side of theEast Coast Main Line nearHornsey railway station, split between the north-east and the south-east of the station and theA504 road (High Street/Turnpike Lane), the latter being adjacent to the pre-existing depot.[93][i]
...just as a correction to this information. 58% of class 700/1 (12 coach) are fitted with Wi-Fi and 23% of class 700/0 (8 coach) are fitted with Wi-Fi.
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