South Western Railway’s £1 Billion Train Fleet, Delayed by Five Years, Set for Rollout

A ceremony is scheduled for later today to commemorate the introduction of new trains for South Western Railway, which have experienced significant delays. These Class 701 Arterio trains, manufactured in Derby, are launching five years later than initially planned. An order for ninety of these trains, valued at £1 billion, was placed in 2017, with an expected operational start date of November 2019. Their deployment was hindered by numerous defects, primarily software-related issues. Consequently, many units remained in storage in sidings for extended periods. The RMT union conducted 78 days of industrial action concerning the responsibilities of guards on these specific trains prior to reaching a resolution with the operating company. Passenger service on the inaugural Arterio train commenced between London Waterloo and Windsor in January 2024. This “development” service was largely limited to a single daily round trip during off-peak times. Subsequently, only a small number of these trains have entered routine operation. South Western Railway (SWR) announced that additional trains are expected to begin operations on different routes in the forthcoming weeks. The company is currently training 750 drivers for their operation. Earlier this year, the BBC utilized the Freedom of Information Act in an attempt to ascertain the full public expenditure associated with the delay, encompassing the extra costs incurred to maintain older trains in service. However, the Department for Transport stated in its response that, despite possessing the relevant data, it would decline to disclose the cost. The department cited that revealing the figure “prejudice the commercial interests of South Western Railway and the department”. For updates, BBC Berkshire can be followed on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.