South Western Railway’s (SWR) Wimbledon depot recently received its first Class 701 train, marking a momentous milestone in the £1bn transformation of suburban travel
South Western Railway’s (SWR) Wimbledon depot recently received its first Class 701 train, marking a momentous milestone in the £1bn transformation of suburban travel.
The 10 car ‘Train 6’ will become the focus of training programmes and dynamic testing to make sure the entire fleet, which will be stabled at the depot over the coming weeks, is ready ahead of its introduction to passenger services later this year.
Train 6 allows drivers, maintenance and other depot colleagues to start their training and grow new skills in preparation for the next generation of trains. Wimbledon depot will eventually become the new maintenance home for the entire Class 701 fleet.
SWR’s Class 701 fleet consists of 90 new trains, representing a massive investment in modern, quicker and reliable services for passengers.
Neil Drury, SWR’s Engineering Director, said: “We’re delighted Wimbledon depot has received its first class 701 train. There will be many significant developments in this programme, this is one of them.
Train 6 allows us to prepare our drivers, maintenance staff and other colleagues for a generational step-change in service performance, and ensure that the important components which define the experience of travelling on these new trains are ready before the fleet’s eventual introduction.
