Thameslink, owned by parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), is celebrating the five-year anniversary since the first Desiro City Class 700 trains entered service.
Operating train services out of London to East Anglia and South East, Thameslink carries a large amount of both commuter and leisure passengers.
To improve the quality of journeys, GTR working with Siemens Mobility produced the Class 700s.
Features of these trains include:
- Self-driving capabilities on some London routes
- Wider doors and aisle – easier to board, walk along inside and depart
- Two-by-two seating – creating more room for luggage, especially for people travelling to airports
- Adaptive climate-controlled air conditioning – alters according to the number of passengers
- Fully accessible toilets and baby changing facilities
- Electronic signs – showing seat availability, a key feature when there are 1,700 seats
- Clever bike storage
- Automatic maintenance requests
Five years after their first introduction back in June 2016, 58 million miles have been made by the fleet made up of 115 units.
As part of a Government-funded scheme, the fleet of Class 700s added an extra 50,000 seats per day for commuters going into or coming out of London.
Two units have received special liveries, these are:
- No.700 111 – with “Thank You NHS” and other NHS graphics to say thank you to all the hard-working NHS staff and volunteers during COVID-19
- No.700 155 – featuring rainbow colours to celebrate the rail company's thriving LGBT+ community
Managing Director of Thameslink and Great Northern Tom Moran said: “The Thameslink trains have been a real game-changer for our passengers. These state-of-the art trains have created space for thousands more commuters and helped us expand the Thameslink network, bringing the benefits of time-saving cross-London travel to millions across the South East.”
Managing Director Rolling Stock and Customer Services, at Siemens Mobility Sambit Banerjee added: “I'm really proud of the Class 700 and of our fantastic teams who maintain the trains in the Siemens-built depots at Three Bridges and Hornsey – they've completed nearly 3,000 examinations on the fleet in the last five years.
“The Class 700 trains have made a huge difference to the passenger experience for those who need to travel into, and through, London as they are more comfortable, more reliable and more frequent. Not only that, but the trains are environmentally friendly, really important with challenging decarbonisation targets to meet.
“They are 50 percent more energy efficient and 25% lighter than previous trains, all with faster acceleration and more efficient braking. A great example of technology with purpose.”
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I guarantee that Siemens should of manufacture the Class 7xx to replace the Class 313 and Class 455 ageing units on Southern.
And still after 5 years, the most uncomfortable train on the network. Most people go out of their way to avoid these trains and doctors have even told passengers to take their own pillow. Such a missed opportunity to make rail transport comfortable and enjoyable.
I am an “old git” aged ove70 years and first rode to London in comfortable Gresley teak carriages. I can still ride from Euston to Carlisle and back via the Settle Line in a single day, using West Coast BR Mark 1 carriages, with no unpleasant twinges from my old back that was hurt serving in the Army decades ago. Before Lock Down I was unable to ride in a Thameslink “Hemmoroid Express” from Cambridge much further than Hitchin before back ache set in. I once actually rode all the way to Brighton in a 700 train and the performance was superb but the seats were so awful, I have always used comfortable petrol and diesel road vehicles for my subsequent trips to the South Coast. I have absolutely no plans at present to renew our useless and utter waste of money Railcards. Perhaps I should change my name to “One foot in the Grave” Victor?
You can sit in the first class carriages at the rear of the train for no extra charge, which is a lot more comfortable.