707001, Clapham Yard, December 20th 2016
To take full advantage of the extra capacity created by the High Level Output Specification which has seen many platforms extended plus additional platforms at Waterloo brought into use following years of neglect after Eurostar services moved to London St Pancras in November 2007 South West Trains tendered for the production of a fleet of thirty trains in five car formations. Siemens won the tender and the units were built as a follow on to the order for Class 700 EMUs for Thameslink services. The first unit was completed in Spring 2016 in Krefeld in Germany and underwent exhuastive testing before arriving in the UK in the early hours of December 9th 2016. Unfortunately 707001 was the victim of a graffiti artist within a day of arriving and since then it has been in number nine road in the main shed at Clapham Yard. Testing is expected to commence when 707002 arrives in the UK and this testing is to involve using the AC equipment which will only appear on these two units and will be removed when testing is complete. Crew familliarisation should start in Spring 2017 with the first public services currently expected in April. All thirty units should be in service by the end of Summer 2017.
707001, Clapham Yard, December 20th 2016
To take full advantage of the extra capacity created by the High Level Output Specification which has seen many platforms extended plus additional platforms at Waterloo brought into use following years of neglect after Eurostar services moved to London St Pancras in November 2007 South West Trains tendered for the production of a fleet of thirty trains in five car formations. Siemens won the tender and the units were built as a follow on to the order for Class 700 EMUs for Thameslink services. The first unit was completed in Spring 2016 in Krefeld in Germany and underwent exhuastive testing before arriving in the UK in the early hours of December 9th 2016. Unfortunately 707001 was the victim of a graffiti artist within a day of arriving and since then it has been in number nine road in the main shed at Clapham Yard. Testing is expected to commence when 707002 arrives in the UK and this testing is to involve using the AC equipment which will only appear on these two units and will be removed when testing is complete. Crew familliarisation should start in Spring 2017 with the first public services currently expected in April. All thirty units should be in service by the end of Summer 2017.