Option Enables SWR To Expand Class 701 Fleet
The title of this post, is the same as that as this article on Rail Business UK.
Currently. South Western Railway (SWR) has the following Class 701 trains on order from Bombardier.
- 60 x ten-car trains
- 30 x five-car trains
They also had an option for two more ten-car trains.
This has been increased to five trains.
At least one train company, thinks it’s worth investing in more trains despite COVID-19!
Given the perilous state of SWR finances pre Covid this must have been sanctioned by DofT.
What are they for though – maybe the 442 saga means there to replace some of them?
Comment by Nicholas Lewis | July 26, 2020 |
Given the timing of Hitachi’s announcement of battery trains, I wonder whether Bombardier have said they can produce a version of a 10-car with batteries, that can do Basingstoke to Exeter with a couple of charges using technology based on Vivarail’s innovative charger, which I think is brilliant.
Or would a battery-equipped 701 running on the Portsmouth Direct Line be able to outrun everything else, using batteries, when the power drops.
Comment by AnonW | July 26, 2020 |