South Western Railway celebrates rollout of Aventra fleet in the UK

Highlighting its suburban network as a hub for sporting excellence, SWR also named trains the ‘Jockey’ for horseracing destinations such as Ascot, Sandown and Kempton Park; the ‘Red Rose’ for English rugby at Twickenham; the ‘Ace’ for the Wimbledon Championships; and the ‘Thames Racer’ in honour of the Boat Race.

Derby-built fleet

Designed, engineered, manufactured and tested at Alstom’s Litchurch Lane Works in Derby, SWR’s Class 701 Aventra trains are known as Arterios by the operator, reflecting their routes along the arteries of their suburban network to the capital.

“Today is a proud moment for everyone involved as our 90 Derby-designed and built Class 701 Arterios are officially launched by South Western Railway. Part of the Aventra family, the country’s largest train manufacturing programme in a generation, these technologically advanced trains embody our commitment to smart and sustainable mobility,” said Marco Michel, Derby Litchurch Lane Managing Director at Alstom.

He added: “Working in partnership with South Western Railway, we are thrilled to deliver a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient and comfortable travel experience for hundreds of thousands of customers across the railway’s suburban network.”

Five Arterios are already in service, serving the routes to Windsor & Eton Riverside and Shepperton, calling at some of SWR’s busiest stations including Earlsfield, Kingston, Richmond, Twickenham and Wimbledon.

Rollout continues

Building on those destinations, it was also confirmed that the new fleet will serve stations including Dorking, Epsom, Guildford, Hampton Court and Reading over the next six months, moving SWR closer to its ultimate goal of transforming every journey on its suburban network.

“I’m pleased passengers travelling on South Western Railway are now doing so on a fleet of brand new Arterio trains, which will significantly improve the experience for millions of commuters travelling in and out of the capital,” said Lord Hendy, Rail Minister.

“Through additional capacity, these trains will offer more comfortable, reliable services and were proudly built right here in the UK – demonstrating the strength of our rail manufacturing sector as well as our ambition to deliver a network fit for the future.”

Each ten-car Arterio carries over 50% more customers than the eight-car Class 455 trains they replace, significantly increasing capacity for customers. The £1 billion fleet will also improve customer comfort, providing modern features including Wi-Fi, charging points at every seat, real time information, accessible toilets and air conditioning.

“I’m honoured to join South Western Railway today and name one of their new Arterio trains ‘Nighthawk’, a role I had great fun playing for England,” said Stuart Broad CBE, former England cricketer.

He added: “Trains play a huge role in bringing sports fans to the heart of the action they love, building excitement as they make their way to the big game. It's exciting to think of the ‘Nighthawk’ journeying across London, connecting even more fans to iconic sporting destinations that bring us all together.”

Stuart was also joined by social media superstar, Francis Bourgeois, who is no stranger to Alstom, having visited the company’s Litchurch Lane site in Derby in March this year as part of a documentary programme he made with the BBC.

To mark the Arterios being named and celebrate the next ten being rolled out, an orchestra played a medley of well-known sporting tunes, including the themes from TV’s ‘Grandstand’ and ‘Match of the Day’ and the film ‘Chariots of Fire’.

“Customers love the Arterios”

“Today represents another major milestone on the continuing rollout of our 90 new Arterio trains, which will completely transform every single journey on our suburban network. Introducing a new fleet is a monumental achievement and is the culmination of all the hard work of our colleagues and partners to get these trains on the track,” said Stuart Meek, Interim Managing Director for South Western Railway.

He added: “The Arterio fleet is more than just a means of travel, it is a symbol of connection, bringing people and communities together to enjoy events and the moments that unite us. We’ve named our trains in honour of the celebrated sporting venues across our network and our role in connecting communities with all the exciting events and destinations our suburban services have to offer.

“Customers love the Arterios we already have in service, and thousands more of them will soon benefit from the next wave being rolled out. Over the next six months, Arterios will call at 74 stations, operating 80 peak services every weekday, with customers along new routes including Dorking, Epsom, Guildford, Hampton Court and Reading able to enjoy extra capacity and comfort.”