SWR's Class 701s' introduction delayed until next spring

摘要

Class 701s for South Western Railway will not enter traffic this year as planned. Instead, the first will be delivered next spring. Financed by Rock Rail and being built by Bombardier, the Aventras form a key part of the SWR franchise bid. Their order was announced in 2017, when FirstGroup and MTR won the franchise from Stagecoach. An order for 90 electric multiple units was placed to boost capacity and replace older fleets, including (controversially) the Siemens Class 707s introduced in 2017.