British Rail Class 700

British Rail Class 700
Desiro City
A Thameslink Class 700 at Bedford in 2024
The standard-class interior of a Class 700 unit
In service20 June 2016 – present[1]
ManufacturerSiemens Mobility[2]
Built atKrefeld, Germany[2]
Family nameDesiro City[2]
Replaced
Constructed2014–2018
Number built115[3]
Formation
Fleet numbers
  • 700/0: 700001–700060
  • 700/1: 700101–700155[3]
Capacity
  • 700/0: 427 seats (52F, 373S) plus 719 standees[3]
  • 700/1: 666 seats (52F, 614S) plus 1088 standees[3]
OwnersCross London Trains[4]
OperatorsThameslink
Depots
Specifications
Car body constructionAluminium
Train length
  • 700/0: 162.0 m (531 ft 6 in)
  • 700/1: 242.6 m (795 ft 11 in)
Car length20.2 m (66 ft 3 in)
Width2.80 m (9 ft 2 in)
Floor height1.10 m (43.31 in)
Doors
  • Double-leaf pocket sliding
  • (2 per side per car)
Wheel diameter820–760 mm (32.28–29.92 in) (new–worn)[5]
Wheelbase
  • Motor bogies: 2,200 mm (87 in)
  • Trailer bogies: 2,100 mm (83 in)[5]
Maximum speed100 mph (160 km/h)
Weight
  • 700/0 total: 278 t (274 long tons; 306 short tons)
  • 700/1 total: 410 t (400 long tons; 450 short tons)
Axle load
  • Motor bogies: 15.5 t (15.3 long tons; 17.1 short tons)
  • Trailer bogies: 14.5 t (14.3 long tons; 16.0 short tons)[5]
Traction systemSiemens IGBT
Power output
  • 700/0: 3,300 kW (4,400 hp)
  • 700/1: 5,000 kW (6,700 hp)
Electric system(s)
Current collector(s)
UIC classification(See § Fleet and formation details)
BogiesSiemens SGP SF7000[5]
Minimum turning radius120 m (390 ft)[5]
Braking system(s)Electro-pneumatic (disc) and regenerative
Safety system(s)
Coupling systemDellner
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Notes/references
Sourced from [6] unless otherwise noted.
The interior of First Class cabin aboard a Thameslink Class 700

The British Rail Class 700 is an electric multiple unit passenger train from the Desiro City family built by Siemens Mobility. It is capable of operating on 25 kV 50 Hz AC from overhead wires or 750 V DC from third rail. 115 trainsets were built between 2014 and 2018, for use on the Thameslink network, as part of the Thameslink Programme in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, they are operated by Govia Thameslink Railway.

In 2011, the consortium Cross London Trains (XLT) consisting of Siemens Project Ventures, 3i Infrastructure, and Innisfree was announced as preferred bidder with Siemens Mobility to manufacture the trains. The decision was politically controversial as the trains were to be built in Germany, while the competing consortium led by Bombardier Transportation had a UK train factory. Both the procurement process and final close of contract were significantly delayed, resulting in the expected first delivery date moving from 2012 to 2016. The £1.6 billion contract to manufacture and provide service depots for the trains was finalised in June 2013. The first train was delivered in late July 2015.

A fleet of 60 eight-car and 55 twelve-car trains[3] entered service between Spring 2016 and 2019. Having replaced Class 319s, 377s, and 387s, Class 700s are the only trains operated on the Thameslink network.[7][8] Each train is able to reach 100 mph (160 km/h) and carry 1,146 passengers in an 8-car train, and 1,754 passengers in a 12-car train. Maintenance depots have been built at Hornsey and Three Bridges.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference ontr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference rgi20110616 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference PRN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Sherratt, Philip, ed. (2023). "ROSCO Fleets". Modern Railways: Review 2023. Stamford: Key Publishing. pp. 18–19. ISBN 978-1-80282-569-5.
  5. ^ a b c d e SF7000: Bogie-platform for electrical multiple units (PDF) (05/2020 ed.). Graz: Siemens Mobility Austria. Art. No. MORS-B10032-00. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  6. ^ Desiro City Electrical Multiple Unit for Thameslink (PDF) (2014 ed.). Berlin: Siemens Mobility. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  7. ^ "GTR completes Class 700 rollout across Thameslink route in the UK – Global Rail News". 19 September 2017. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  8. ^ "Class 700s begin full Thameslink operations". www.railmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.