​Passengers given first glimpse of new trains set to transform Great Northern suburban service

Pictures and video links are shown below

Great Northern gave passengers on its suburban route a sneak preview of their new £240 million air-conditioned train fleet on Friday morning (28 September).

The 25 six-carriage Class 717 trains will replace mainland Britain’s oldest electric trains, the 40-year-old Class 313s, with a phased introduction due to run from late autumn this year to spring next year.

As well as air conditioning, Wi-Fi and power points, the new trains, built by Siemens with innovative funding by Rock Rail, will provide a 27% increase in capacity to address the near-doubling of passenger numbers on Great Northern in 14 years.

The new fleet will operate between Moorgate and Hertfordshire, to and from Stevenage, Hertford North and Welwyn Garden City. Friday’s trip left Moorgate from Moorgate to Gordon Hill.

First passenger on board, Samantha Radford of Gordon Hill, said: “This is better for commuting, it’s so spacious. I will probably favour this with its air conditioning and better layout over the Underground; I think the air conditioning is a huge comfort issue, especially for anyone with small children or a health condition – it is going to make a massive difference. I also like the Wi-Fi and the fact you can charge your phone.”

Gerry McFadden, Director of Engineering at Great Northern’s operator Govia Thameslink Railway, said: “These spacious new trains are a key part of our RailPlan 20/20 programme to modernise services in the South East. The Class 717s will transform journeys for passengers on our busy metro services into Moorgate.

“They will all be the maximum length for this route and feature air conditioning as well as power points, Wi-Fi and real-time passenger information screens to make travelling with Great Northern a much more comfortable and convenient experience.

“Wide doors and spacious interiors will help address the huge increase in passenger numbers into Moorgate, and also help passengers board and alight promptly, helping us keep trains running on time.

“We will maintain these trains at our Hornsey depot, where a multi-million pound investment is providing the new facilities and equipment.

“We took the first units on lease only the day before, and we are delighted to have achieved this important milestone of our first preview passenger service within a day. Doing so is a testament to the incredibly good collaboration between Siemens, GTR and Network Rail on this project and the very effective new train introduction project management team we have in GTR.”

GTR has introduced more new trains into passenger service in the past three years than all other operators in the UK combined.

William Wilson, Managing Director of Siemens Rolling Stock UK, said: “Siemens has built these trains with one goal in mind – to transform passenger journeys to and from London by ensuring that services are reliable, and offer as much space as possible. The Class 717 has modern carriages with increased capacity for passengers and is equipped with air conditioning, Wi-Fi and power points.”

Mark Swindell, Chief Executive Officer of Rock Rail, said: “This first preview run of the Class 717 train with passengers represents an exciting milestone in the successful delivery of the first of the fleets owned by Rock Rail and equity partner Aberdeen Standard Investments.

“We are proud to be part of a collaboration with Govia Thameslink Railway and Siemens and with our investor partners to drive better value for the UK tax payer and government and to deliver step changes in improved capability, services and travelling experiences for passengers on the Great Northern services between Moorgate and Hertfordshire.”

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Editors’ notes

RailPlan 20/20 is GTR’s phased implementation of the passenger benefits – new routes, greater capacity and better reliability –made possible by the £7bn government-sponsored Thameslink Programme’s new infrastructure and trains.

GTR’s 25 new Siemens-designed Desiro City Class 717 trains are fixed-formation six-carriage units. Carriage design is virtually identical to the Class 700s, 115 of which were introduced through the Thameslink Programme to operate on existing and new Thameslink routes.

All 25 717s have now been built; six have been delivered to the UK, with the remainder undergoing testing in Germany.

The significant external design difference is the emergency exit door (with extending ladder) at the front, with an extending ladder from the driver’s cab (giving the train a slightly different “face”).

The main internal differences are:

• an additional priority seat per doorway in place of luggage area (there are overhead racks)
• a power socket per seat pair
• no First Class areas

Total capacity is 943, with 362 seats (including 64 priority seats and 15 tip-ups). This delivers a total 27% capacity increase in the fleet, although with frequency increases, capacity on some off-peak routes will double.

Compared with the Class 313s being replaced, the trains accelerate and brake much faster and, with wider doors and more space for boarding, will depart stations more promptly, bringing punctuality improvements. There is more standing space per carriage; very wide gangways give a spacious, light and airy ambience. Carriages have full HVAC and CCTV systems.

The trains will feature modern passenger information systems, including updates on London Underground service status, and the latest accessibility features: including more visible grab handles and two wheelchair spaces with clear markings on the carriage exterior. As a fixed-formation train the positions of these wheelchair spaces will become familiar to staff and passengers, making journeys easier.

There will be free Wi-Fi via the GTR GN Portal (but limited/no coverage within the Moorgate tunnels).

Innovative financing

The 717s, financed by Rock Rail Moorgate, (a joint venture between Rock Rail Holdings and Aberdeen Standard Investments), represent the first fleet of trains to be introduced into the UK using a new model for financing rolling stock. For the first time financing has been provided through direct long-term investment from pension and insurance companies, delivering benefits not only for the rail passenger, but also for pensioners and the wider economy.