Southeastern passengers can now enjoy traveling on the newest trains in the fleet, as the final two Class 707 City Beams have entered service. These trains are the last of a 30-strong fleet originally operated by South Western Railway (SWR) to be transferred to Southeastern.
The first City Beams were introduced to the Southeastern network in September 2021, and with the addition of these final two trains, the transfer is now complete. City Beams have quickly become popular among passengers for their light, bright, and spacious interiors, which include two wheelchair spaces per five carriages.
These modern trains feature advanced customer information systems that indicate available space on board, as well as Wi-Fi and power sockets to keep passengers connected and charged. They also offer air-conditioned carriages and improved heating and ventilation for enhanced comfort.
The last two units were repainted from SWR’s red livery to Southeastern’s blue at the Gillingham depot following their transfer on September 7th. The Class 707s are leased from Angel Trains and maintained by Southeastern in collaboration with Siemens.
You can watch a short video about their introduction here.
Mark Johnson Southeastern’s Engineering Director, said:
“I’m really pleased that we now have all 30 of the City Beams available for customers. They are the newest and most accessible trains in our Metro fleet and have been a big hit since they came on the Southeastern network.
"Refreshing our fleet is an important part of our drive to build a better, more reliable and sustainable railway, and we are continuing to work to upgrade our trains in the coming months and years.”
David Jordan, COO at Angel Trains, said:
“We're delighted to see the final City Beam trains join Southeastern, as passengers are already experiencing the benefits of these modern trains. We're committed to building on this success with Southeastern and our industry partners, by further enhancing the fleet to meet passenger needs."
Sambit Banerjee, Joint CEO for Siemens Mobility UK & Ireland said:
“We’re really proud that our Class 707’s, the City Beams, have been serving passengers in the South East since 2021, playing an important role in transforming journeys for Southeastern passengers. The deployment of the final two trains marks a major milestone in the complete transfer of our fleet to Southeastern which has been a great collaborative effort between Southeastern and Angel Trains. I am also thankful to our dedicated Siemens Mobility team, who work alongside the Southeastern team at the Slade Green depot for their commitment, day in, day out, in maintaining these trains to the highest standards to ensure passengers have safe, reliable and comfortable journeys."
Photo and Video Credit: Southeastern
