Southeastern welcomes final two Class 707 City Beam trains

Credit: Southeastern

Southeastern has announced the addition of two Class 707 City Beam trains to its fleet, completing the transfer of a total of 30 units from South Western Railway (SWR). This latest integration enhances the rail service available to customers, who have shown a strong preference for the City Beam models since their introduction.

Originally brought into service in September 2021, the City Beams are designed with customer comfort and accessibility in mind. They feature spacious interiors with two dedicated wheelchair spaces in every five-carriage unit. Passengers will also benefit from modern customer information systems that display available seating, along with amenities such as Wi-Fi and power sockets.

The new trains come equipped with air conditioning and improved heating and ventilation systems, aimed at providing a more comfortable travel experience. The recent transfer of the final two units included a transition from SWR’s red livery to Southeastern’s blue at the Gillingham depot on 7 September 2024.

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.”

The Class 707 trains are leased from Angel Trains and are maintained by Southeastern in partnership with Siemens. This strategic collaboration aims to further improve the rail service and meet the evolving needs of passengers.