British Rail Class 717

The British Rail Class 717 Desiro City[5] is an electric multiple unit passenger train built by Siemens Mobility, currently operated by Govia Thameslink Railway on its Great Northern Hertford Loop and Welwyn stopping routes. Built to replace Class 313 trains on services into Moorgate, a total of 25 six-car units began entering regular service from March 2019.[6][7]

British Rail Class 717 Desiro City
Great Northern Class 717 unit 717016 at Palmers Green in June 2019
The standard-class interior of a Class 717 unit
In service28 September 2018 – present
ManufacturerSiemens Mobility
Built atKrefeld, Germany
Family nameDesiro City
ReplacedClass 313
Constructed2018
Number built25
Formation
  • 6 cars per unit:
  • DMOS-TOS-TOS(L)W-MOS
  • -PTOS-DMOS
Capacity362 seats
Operator(s)Great Northern
Depot(s)Hornsey (London)
Line(s) served
Specifications
Car body constructionAluminium[1]
Train length121.7 m (399 ft 3 in)<
Car length20.2 m (66 ft)
Width2.80 m (9 ft 2 in)
Floor height1.10 m (3 ft 7 in)
Doors
  • Double-leaf pocket sliding
  • (2 per side per car)
Maximum speed85 mph (137 km/h)
Weight204 t (201 long tons; 225 short tons)
Traction systemSiemens IGBT
Power output1,200 kW (1,600 hp)
Acceleration0.85 m/s2 (1.9 mph/s)
Electric system(s)
Current collector(s)
UIC classificationBo′Bo′+2′2′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′
BogiesSiemens SGP SF7000[2]
Braking system(s)Air, regenerative
Safety system(s)
Coupling systemDellner
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Notes/references
Sourced from Desiro City (Class 717) datasheet unless otherwise noted.

History

Upon winning the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) announced that it would seek to replace the existing Class 313 units (which were 40 years old in 2016) operating on services to and from Moorgate, with up to 25 six-car units intended to be procured.[8] In December 2015, GTR announced that it had selected Siemens to provide this new fleet, originally designated Class 713,[9] as a follow-on order from the main Class 700 order, with entry into service expected from March 2019.[10] The order was finalised in February 2016.[11][12]

A significant difference between Class 717s and the earlier Class 700s is the provision of fold-down emergency doors at both ends of each train. These are required for emergency evacuation of passengers[5] while inside the deep-level Moorgate tunnels.[13]

Siemens began testing the Class 717 units in Germany during June 2018.[14]

In-cab signalling

In 2021, one of the Class 717 trains has been successfully tested with a digital in-cab signalling system called European Train Control System (ETCS), which is designed to provide continual communication with a train to create a smooth and substantial flow of trains and bring a more dynamic, reliable, safer and flexible railway. The trains had not yet tested the system out on Network Rail infrastructure and across this specification, but transition to ETCS for The Northern City Line to Moorgate will start during 2022 and replace conventional signalling by 2023. The system is also set to be applied to the East Coast Main Line (ECML) as far as Stoke Tunnels. One person from the East Coast Digital Programme, said that the installation of the new signalling system will save passengers thousands of hours of delay caused by the current ageing system.[15]

Environment

It is said that the Class 717 trains have generated 17 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity through regenerative braking, where the electric motors that power the wheels have their electric circuits reversed to become generators. The electricity is fed back into the system to power other trains or station and lineside equipment, reducing the amount of ‘fresh’ energy that needs to be bought. This potentially saved more than 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions as the electricity saved doesn’t have to be generated by fossil fuels.[16] The trains are also 20% lighter than their predecessors, making them more energy efficient.[17]

Operation

The first unit operated a single preview service in late September 2018, with gradual introduction from the spring of 2019.[18] The final Class 313 service on Great Northern ran in September 2019, completing the fleet replacement by Class 717 units.[19]

Fleet details
Class Operator No. Built Year Built Cars per unit Unit nos.
Class 717 Great Northern 25 2018 6 717001–717025
Great Northern Class 717

See also

References
  1. Desiro City Electrical Multiple Unit for Thameslink (PDF) (Leaflet). Berlin: Siemens Mobility. 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  2. Desiro City - Evolution in Motion (PDF). Munich: Siemens Mobility. 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  3. "Digital signalling for East Coast main line tested on Thameslink". Rail Insider. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  4. "Siemens Desiro City Moorgate (Class 717): Derogation for a Project at an Advanced Stage of Development" (letter). London: Department for Transport. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  5. "New Govia Thameslink Railway trains to be Class 717s". RAIL magazine. RAIL magazine. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  6. "Great Northern Class 717s finally enter passenger service".
  7. "New Trains for Moorgate services". Great Northern. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  8. "Thameslink Franchise operator announced". rail.co.uk. rail.co.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  9. "Siemens Desiro City Brochure" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  10. "Siemens selected to supply Moorgate suburban EMU fleet". Railway Gazette. Railway Gazette. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  11. "GTR strikes £200m-plus deal for new train fleet serving City of London". Siemens UK. Siemens UK. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  12. "Letter from GTR to MP Mark Prisk" (PDF).
  13. Network Rail (3 June 2017). London North Eastern Route Sectional Appendix LOR 105 Seq 001. Vol. Module LNE1. p. 41. NR30018/02.
  14. "Testing begins on GTR's new Class 717s in Germany".
  15. "Great Northern Class 717 completes tests with in-cab signalling in London". RailAdvent. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  16. "Great Northern trains save energy and reduce carbon". RailInsider. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  17. "4,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions saved by Great Northern trains". RailAdvent. 11 October 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  18. "New Great Northern Class 717 carries first passengers".
  19. "1,514 brand new vehicles as GTR completes £2 billion fleet cascade". www.railmagazine.com. Retrieved 12 May 2020.

Further reading
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