British Rail Class 717

  • British Rail Class 717
  • Desiro City
Great Northern Class 717 unit at Palmers Green
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
Number in service25
Formation
  • 6 cars per unit:
  • DMOS-TOS-TOS(L)W-MOS-PTOS-DMOS
Fleet numbers717001–717025
Capacity362 seats
OwnerRock Rail[1]
OperatorGreat Northern
DepotHornsey (London)
Lines served
Specifications
Car body constructionAluminium[2]
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)
DoorsDouble-leaf pocket sliding, each 1,500 mm (59 in) wide (2 per side per car)
Wheel diameter820–760 mm (32.28–29.92 in) (new–worn)[3]
Wheelbase
  • Motor bogies: 2,200 mm (87 in)
  • Trailer bogies: 2,100 mm (83 in)[3]
Maximum speed85 mph (137 km/h)
Weight204 t (201 LT; 225 ST)
Axle load
  • Motor bogies: 15.5 t (15.3 LT; 17.1 ST)
  • Trailer bogies: 14.5 t (14.3 LT; 16.0 ST)[3]
Traction systemSiemens IGBT
Power output1,200 kW (1,600 hp) at wheels
Acceleration0.85 m/s2 (1.9 mph/s)
Electric systems
Current collection
UIC classification
  • Bo′Bo′+2′2′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′
BogiesSiemens SGP SF7000[4]
Minimum turning radius120 m (390 ft)[3]
Braking systemsElectro-pneumatic (disc) and regenerative
Safety systems
Coupling systemDellner
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Notes/references
Sourced from [8] unless otherwise noted.

The British Rail Class 717 Desiro City[9] 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.[10][11] The units are similar to the Class 700s (in use with Thameslink) and the Class 707s (in use with Southeastern).

History

Upon winning the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) announced that it would seek to procure new trains totalling 150 vehicles to replace the then-40-year-old Class 313 units operating on services to and from Moorgate.[12] In December 2015, GTR announced that it had selected Siemens to provide this new fleet, originally designated Class 713,[4] as a follow-on order from the main Class 700 order, with entry into service expected from March 2019.[13] The order was finalised in February 2016.[14][15]

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[9] while inside the deep-level Northern City Line tunnels.[16]

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

In-cab signalling

In September 2021, the installation of European Train Control System (ETCS) on the Class 717 fleet was successfully tested on the Thameslink 'core' route between St Pancras International and Blackfriars stations in central London.[20] The success of the test allowed Govia Thameslink Railway to work towards enabling the use of ETCS in passenger service on the Northern City Line in November 2023,[21] which was followed by the decommissioning and removal of the existing conventional signalling system in May 2025.[22] ETCS is now being introduced to the southern section of the East Coast Main Line as part of the East Coast Digital Programme.

ETCS software is being upgraded. On 8 July 2025, unit 717020 ran on the Northern City Line using ETCS Baseline 3, Release 2 (also referred to as version 3.6.0).[23]

Environment

Class 717 trains generate electricity through regenerative braking.[24] The trains are also 20% lighter than their predecessors, making them more energy efficient.[25]

Fleet details

Class Operator Qty. Year built Cars per unit Unit nos.
717 Great Northern 25 2018 6 717001–717025

Illustration

Side-profile illustration of a Great Northern Class 717 unit

Notes

  1. ^ Tripcocks were removed in May 2023 following the May 2022 completion of the Northern City Line tripcock-to-TPWS conversion programme.[7]

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Rail Class 717.
  1. ^ Sherratt, Philip, ed. (2023). "ROSCO Fleets". Modern Railways: Review 2023. Stamford: Key Publishing. pp. 18–19. ISBN 978-1-80282-569-5.
  2. ^ "Desiro City Electrical Multiple Unit for Thameslink" (PDF). Berlin: Siemens Mobility. 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "SF7000: Bogie-platform for electrical multiple units" (PDF). Graz: Siemens Mobility Austria. May 2020. Art. No. MORS-B10032-00. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 September 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Desiro City - Evolution in Motion" (PDF). Munich: Siemens Mobility. 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Digital signalling for East Coast main line tested on Thameslink". Rail Insider. Business Daily Group. 21 September 2021. Archived from the original on 30 April 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Class 717 Production Passes Halfway". Modern Railways. Stamford: Key Publishing. 24 May 2018. ISSN 0026-8356. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  7. ^ Clinnick, Richard (April 2023). "Modernising the Moorgate branch". Rail Express. No. 323. Horncastle: Mortons Media Group. p. 87. ISSN 1362-234X.
  8. ^ "Desiro City Class 717 Electrical Multiple Units for Govia Thameslink Railway" (PDF). Munich: Siemens Mobility. 2018. Art. No. MOML-T10055-00-7600. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 November 2020.
  9. ^ a b Clinnick, Richard (8 June 2016). "New Govia Thameslink Railway trains to be Class 717s". Rail. Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media. ISSN 0953-4563. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  10. ^ Clinnick, Richard (25 March 2019). "Great Northern Class 717s finally enter passenger service". Rail. Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media. ISSN 0953-4563. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  11. ^ "New trains for Moorgate services". Great Northern. Govia Thameslink Railway. March 2019. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2026. Brand-new, air-conditioned, six-carriage, Class 717 trains are now beginning to operate on Great Northern services to and from Moorgate.
  12. ^ "Govia wins TSGN franchise, beating FirstGroup". Rail Technology Magazine. Manchester: Cognitive Publishing. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Siemens selected to supply Moorgate suburban EMU fleet". Railway Gazette International. Sutton: DVV Media Group. ISSN 0373-5346.
  14. ^ "GTR strikes £200m-plus deal for new train fleet serving City of London" (Press release). Frimley: Siemens. 18 February 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  15. ^ Cox, Katherine; Govia Thameslink Railway (15 December 2017). "In follow-up to the information session of Wednesday 6 December 2017" (PDF). Letter to Mark Prisk MP. London: Mark Prisk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2018.
  16. ^ "Module LNE1, LOR 105 Seq 001". London North Eastern Route Sectional Appendix. Network Rail. 3 June 2017. p. 41. NR30018/02.
  17. ^ Boyd-Hope, Gary (30 June 2018). "Testing begins on GTR's new Class 717s in Germany". The Railway Magazine. Horncastle: Mortons Media Group. ISSN 0033-8923. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  18. ^ Clinnick, Richard (1 October 2018). "New Great Northern Class 717 carries first passengers". Rail. Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media. ISSN 0953-4563. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  19. ^ Clinnick, Richard (2 October 2019). "1,514 brand new vehicles as GTR completes £2 billion fleet cascade". Rail. Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media. ISSN 0953-4563. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  20. ^ "Great Northern train tests successfully for first stage of East Coast Digital Programme" (Press release). London: Network Rail. 21 September 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  21. ^ "Commuters look forward to more reliable services as first passenger trains run to City of London using digital signalling" (Press release). Govia Thameslink Railway. 27 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023 – via Mynewsdesk.
  22. ^ "Great Northern route to City of London transformed into UK's first signals-free commuter railway" (Press release). Govia Thameslink Railway. 19 May 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025 – via Mynewsdesk.
  23. ^ "GTR carries passengers in 717 using updated version of ETCS" (Press release). Govia Thameslink Railway. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025 – via Mynewsdesk.
  24. ^ Wordsworth, Nigel (8 October 2020). "Great Northern trains save energy and reduce carbon". Rail Insider. Business Daily Group. Archived from the original on 30 April 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  25. ^ Holden, Alan (11 October 2020). "4,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions saved by Great Northern trains". RailAdvent. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
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