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British Rail Class 720
The British Rail Class 720 Aventra is a class of electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger train designed and produced by the rolling stock manufacturer Bombardier Transportation and its acquirer Alstom. The Class 720 is operated by both Greater Anglia and c2c.
145 Class 720 units were ordered in the five car configuration only; these are to be operated across multiple suburban lines leading out of both London Liverpool Street (Greater Anglia and c2c) and London Fenchurch Street (c2c). Originally intended to be introduced during 2019, delays were encountered during development that minorly impacted this timetable. On 26 November 2020, Greater Anglia commenced the Class 720's introduction. Its initial operations were centred on the London Liverpool Street to Southend Line. All Greater Anglia units were intended to be in service by the summer of 2020. c2c's fleet entered service on 27 September 2023.
The Class 720 is a member of rolling stock manufacturer Bombardier's Aventra family of multiple units, having been developed from the company's successful line of Electrostar electric multiple units (EMUs). In comparison to the preceding Electrostar, with which it shares numerous elements, the Class 720 is a considerably lighter vehicle, and features longer carriages: a ten-car Class 720 train is approximately the same length as a 12-car Class 360 train, the ten-car Class 720 has a tare weight of 386 tonnes in contrast to the 516 tonnes of the 12-car Class 360 train, while providing considerably more seating.
Each car has a length of 24 m (79 ft), the bodyshell of which is composed of aluminium, the assembly of which using both welding and bolting techniques. The Class 720 has a maximum speed of 100 mph (160 km/h), possessing a starting tractive effort per motor of 21.6 kN (4,900 lbf) and a peak traction power at the wheel of 2,300 kW (3,100 hp) per unit to achieve its maximum rate of acceleration of 0.8 m/s2 (1.8 mph/s). The driver is seated in a central position within the forward cab; a second seat is provided for an observer/instructor.
All Class 720 orders as at October 2022 have been delivered in five-car configuration. The units have a length of 122 m (400 ft) and accommodate up to 540 seated passengers in a standard-class seating configuration. As of October 2022, no operator has chosen to configure their Class 720 fleets with first class accommodation.
The interior of Class 720 features a 3+2 seating arrangement. These seats are intentionally cantilevered above the floor to provide greater under-seat space for storing personal luggage as well as to ease cleaning. Each car has air conditioning throughout, while numerous passenger information systems, displaying passenger loading indicators among other information, are present across each carriage's interior. Every seat is provided with its own seat-back table and power sockets, while on-train Wi-Fi enables online connectivity throughout the journey. Onboard toilet facilities are also present. Akin to trains operated by the London Overground, the Class 720s have through gangways to encourage passengers to spread out across the train. The interior is also fully compliant with the Technical Specification for Interoperability for Persons of Reduced Mobility, featuring dedicated spaces for wheelchairs, as well as spaces for bicycles. One of the two toilets present in a five-car formation is also outfitted for greater accessibility.
In September 2017, Greater Anglia unveiled an early mockup of the interior intended to be fitted to the Class 720 fleet. This was used as part of a consultation that solicited 1,000 responses from members of the public. Numerous changes were subsequently made to the interior. Alterations included the replacement of the originally intended Fainsa seating with softer seating supplied by Kiel, as well as the addition of seat back tables. The units also featured underfloor heating, eliminating the need for the bodyside heaters and thus increasing floorspace for more passengers. This heating arrangement was allegedly the first use amongst any train on the British railway system.
In August 2016, Abellio Greater Anglia was awarded the East Anglia franchise with a commitment to replace all of the existing fleet. As part of this, an order was placed with Bombardier for 111 electric multiple units that were members of the recently launched Aventra family. The order was financed by the rolling stock company Angel Trains, with an estimated cost of around £890 million. These new trains were designated as the Class 720 and were originally planned to be divided into two sub-classes; 89 five-carriage 720/5 units and 22 ten-carriage 720/1 units. Ten-carriage units were designed to maximise capacity for peak-time trains into Liverpool Street.
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British Rail Class 720
The British Rail Class 720 Aventra is a class of electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger train designed and produced by the rolling stock manufacturer Bombardier Transportation and its acquirer Alstom. The Class 720 is operated by both Greater Anglia and c2c.
145 Class 720 units were ordered in the five car configuration only; these are to be operated across multiple suburban lines leading out of both London Liverpool Street (Greater Anglia and c2c) and London Fenchurch Street (c2c). Originally intended to be introduced during 2019, delays were encountered during development that minorly impacted this timetable. On 26 November 2020, Greater Anglia commenced the Class 720's introduction. Its initial operations were centred on the London Liverpool Street to Southend Line. All Greater Anglia units were intended to be in service by the summer of 2020. c2c's fleet entered service on 27 September 2023.
The Class 720 is a member of rolling stock manufacturer Bombardier's Aventra family of multiple units, having been developed from the company's successful line of Electrostar electric multiple units (EMUs). In comparison to the preceding Electrostar, with which it shares numerous elements, the Class 720 is a considerably lighter vehicle, and features longer carriages: a ten-car Class 720 train is approximately the same length as a 12-car Class 360 train, the ten-car Class 720 has a tare weight of 386 tonnes in contrast to the 516 tonnes of the 12-car Class 360 train, while providing considerably more seating.
Each car has a length of 24 m (79 ft), the bodyshell of which is composed of aluminium, the assembly of which using both welding and bolting techniques. The Class 720 has a maximum speed of 100 mph (160 km/h), possessing a starting tractive effort per motor of 21.6 kN (4,900 lbf) and a peak traction power at the wheel of 2,300 kW (3,100 hp) per unit to achieve its maximum rate of acceleration of 0.8 m/s2 (1.8 mph/s). The driver is seated in a central position within the forward cab; a second seat is provided for an observer/instructor.
All Class 720 orders as at October 2022 have been delivered in five-car configuration. The units have a length of 122 m (400 ft) and accommodate up to 540 seated passengers in a standard-class seating configuration. As of October 2022, no operator has chosen to configure their Class 720 fleets with first class accommodation.
The interior of Class 720 features a 3+2 seating arrangement. These seats are intentionally cantilevered above the floor to provide greater under-seat space for storing personal luggage as well as to ease cleaning. Each car has air conditioning throughout, while numerous passenger information systems, displaying passenger loading indicators among other information, are present across each carriage's interior. Every seat is provided with its own seat-back table and power sockets, while on-train Wi-Fi enables online connectivity throughout the journey. Onboard toilet facilities are also present. Akin to trains operated by the London Overground, the Class 720s have through gangways to encourage passengers to spread out across the train. The interior is also fully compliant with the Technical Specification for Interoperability for Persons of Reduced Mobility, featuring dedicated spaces for wheelchairs, as well as spaces for bicycles. One of the two toilets present in a five-car formation is also outfitted for greater accessibility.
In September 2017, Greater Anglia unveiled an early mockup of the interior intended to be fitted to the Class 720 fleet. This was used as part of a consultation that solicited 1,000 responses from members of the public. Numerous changes were subsequently made to the interior. Alterations included the replacement of the originally intended Fainsa seating with softer seating supplied by Kiel, as well as the addition of seat back tables. The units also featured underfloor heating, eliminating the need for the bodyside heaters and thus increasing floorspace for more passengers. This heating arrangement was allegedly the first use amongst any train on the British railway system.
In August 2016, Abellio Greater Anglia was awarded the East Anglia franchise with a commitment to replace all of the existing fleet. As part of this, an order was placed with Bombardier for 111 electric multiple units that were members of the recently launched Aventra family. The order was financed by the rolling stock company Angel Trains, with an estimated cost of around £890 million. These new trains were designated as the Class 720 and were originally planned to be divided into two sub-classes; 89 five-carriage 720/5 units and 22 ten-carriage 720/1 units. Ten-carriage units were designed to maximise capacity for peak-time trains into Liverpool Street.