Rolling stock › In serviceData updated
Class 700 Desiro City
Siemens' Desiro City, built for the Thameslink Programme: 115 trains of 8 or 12 cars, with two double doors on each side of every car. They run through central London under automatic train operation. From 2023 the fleet is being upgraded to newer ETCS software for the East Coast Digital Programme.
Scale
531 ft (162 m) over couplers
Class 700 Desiro City · schematic drawing GB Trains · gbtrains.uk/stock/700/ · CC BY 4.0
You’re welcome to use this drawing
Free to use, change and share, in print or online, under CC BY 4.0. Please credit it:
Drawing: GB Trains, gbtrains.uk, CC BY 4.0Online, link the words to this page. The downloaded file already carries the credit; please leave it on. What the licence covers
Liveries
Special liveries 2
- Trainbow (Pride), 700155 Partial rainbow vinyl wrap from 18 Jul 2019, for Brighton Pride.
- NHS thank-you wrap, 700111 April 2020 during COVID-19 lockdown. Similar wraps on 377111 and 717011.
- Type
- Electric multiple unit
- Builder
- Siemens Mobility, Krefeld (Germany)
- Family
- Desiro City, with Class 717 Desiro City, Class 707 Desiro City
- Built
- 2014–2018
- In service
- since 2016
- Operators
- Thameslink
- Formation
- 8 cars (531 ft (162.0 m)) or 12 cars (796 ft (242.6 m)); the 12-car trains are formed DMOC-PTOSL-MOSB-MOSL-TOS-TOSW-TOSLW-TOS-MOSL-MOSB-PTOSL-DMOC
- Trains in fleet
- 115
- Fleets
- Thameslink: 115
- Top speed
- 100 mph (161 km/h)
- Power
- 25 kV AC overhead and 750 V DC third rail · how it works
- Bogies
- Siemens SF7000 bogies · drawn with the same bogie component as Class 707 Desiro City, Class 717 Desiro City
- Train length
- 531 ft (162.00 m)
- Car height
- 11 ft 10 in (3.608 m)
- Car width
- 9 ft 2 in (2.80 m)
- Train weight (tare)
- 410 t (12-car), 278 t (8-car)
- Profile
- main-line
- Seats per train
- 672
- Total capacity
- 1,754 (12-car), 1,146 (8-car), seated and standing (DfT and Siemens). Seats: 672 (12-car) and 433 (8-car) including tip-up seats (DfT and Siemens); 666 and 427 reported from government data in 2014 (City AM, 20 October 2014); 654 and 416 in GTR's drivers' manual
- Status
- In service with Thameslink (GTR, in public ownership since 31 May 2026). Owned by Cross London Trains; the seats are to be upgraded from 2027.
Car types
| Code | Car | Length | Doors per side |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMOCB | Driving motor, with a cab and first class (cars 401 and 412 of the 8-car; DMOC on the 12-car) | 67 ft 4 in20.52 m | 2 double |
| PTOSL | Pantograph trailer (cars 402 and 411) | 66 ft 2 in20.16 m | 2 double |
| MOS | Motor (cars 403 and 410; MOSB on the 12-car) | 66 ft 2 in20.16 m | 2 double |
| MOSL | Motor (cars 404 and 409 of the 12-car trains) | 66 ft 2 in20.16 m | 2 double |
| TOSW | Trailer with wheelchair spaces (car 406) | 66 ft 2 in20.16 m | 2 double |
| TOS | Trailer (cars 405 and 408 of the 12-car trains) | 66 ft 2 in20.16 m | 2 double |
| TOSLW | Trailer with the accessible toilet and wheelchair spaces (car 407) | 66 ft 2 in20.16 m | 2 double |
Sources
How we source figures → · Spotted a mistake? Tell us → (opens in a new tab)
Show the 39 sources from Southsea_Matt, via Wikimedia Commons, GTR, Siemens and 14 more
- Desiro City electrical multiple unit for Thameslink (data sheet) Siemens, 2014, pp. 1-2lengths, width, floor height, maximum speed, power, weights (278 t 8-car, 410 t 12-car), axle arrangement and formation diagram (cars 4 and 9 of the 12-car motored)
- Siemens to supply trains for Thameslink (press release) Siemens, 27 June 2013built at Krefeld
- Thameslink Programme: Siemens trains enter service in London Siemens, 24 June 2016115 trains, 1,140 cars
- Thameslink Rolling Stock Programme ahead of schedule Siemens UK, 8 March 2018the 115th and final train (the 1,140th car) finished at Krefeld in March 2018
- New cutting-edge trains in full operation across Thameslink route GTR, 18 September 201755 twelve-car and 60 eight-car trains
- Thameslink's new train enters passenger service GTR, 24 June 2016first passenger service, 20 June 2016
- Report 03/2019: passenger train door incident at Elstree & Borehamwood Rail Accident Investigation Branch, May 2019four doorways per coach, each a pair of sliding doors
- AIP Management to increase ownership in XLT (Cross London Trains) AIP Management, 30 March 2026owned by Cross London Trains
- Britain's biggest train operator's services enter public ownership this weekend Department for Transport, 28 May 2026GTR's services, Thameslink among them, in public ownership from Sunday 31 May 2026
- The Class 700 trains (Thameslink Programme fact sheet) Department for Transport and Siemens, 2015, p. 1seats: 672 (12-car) and 433 (8-car), including tip-up seats; total capacity 1,754 (12-car) and 1,146 (8-car)
- Commuting in London: few will be able to sit down on the government's Siemens Class 700 trains (title from the article's address) City AM, 20 October 2014666 seats (12-car) and 427 (8-car), from government data (2014)
- World first for ATO on mainline railway GTR, 20 March 2018automatic train operation through the core
- Thameslink fleet set for additional digital upgrade GTR, 21 June 2023the upgrade of all 115 trains to newer ETCS software (Baseline 3 Release 2) for the East Coast Digital Programme, a five-year contract of June 2023
- More comfortable commutes ahead: rail reform spells end of the ironing-board seat era on Thameslink trains GTR, 10 September 2026seat upgrade from 2027
- Class 700 Drivers Manual (final disclosure extract) Govia Thameslink Railway (released under FOI2026-3260), September 2026, pp. PDF pp. 6, 8, 9side elevation of every car (measured; no dimensions printed)
- Class 700 Drivers Manual (final disclosure extract) Govia Thameslink Railway (released under FOI2026-3260), September 2026, pp. PDF pp. 5-6, 9 (manual pp. 13-14, 17)6 motor and 6 trailer coaches in a 12-car train, cars 404 and 409 (MOSL) among the motor cars; the 12-car's coach codes (DMOC, MOSB); 654 and 416 seats
- Class 707 Angel Trainscar lengths of the sister Class 707
- SF7000: the bogie for the Desiro City (Hirtenlechner and Brandstetter) Siemens (Schienenfahrzeugtagung, Graz), 2013bogie wheelbases
- MoComp Bogie SF7000: platform for electrical multiple units (data sheet) Siemens Mobility Austria GmbH, Graz, 02/2022, p. 2the bogie drawing: the side view, inner bearings, brakes and dampers, 2 ft 11 in (880 mm) to the air spring's top
- SWT 707004 (425005) bogie detail (photograph, 27 February 2017, CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Geof Sheppard), 27 February 2017the bogie's layout as fitted (a 707 motor bogie, layout only)
- Class 700 powered bogie on 14 road (photograph, CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Ivor the driver), uploaded 17 September 2017 (the camera's date, 2010, can't be right)the bogie's layout as fitted (a 700 motor bogie, layout only)
- British Rail Class 700 700006 (photograph, CC BY-SA 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (train_photos), 24 January 2017colours of the drawing
- Class 700 Drivers Manual (final disclosure extract) Govia Thameslink Railway (released under FOI2026-3260), September 2026, p. PDF p. 8 (manual p. 16)the drawing's pantographs: cars 402 and 411, their ends, length, height and roof wells (measured off car 402)
- Class 700 Drivers Manual (final disclosure extract) Govia Thameslink Railway (released under FOI2026-3260), September 2026, pp. PDF pp. 8-9layout of the underframe equipment (the cases' outlines)
- 700052, London Blackfriars, June 6th 2025.jpg (photograph, CC BY-SA 4.0) Southsea_Matt, via Wikimedia Commons, 6 June 2025layout of the underframe equipment (tone; layout only)
- 700031, Finsbury Park, May 29th 2025.jpg (photograph, CC BY-SA 4.0) Southsea_Matt, via Wikimedia Commons, 29 May 2025a check of the drawing (top 25 review, 11 October 2026): the DMOCB's cab end along the car (cab door width and place, first-class window and stripe, nose, roof box, within about 40 mm), the colours and the door feet (within 15 mm of Siemens' printed floor height); a check only, nothing redrawn
- Class 700 Thameslink at Gatwick station - 29079946372.jpg (photograph, CC BY 2.0) Elsie esq., via Wikimedia Commons (from Flickr), 23 August 2016a check of the door leaves' colour (about #669AD2 corrected, drawn #6A9FD4)
- Class 700 Thameslink at Gatwick station - 28898329080.jpg (photograph, CC BY 2.0) Elsie esq., via Wikimedia Commons (from Flickr), 23 August 2016a check of the body's white (#E7E8E8 in sun, drawn #E6E8EA)
- 3008 Southeastern Class 707 design definition (rev 1.4), with drawings 3008.101.1.1.C 'Livery + Decal Scheme' (1:50, rev P2) and 3008.105.1.3.A front end Creactive Design for Southeastern (released under FOI: 'Livery Designs'), June 2021, pp. 4 (drawing 3008.101.1.1.C, the leading DMOS)the cab front's silhouette, with GTR's drawing (set CA, desirocity; measured)
- 700031, Finsbury Park, May 29th 2025.jpg (photograph, CC BY-SA 4.0) Southsea_Matt, via Wikimedia Commons, 29 May 2025the cab: the windscreen's top at the side (set CA, desirocity; layout only)
- 700031, Finsbury Park, May 29th 2025.jpg (photograph, CC BY-SA 4.0) Southsea_Matt, via Wikimedia Commons, 29 May 2025the cab: the cantrail line, one line over the cab (set CA, desirocity; layout only)
- 700031, Finsbury Park, May 29th 2025.jpg (photograph, CC BY-SA 4.0) Southsea_Matt, via Wikimedia Commons, 29 May 2025the cab: the windscreen's frame (set CA, desirocity; layout only)
- 700031, Finsbury Park, May 29th 2025.jpg (photograph, CC BY-SA 4.0) Southsea_Matt, via Wikimedia Commons, 29 May 2025the cab door's foot and its window (set T2, T212; measured, 3.604 mm a pixel)
- Reading - SWT 707004+707006 on test.JPG (photograph, CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Geof Sheppard), 27 February 2017the cab door's height and its window, checked on the same Desiro City door (set T2, T212; measured)
- 700031, Finsbury Park, May 29th 2025.jpg (photograph, CC BY-SA 4.0) Southsea_Matt, via Wikimedia Commons, 29 May 2025the bodyside's dark foot band from about 3 ft 3 in (980 mm; set T9; measured on the cab door, 3.59 mm a pixel)
- Class 700 Thameslink at Gatwick station - 28898329080.jpg (photograph, CC BY 2.0) Elsie esq., via Wikimedia Commons (from Flickr), 23 August 2016the bodyside's grey foot band in sun (set T9; tone and layout only)
- Trainbow Wikipedia, read 13 October 2026the livery, its unit and its dates
- British Rail Class 700 Wikipedia, read 13 October 2026the livery, its unit and its dates
- A Guide to Overhead Electrification (132787-ALB-GUN-EOH-000001, rev 10) Network Rail (prepared by Alan Baxter), February 2015, p. 39the contact wire in the In operation drawing: 15 ft 5 in (4.7 m) above rail, Network Rail's normal height
_bogie_detail.JPG){kind=link}
unverified
- Seat counts: the DfT and Siemens give 672 and 433 including tip-up seats; whether the 2014 government figures (666 and 427) and GTR's manual (654 and 416) count the tip-ups isn't stated
- Built from 2014: no published source found for the first year of building (Siemens said in March 2018 only that the first pre-series train was finished 'some five years ago')
- Car lengths: no figure per car is printed for the 700; these are the Class 707's, which fit Siemens' 531 ft (162.0 m)
- Heights and door, window and bogie positions: measured off GTR's undimensioned drawings, which probably show the 2013-14 design
- The underframe cases: outlines measured off undimensioned, vertically stretched drawings (to about 50 mm, the MOSL and TOS from the smaller 12-car page); tone from one photograph at an angle
Know a source for one of these? Send it to us → (opens in a new tab)