Inaugural South Western Railway Class 701 service using EMU 701 037, 9th January 2024. 

Purely by chance, the author found himself travelling on the inaugural run of a South Western Railway 'Arterio' electric multiple unit (No. 701 037) on the morning of 9th January 2024. It would have been churlish not to have filmed it, given the palpable excitement of the SWR staff on board. Their reaction was unsurprising, given the lengthy (and apparently inexplicable) multifactorial delay that preceded this launch! A lengthy and frustrating incubation period, with virtually every available siding having been occupied by these brand new units (when delivered!), some of which would have been exposed to the elements for several years! There was hardly any legroom available between many of the rather hard, almost vertically-backed seats, but the presence of toilets must (literally) come as a great relief for passengers. Fast acceleration should ultimately speed up timings, and these units do have a stylish appearance. The corridors also allow for passengers to distribute themselves more evenly than would previously have been the case.