Stepford Connect

Stepford Connect operates rail services to various districts around Stepford County, such as Benton, Leighton, Morganstown, Whitefield, Berrily, etc. A full journey on the mainline, which runs from Stepford Victoria to Llyn-by-the-Sea takes about 42 minutes and is only doable on the Class 68.

The route is classified as regional rail, due to the fact that it takes up the majority of the network and it serves various regions. The trains on this route reach an average maximum speed of 100 miles per hour.

As part of a renewed franchise from 1 May 2020, this operator is now branded as Stepford Connect and bears a cyan color scheme, run by Transport for Stepford - a new organisation. Prior to the renewal, the brand was simply Connect, and beared a bright bluish green color scheme.

History

2017

Services on the route commenced on 25th November 2017, exclusively using Class 700 units, from modern-day Stepford Central to Benton. Services to Stepford Airport Central began next, providing a direct link between the city and the then under-construction airport, and shortly after services to Port Benton began, allowing for the removal of Benton as a terminus.

Coxly Depot was constructed to alleviate the overcrowded Benton Depot, alongside the introduction of Class 333 units for more frequent service. Class 321 units were introduced shortly after on 29th November to run new services to Winstree. In December, Bodin, Benton Bridge, Stepford Airport Parkway and Stepford Airport Central were renovated to allow for more capacity, with Benton being completely rebuilt.

On 4th December, the Connect franchise was renewed to include the WaterLine route sub-franchise. Class 357 and Class 387 units were also introduced, with Class 350 units following on 6th December. On 11th December, some Class 700 units were painted into a special livery to celebrate Christmas, and Class 185 units were introduced on 13th December. On 18th December, all Class 387 units were taken out of service to be repainted into the WaterLine livery, and were replaced by Class 377 units. On 25 December, Class 720 units were introduced.

2018

On 1st January, Class 170 units were introduced. On 9th January, Benton was rebuilt once more to allow more trains to enter and increase capacity.

On 21 April, all Class 700 units were replaced by Class 707 units, Winstree was rebuilt as Leighton Stepford Road, and Winstree Depot was rebuilt as Leighton Depot. Rocket Parade station was constructed in-between Water Newton and Leighton Stepford Road, and services to Leighton City commenced. St Helens Bridge was rebuilt and became a terminus for trains from Leighton City. Services to Stepford Victoria commenced. The entrance and platforms 11 through 14 at Stepford Central were closed, and Central Mall opened, providing the only entrance to the station.

On 10th May, Class 380/0 and 380/1 units were introduced. On 15th July, all Class 321 units were painted into a revised livery. On 4th August, Class 365 units were proposed to be introduced. On 31st December, services to Berrily, Morganstown and Edgemead commenced, and Class 68 locomotives hauling Mark 3 coaches were introduced.

2019

On 28th April, services to Stepford United Football Club and Whitefield commenced. On 6th May, Class 331/0 and 331/1 units were introduced. On 14th May, Class 158 units entered service, being the first with Next Generation doors and interiors on the route. On 29th May, all Class 185 units were upgraded with the same tech from the Class 158 units, and on June 8, all Class 377 units were upgraded as well.

On 5th July, all Class 350 and Class 357 units were upgraded. On 9th July, Class 458/5 units were introduced, already equipped with Next Generation doors and interiors. On 29th July, all Class 707 units were upgraded. On 7th August, all Class 68 and Mark 3 units were upgraded. On 14th August, Class 458/0 units were introduced, already equipped with Next Generation doors and interiors. On 31st August, all Class 170 units were upgraded. On 17th December, services to Westwyvern and Llyn-by-the-Sea commenced.

2020

On 22nd February, all Class 321, Class 331, Class 465, and Class 720 units were upgraded, and Faymere Green TMD was built between Faymere and Westercoast. The platforms at Stepford Central, Stepford High Street, and Benton received new decor. The entrance to Whitefield was rebuilt, and all platforms received new decor, with platform three being extended.

On 4th March, all Class 707 units were upgraded with Next Generation V2 doors and interiors. On 11th March, all Class 333 units were upgraded with the same tech from the Class 707 units. On 18 March, Stepford Central was rebuilt to increase capacity and discard aging infrastructure.

On 1st May, the Connect franchise was renewed to no longer include WaterLine, and was passed onto Transport for Stepford. All Class 380/0 and 380/1 units were upgraded with Next Generation V2 doors and interiors, and became the first trains to bear the new branding introduced with the franchise renewal.

On 25th May, plans were revealed to upgrade Coxly station. On 30th May, plans were revealed to upgrade Stepford Victoria station. On 2nd June, plans were revealed to retrofit the Connect HQ with Stepford Connect branding.

Rolling Stock

Current

Class Number	Top Speed (mph)	Price^{[Note 1]} (Points)	Carriages	Manufacturer	Train Family	Date Put Into Service	Date converted to NG	Routes Operated On
Diesel multiple units								R001 R002 R003 R003 R004 R005 R006 R007 R008 R021 R022 R023 R024 R025 R027
Class 158	90	~~1500~~ 1125	2/3	British Rail Engineering Limited	Express Sprinter	May 14, 2019
Class 170	100	~~1500~~ 1125	3	Bombardier Transportation (formerly ADtranz)	Turbostar	January 1, 2018	August 31, 2019
Class 185	100	~~1500~~ 1125	3	Siemens Mobility	Desiro	December 13, 2017	May 29, 2019
Electric multiple units
Class 321	100	~~1500~~ 1125	4	British Rail Engineering Limited	BR Second Generation (Mark 3)	November 29, 2017	February 22, 2020
Class 331		~~1500~~ 1125	3/4	CAF	Civity	May 6, 2019	February 22, 2020
Class 333		~~1500~~ 1125	4	Siemens Mobility	CAF	November 30, 2017	March 11, 2020
Class 350	110	~~1500~~ 1125	4	Siemens Mobility	Desiro	December 6, 2017	July 5, 2019
Class 357	100	Free	4	Bombardier Transportation (formerly ADtranz)	Electrostar	December 4, 2017	July 5, 2019
Class 377		~~1500~~ 1125	4	Bombardier Transportation	Electrostar	December 18, 2017	June 8, 2019
Class 380		~~1500~~ 1125	3/4	Siemens Mobility	Desiro	May 11, 2018	May 1, 2020
Class 458/0		~~1500~~ 1125	4	Alstom	Juniper	July 29, 2019
Class 458/5	75	~~1500~~ 1125	5	Alstom	Juniper	August 14, 2019
Class 465	75	~~1500~~ 1125	4	British Rail Engineering Limited, ABB Rail, Metro-Cammell	Networker	November 30, 2017	February 22, 2020
Class 707	100	~~300~~ 225	5	Siemens Mobility	Desiro City	April 21, 2018	July 20, 2019
Class 720	100	~~1500~~ 1125	5	Bombardier Transportation	Aventra	January 29, 2018	February 22, 2020
Locomotive hauled stock								9 routes^{[Note 2]}
Class 68	100	~~3000~~ 2250 ^{[Note 3]}	3^{[Note 4]}	Vossloh España (2013–2015) Stadler Rail (2016–2017)	UKLight	December 31, 2018	August 8th, 2019	9 routes^{[Note 2]}

Former

Class Number	Top Speed (mph)	Price	Carriages	Manufacturer	Train Family	Date Put Into Service	Date Withdrawn From Service	Routes Operated On
Electric multiple units
Class 700	100	Free	6	Siemens Mobility	Desiro City	November 25, 2017	April 21, 2018	Stepford Town (Stepford Central)-Port Benton
Class 387	110	45 Robux	4	Bombardier Transportation	Electrostar	December 4, 2017	December 18, 2017 (Moved to Waterline on December 21, 2017, then AirLink on June 8, 2019)	All routes (at that time)

Future

None at the moment

Proposed

Class Number	Image	Top Speed (mph)	Carriages	Manufacturer	Train Family
Class 365		100	4	ABB York	Networker