Stepford Connect operates rail services to various districts around Stepford County, such as Benton, Leighton, Morganstown, Whitefield, Berrily, Stepford Airport Central and Willowfield. A full journey on the mainline, which runs from Stepford Victoria to Llyn-by-the-Sea takes about 43 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 colour scheme, courtesy of rail management system Transport For Stepford. Prior to the renewal, the brand was simply Connect and bore a bright bluish green colour scheme.
History
2017
Services on the route commenced on 25th November 2017, exclusively using Class 700 units, from Stepford Town to Port Benton. Services to Stepford Airport Central began next, providing a direct link between the city and the then under-construction airport.
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 and Winstree Depot were demolished and rebuilt as Leighton Stepford Road and 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.
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, Edgemead and Stepford Victoria commenced, and Class 68 locomotives hauling Mark 3 coaches were introduced. The entrance leading to Platforms 11 through 15 at Stepford Central was also opened.
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 fleet. 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 2nd May, plans were revealed to retrofit all Class 170, Class 331, Class 350, Class 357, Class 377 and Class 465 units with the new branding.
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 Stepford Connect Headquarters with new branding.
On 6th June, plans were revealed to upgrade all Class 720 units with Next Generation V2 doors and interiors and new branding. On 16th June, plans were revealed to introduce Class 730/1 units and new signalling equipment. On 19th June, plans were revealed to retrofit all Class 158 and Class 185 units with new branding. On 22nd June, plans were revealed to commence services to Beechley and Willowfield, as well as the retrofitting of all Class 331/1 units in a Pride variant of the new livery.
All aforementioned changes and services were set in motion that same day, alongside the retrofitting of all Class 321, Class 333, Class 458 and Class 707 units with new seating and a new livery. Many Connect stations were refurbished whether an interior upgrade or a full refit. They include Stepford Central, City Hospital, Financial Quarter, Stepford Victoria and Stepford High Street. All the stations west of Stepford High Street received a new station sign.
Rolling Stock
Current
| Class Number | Image | 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 | |||||||||
| Class 158 | 
| 90 | 2 (/9)
3 (/0) | BREL | Express Sprinter | May 14, 2019 | |||
 | |||||||||
| Class 170 |  | 100 | 3 | Adtranz and Bombardier | Turbostar | January 1, 2018 | August 31, 2019 | ||
 | |||||||||
| Class 185 |  | 3 | Siemens | Desiro | December 13, 2017 | May 29, 2019 | |||
 | |||||||||
| Electric multiple-units | |||||||||
| Class 321 |  | 100 | 4 | BREL | Mark 3 | November 29, 2017 | February 22, 2020 | ||
| Class 331 |  | 3 (/0)
4 (/1) | CAF | Civity | May 6, 2019 | ||||
  | |||||||||
| Class 333 |  | 4 | Siemens and CAF | November 30, 2017 | March 11, 2020 | ||||
| Class 350 |  | 110 | Siemens | Desiro | December 6, 2017 | July 5, 2019 | |||
 | |||||||||
| Class 357 |  | 100 | Free | 4 | Adtranz and Bombardier | Electrostar | December 4, 2017 | July 5, 2019 | |
 | |||||||||
| Class 377 |  | 4 | Bombardier | Electrostar | December 18, 2017 | June 8, 2019 | |||
 | |||||||||
| Class 380 |  | 3 (/0)
4 (/1) | Siemens | Desiro | May 11, 2018 | May 1, 2020 | |||
 | |||||||||
| Class 458/0 |  | Unlocks with /5 | 4 | Alstom | Juniper | July 29, 2019 | |||
 | |||||||||
| Class 458/5 |  | 75 | 5 | Alstom | Juniper | August 14, 2019 | |||
 | |||||||||
| Class 465 |  | 4 | BREL, ABB and Metro-Cammell | Networker | November 30, 2017 | February 22, 2020 | |||
 | |||||||||
| Class 707 |  | 100 | 5 | Siemens | Desiro City | April 21, 2018 | July 20, 2019 | ||
 | |||||||||
| Class 720 |  | 5 | Bombardier | Aventra | January 29, 2018 | February 22, 2020 | |||
 | |||||||||
| Class 730/1 |  | 1125 | 5 | Bombardier | Aventra | June 23, 2020 | |||
| Locomotive hauled stock | 18 routes[Note 2] | ||||||||
| Class 68 |  | 100 | 3[Note 4] | Vossloh and Stadler | UKLight | December 31, 2018 | August 8th, 2019 | ||
 | |||||||||
| Mark 3A | N/A | Included with Class 68 | N/A | BREL | Mark 3 | December 31, 2018 | |||
 | |||||||||
Former
| Class Number | Image | 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 | Desiro City | November 25, 2017 | April 21, 2018 | All routes (at that time) |
 | |||||||||
| Class 387 | 
| 110 | 45 Robux | 4 | Bombardier | 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 this time.
Proposed
| Class Number | Image | Top Speed
(mph) | Carriages | Manufacturer | Train Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 365 | 
| 100 | 4 | ABB | Networker |
 | |||||
Depots
Current
- Benton Depot
- Leighton Depot
- Stepford Depot
- Woodhead Lane Northbound Depot
- Woodhead Lane Southbound Depot
- Northshore Depot
- Faymere Green TMD (Northbound)
- Faymere Green TMD (Southbound)
Former
Future
- None at this time.
Sidings
Current
Stations
Current
- Stepford Victoria
- Financial Quarter
- Willowfield
- Hemdon Park
- Beechley
- City Hospital
- Stepford Central
- Stepford East
- Stepford High Street
- Whitefield Lido
- Stepford United Football Club
- Woodhead Lane
- Houghton Rake
- Whitefield
- St Helens Bridge
- New Harrow
- Elsemere Pond
- Elsemere Junction
- Berrily
- East Berrily
- Beaulieu Park
- Morganstown
- Angel Pass
- Bodin
- Coxly
- Benton
- Port Benton
- Benton Bridge
- Stepford Airport Parkway
- Stepford Airport Central
- Hampton Hargate
- Water Newton
- Rocket Parade
- Leighton Stepford Road
- Leighton City
- Edgemead
- Faymere
- Westercoast
- Millcastle Racecourse
- Millcastle
- Westwyvern
- Starryloch
- Northshore
- Llyn-by-the-Sea
Former
Future
- None confirmed
Routes
| Whitefield Connect | ||
|---|---|---|
| Route | Code | Calling at |
| Stepford Central to Whitefield | R020 | Stepford East, Stepford High Street, Whitefield Lido, Stepford UFC, Woodhead Lane and Houghton Rake |
| Stepford Victoria | R022 | Financial Quarter, City Hospital, Stepford Central, Stepford East, Stepford High Street, Whitefield Lido, Stepford UFC, Woodhead Lane and Houghton Rake |
| Morganstown Connect | ||
|---|---|---|
| Route | Code | Calling at |
| Stepford Central to Morganstown | R007 | Stepford East, St Helens Bridge, Elsemere Junction, Berrily, East Berrily and Beaulieu Park |
| Beechley to Morganstown | R034 | City Hospital, Stepford Central, Stepford East, St Helens Bridge, Elsemere Junction, Berrily, East Berrily and Beaulieu Park |
| Leighton Connect | ||
|---|---|---|
| Route | Code | Calling at |
| Leighton Stepford Road to Llyn-by-the-Sea | R037 | Leighton City, Edgemead, Faymere, Westercoast, Millcastle, Westwyvern, Starryloch and Northshore |
| Leighton Stepford Road to Westwyvern | R038 | Leighton City, Edgemead, Faymere, Westercoast, Millcastle Racecourse and Millcastle |
| Regional (East) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Route | Code | Calling at |
| St Helens Bridge to Edgemead | R004 | Bodin, Coxly, Benton, Benton Bridge, Hampton Hargate, Water Newton, Leighton Stepford Road and Leighton City |
| St Helens Bridge to Westwyvern | R025 | Bodin, Coxly, Benton, Benton Bridge, Hampton Hargate, Water Newton, Rocket Parade, Leighton Stepford Road, Leighton City, Edgemead, Faymere, Westercoast, Millcastle Racecourse and Millcastle |
Trivia
- This is the oldest operator in SCR since the creation of it.
- This operator has the most fleet and stations.
- This operator has the most spawning locations as well as depots.
- This is one of two operators in SCR that none of the trains on the fleet can run on every single route, the second is Waterline, as only two car trains on their fleet (Class 165/0, Class 171 and Class 195/0) can run on the Morganstown Shuttle.
- Some of the stations were originally purposed to be on another operator: Metro.
- In V1.5, the Class 380 was the only train with the new livery on this operator, with the other trains receiving the new livery in V1.6.
- Waterline was a former part of this operator, and some believe that Stepford Express is currently part of this operator too.
- This operator, along with Waterline, were the last operators to see their trains upgraded to Next-Gen.
- This is the only operator without a hub for all routes.
