British Rail Class 777

The Class 777 is a future class of electric multiple unit being constructed for Merseytravel for operation on the Merseyrail network by Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler Rail. A total of 52 articulated four-car units are to be built, with an option for a further fifteen units available to Merseytravel.

Unlike the current fleet, new Class 777 units will be owned by Merseytravel and leased to the franchise operator.

History
The subject of replacing the ageing and  fleet had been proposed by Merseytravel as early as 2011 although it wasn't until the following year that a project director for a replacement fleet was appointed. In January 2016, Merseytravel announced that five rolling stock manufacturers had been shortlisted to build the new fleet - Bombardier, Siemens, CAF, Stadler Rail and a Mitsui/Alstom/East Japan Railway Company consortium.

On 16 December 2016, Merseytravel announced it had selected Stadler Rail to provide a new fleet of 52 dual voltage articulated four car units (consisting of 208 carriages), as part of a £460 million order. The Class 777 units will commence delivery in mid 2019 before entering service the following year. Despite the criticism over the proposal of redeploying guards after the Class 507 and 508 units are withdrawn into other roles within Merseyrail, the Class 777 units have been designed to operate without guards.