People tired of old and cramped Arriva trains, say MPs

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Class 230 D Trains are always supposed to have  been looked at and I wouldn't be surprised if Porterbrook have been in touch with parties   about their class 319 Flex units  certainly these units would be welcomed on the valleys.  These 319 flex units providing they are in gauge for the valley lines network  would be ideal particulary for the Maesteg and Ebbw Vale lines as they would be able to operate in diesel and 25v AC as well as swanline services. This should free up some class 143/150's

How many 319d units are likely to be available? [/quote]

I would suspect that the bimode 319 units would be use where the bimode capability was of some use, with cascades of diesel stock to diesel only lines.    Wales - with the only operational electric railway so far being the cliff lift at Aberystwyth (? do I have that right ?) would logically benefit from these 319 units indirectly.    For direct bimode use, you might be considering (one or two a bit provocative)

Waterloo - Basingstoke - Salisbury
Paddington - Reading - Newbury - Bedwyn
Paddington - Reading - Didcot - Oxford
Portsmouth Harbour - Southampton - Salisbury - Bristol - Newport - Cardiff
Reading - Wokingham - Guildford - Reigate - Redhill - Gatwick
Bournemouth - Poole - Wareham - Swanage
Paddington - West Ruislip
GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) trains to Brighton
Swindon - Thingley - Westbury - Salisbury - Southampton - Eastleigh - Romsey
Birmingham - Barnt Green - Bromsgrove - Worcester

[welshman]

Just so long as they shoot the Pacers.

I went from my Valleys home to Birmingham and back on Thursday.  That involved 142/170/220/HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))/150.  Not surprisingly the HST coaches were by far the most comfortable.  Followed closely by the 150, 

Are the 170s overgeared?  They seem to take ages to get to lock up in the high speed gear.

[Rhydgaled]

I went from my Valleys home to Birmingham and back on Thursday.  That involved 142/170/220/HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))/150.  Not surprisingly the HST coaches were by far the most comfortable.  Followed closely by the 150,

Eh? "Followed closely by the 150"?  Surely there's a huge difference in comfort levels between an IC125 and a 150. On continuously-welded rail, I personally think ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former Train Operating Company))'s Pacers, 150s and 153s are all pretty much equally uncomfortable (and the level of discomfort is quite serious). The XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) 170s are almost as bad or the same as well.

I would suspect that the bimode 319 units would be use where the bimode capability was of some use, with cascades of diesel stock to diesel only lines.    Wales - with the only operational electric railway so far being the cliff lift at Aberystwyth (? do I have that right ?) would logically benefit from these 319 units indirectly.

But; that require another operator to introduce the 319 bi-modes primarily for ATW's benifit rather than their own. Thus, I would put it in the 'not going to happen' category. I think 23m vehicles are out-of-gauge for the Aberdare/Merthyr/Treherbert routes, and as far as I am aware none of the DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) expected to go off-lease by 2020 have 20m vehicles. Also, although there's no electrified railway in Wales yet (in a traditional sense, I think the cliff railway is cable-hauled isn't it?), there will be. Initially, any 319s that came to Wales would be running as a straight DMU, but over time the wires would allow them to run routes like Cardiff/Swansea-Cheltenham/Hereford, and also make use of the first stages of ValleyLines electrification (assuming tramification doesn't happen) before the wires reach the heads of the valleys.

[grahame]

Also, although there's no electrified railway in Wales yet (in a traditional sense, I think the cliff railway is cable-hauled isn't it?), there will be.

Of course, as long as 70 years ago you had the Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Electric Tramway, the Swansea and Mumbles Railway, Cardiff Corporation Tramways and I don't thinks that's a complete list. Whether you call them traditional or not is a subject for a long evening at the bar ... might be safer for us to agree that there are no electrified railways (in the traditional sense of motors on moving vehicles) at present.