Petition for more HSTs on Cross Country Services

[whole diary]

[hoover50]

Railway Magazine contributor Fraser Pithie has started a petition for more HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) to be used on Cross Country services:

https://www.change.org/p/railway-passengers-get-more-seats-and-reliability-for-passengers-on-cross-country

[broadgage]

I do not expect any significant numbers of HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) to be re-introduced on Cross country.
So doing would be seen as an admission of defeat and that the Voyagers are a failure.

The rail industry and the government have gone to a lot of trouble to try and persuade us that the future is short DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) and that HSTs are outmoded, old fashioned and not suited to todays needs.

Short DMUs were such a splendid success on Cross country, that a large fleet of similar short units have been obtained for GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) services.

Bringing back HSTs to Cross Country might be seen as the beginning off a most undesirable trend, people will then want them back on other routes as well.

[IndustryInsider]

A few questions for you Broadgage:

1)  Weren't ten power cars and five rakes of coaches brought back to CrossCountry routes back in 2008 as part of a franchise commitment? 
2)  Would that not been seen as an admission of defeat just eight years after the voyager fleet was built, rather more than it might be now, some twenty years later with passenger numbers dramatically higher? 
3)  Aren't HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) coming back to other routes as well in Scotland and also between Penzance and Cardiff on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) routes?  Why was that not prevented to avoid embarrassment?
4)  Aren't TransPennine introducing thirteen new 'outmoded, old fashioned' loco-hauled rakes of carriages onto their services as well as new Hitachi BMUs?  Why didn't the government insist they were all BMUs to avoid unfavourable comparisons?

For the record, I am doubtful it will happen on XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)), but for a different reason.  Namely the franchising hiatus meaning CrossCountry will want paying quite a lot to do it, and the government won't want to pay.

[broadgage]

There have indeed been a number of small scale re-introductions of HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train).
I do not foresee any significant returns for the reasons already given.

IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion), the castle class short HSTs don't really count. Only four vehicles, no first class, no buffet, and retaining the high density commuter seating.
If they had been 5 vehicles, 4 standard plus one half buffet and half first class, and been low density then that would be more like a proper HST.

[grahame]

Throwing another stone into this pond ...

The newly configured fleet running GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Intercity services to the South West comprises trains of 2 lengths - 9 vehicle ones, and shorter (5 vehicle) ones which can run alone or coupled in pairs.

The fleet enhancement proposed in this thread for Cross Country services to the South West comprises trains of more of less 2 lengths - 9 vehicle ones, and shorter (5 or 4 vehicle ones) ones which can run alone or coupled in pairs.

It looks like this enhancement proposal in terms of mix of trains lengths and couplings would very much match what has just been done on the London trains, very much celebrating the growth of rail use by enhancing capacity using very much the same formula.

[IndustryInsider]

There have indeed been a number of small scale re-introductions of HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train).
I do not foresee any significant returns for the reasons already given.

Small scale re-introductions?  I make it 54 power cars for Scotrail, 10 for CrossCountry, and 24 for GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway).  Or to put it another way, 45% of the original fleet size.

I would describe those as fairly significant returns into action for a fleet you think the TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) and government are conspiring to prevent from happening.

[TonyK]

There have indeed been a number of small scale re-introductions of HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train).
I do not foresee any significant returns for the reasons already given.

Small scale re-introductions?  I make it 54 power cars for Scotrail, 10 for CrossCountry, and 24 for GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway).  Or to put it another way, 45% of the original fleet size.

I would describe those as fairly significant returns into action for a fleet you think the TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) and government are conspiring to prevent from happening.

No.

[caliwag]

Hello, digression. Anyone know summer 2019 125 diags for xc please?