Intercity Express Programme (IEP) - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[stuving]

Going slightly off at a tangent (well, diverting down the Berks & Hants rather than the South Wales Main Line)......

There have been a number of driver training runs down to Tiverton loop and beyond recently even though we are unlikely to see passenger services down here for a while. A thought occurred to me whilst passing a very wet Cowley Bridge Junction earlier today.......... Have the 802s been cleared for any diversions from Castle Cary to Exeter via Yeovil Junction or will services just be terminated either side of any blockage?

"Castle Cary to Exeter St Davids via Yeovil Pen Mill and Yeovil Junction" is included in the definition of the IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) Network, as a "Non Core Route" (other parts are labelled "Diversionary Route"). Being cleared to run that route is probably something separate, requiring a great deal of Network Rail paperwork, but it looks as if it there should be no impediment.   

[PhilWakely]

Going slightly off at a tangent (well, diverting down the Berks & Hants rather than the South Wales Main Line)......

There have been a number of driver training runs down to Tiverton loop and beyond recently even though we are unlikely to see passenger services down here for a while. A thought occurred to me whilst passing a very wet Cowley Bridge Junction earlier today.......... Have the 802s been cleared for any diversions from Castle Cary to Exeter via Yeovil Junction or will services just be terminated either side of any blockage?

"Castle Cary to Exeter St Davids via Yeovil Pen Mill and Yeovil Junction" is included in the definition of the IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) Network, as a "Non Core Route" (other parts are labelled "Diversionary Route"). Being cleared to run that route is probably something separate, requiring a great deal of Network Rail paperwork, but it looks as if it there should be no impediment.   

Excellent, so we should be treated to some driver training runs over the Mule at some stage - although almost certainly under cover of darkness in the wee small hours.

[IndustryInsider]

A couple of points about the new IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train)'s that I was unsure about have now been clarified.

1) The 5-car sets can store a maximum of 4 bikes, not 2 as feared.  Though reservations must be made, and the second of the two storage areas can and will also be used for luggage if reservations have not been made.  A 9-car unit can store 8 bikes under the same proviso.

2) The colour coding on the reservation system will display three colours.  Red for when the seat is reserved, yellow when it is available but reserved from some point later in the journey, and green when it is fully unreserved.  I had feared it might only be a red or green system.

Welcome news on both fronts, and I can see the colour coded reservation system becoming a really popular feature and a big improvement over the current paper system on HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s and 180 trains.

[Bmblbzzz]

The colour coding system does sound neat. Good news about the bike spaces though I fear in practice it won't matter whether or not they're booked, they'll be used for large (or even not large) suitcases anyway; just like on the Voyagers.

[paul7575]

The train tech spec always required a “three state system”, for reservation display, described as follows:

• displays for each seat must indicate whether that seat is free, reserved for part of or for the remainder of the journey. The method of display must be easy for passengers to interpret quickly when boarding, and shall seek to convey an overall impression of the extent of reserved and unreserved seats within the saloon...

The 3 colour lights do seem to be the obvious solution to that requirement...

[IndustryInsider]

The colour coding system does sound neat. Good news about the bike spaces though I fear in practice it won't matter whether or not they're booked, they'll be used for large (or even not large) suitcases anyway; just like on the Voyagers.

The same reservation displays as with the seats apply in these two bike/luggage holds I believe.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Waste of technology - we all know that cyclists ignore any traffic light signals. 

[stuving]

According to today's Sunday Times, John Laing are trying to sell their stake in the two Agility Trains IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) programmes. That is predicted to net them a big profit on what they paid, which will no doubt feed into Labour's current plans on PFIs. The timing does look a bit odd, in that you would expect the value to go up if the risks priced in at the start didn't materialise - but we won't know that until they've been in service for a while.

There's a lot of bits of library stuff cut and pasted awkwardly into the piece, so it is hard to make sense of, but among them it says that the delivery of the trains is four months late "landing taxpayers with more costs". Also, that the first trains should have run in service in May rather than later this month.

Now, the Franchise Contract said that at that at the end of May there would be precisely zero trains delivered and ready to run "in revenue earning passenger service". However, that number should have risen by one per week, giving 20 (5-car) by the now-expected start date. If they are late on that schedule, does Agility have to pay the penalty for that failure? Or, if it's design acceptance, does that count as not their fault? In that case the sign-off would render all those delivered available all at once, not as phased, which would do odd things to the introduction plans.

But what does all that imply about trains being available for driver training? Did they need to be actually available to run on the network for training six months earlier? Or, if driver training always had to be done after that date (other than a few for the acceptance and proving trails) they never could have entered service any earlier.

[1st fan]

I assume these dates are already known but for 2017 beyond the 16th of this month:
13th November Weston-Super-Mare and Taunton see the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train).
11th December Camarthen will see the IET.
27th December Oxford, Worcester, Hereford and Great Malvern see the IET.

That's what I was told at Paddington yesterday.

[TonyK]

By 13 November, I may be living close to Weston. I hope the weather is good that day!

[IndustryInsider]

You could argue that launching your new train right in the middle of leaffall season might be asking for trouble!

[Timmer]

You could argue that launching your new train right in the middle of leaffall season might be asking for trouble!

That's a bit concerning if you are saying that II 

[froome]

Waste of technology - we all know that cyclists ignore any traffic light signals. 

Feel I must bite here, given the number of likes. As someone who cycles most days, I'm fed up with being put at much danger when I stop at red lights (which I always do) and having cars, lorries and yes... van drivers, swerving round me so that they can run the red light. It happens on most days that I'm out.

[lordgoata]

Waste of technology - we all know that cyclists ignore any traffic light signals. 

Feel I must bite here, given the number of likes. As someone who cycles most days, I'm fed up with being put at much danger when I stop at red lights (which I always do) and having cars, lorries and yes... van drivers, swerving round me so that they can run the red light. It happens on most days that I'm out.

Swings and roundabouts ... I used to cycle to work daily and always stopped for red lights, and the number of times other cyclists almost piled into the back of me was unbelievable. There are idiots in both groups of users, always have been, always will be.

[Bmblbzzz]

Often the very same idiots.