Intercity Express Programme (IEP) - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[Adelante_CCT]

1B12: 08:15 Paddington to Cardiff*
1L51: 10:55 Cardiff to Paddington*
* Denotes diagram will not start until October 30th due to engineering works in the Newport? area

Appears that any potential engineering works have disappeared and the Cardiff services will be running normally on the week of the 16th and 23rd, which therefore should include class 800s forming the 08:15 and 10:55 return

[Western Pathfinder]

All The Stations have been to Stoke Gifford for a look see at the new depot
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K2Azm_YmTW8&feature=youtu.be.

[Bmblbzzz]

That was quite interesting. All very clean and shiny. Good point about the door controls too; yes, the woman was being a bit stupid, but people are (even clever people) (and maybe she was partially sighted?) and something with a physically obvious operation, even if it's a skuomorph, tends to be easier to interpret.

[Red Squirrel]

...skuomorph...

...not to be confused with a skeuogromit...

[Bmblbzzz]

Good way to make a wallis of yourself...

[DidcotPunter]

I infer from this tweet from Ian Prosser, Director of Rail Safety at the ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) that the 800s are now signed off for passenger use (although it doesn't explicitly say that):

https://twitter.com/IanProsser7/status/ ... 1293811713

So does that mean that it's all go for passenger service introduction next Monday?

[ChrisB]

That was the last external news that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) were waiting for to allow the 800xxx trains to run on Monday, yes. There was comment at the ACORP^▸ (Association of Community Rail Partnerships) awards night that this could happen right on the deadline, but seems they've worked their socks off, as he says.

Further clearances will be needed apparently for the 801s/802s, which are being combined, under the 8021xx & 8022xx series. (It may be 8011xx & 8012xx, I forget)

[chuffed]

Good way to make a wallis of yourself...

Is that the bouncing bomb Barnes or Mrs Simpson ? Either way there'll be a big bang for your buck.

[Bmblbzzz]

Should've been Wallace but either of those will do.

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

Has it been confirmed whether the 800xxx diesel engines will be running at their full rated 560 kW from Monday? As they are running to HST^▸ (High Speed Train) timings maybe it's fair to assume they will be.

[Adelante_CCT]

I thought 560 was the de-rated version, with 700 being the full version? Happy to be corrected though

[SandTEngineer]

...oh no.  Trouble ahead.....  Well it is Friday the 13th.....

INTERCITY EXPRESS PROGRAMME (IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.))

Further to my circular IR/461/17 of 11th October 2017, the NEC^» (National Exhibition Centre - about) has considered further correspondence in relation to this matter. We have received worrying reports from our Stations Divisional Council representatives of serious failures on the part of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to ensure staff and passenger safety with the launch of IEP services on Monday 16th October 2017. The NEC has noted that the company has failed to ensure that the platform staff have been adequately trained or not prepared at all to carry out safe working procedures in relation to the following items:

• No agreed dispatch method statement.
• Risk assessments have not been completed for all locations.
• No training for dispatch of new rolling stock.
• No staff familiarisation.
• Competence teams have not deemed any staff competent in dispatch of new rolling stock.
• No method for operation of disabled ramps or assisting disabled passengers access.

The NEC has also noted that discussions on these matters have been on the agenda of the Stations Divisional Council for over two years and is staggered that agreement has not yet been reached. It is also completely unsatisfactory that the company have failed in respect of basic safety responsibilities such as risk assessments on a project like this.

Finally, the NEC contends that with such a list of problems the launch of new services must be delayed. Very few staff have been given the time to familiarise themselves with the IEP stock apart from watching it pass through their station. They do not feel that a booklet and local briefing is substantial preparation for dispatching the new trains, and have concerns around how they will be dealt with if there is a dispatch irregularity.

Accordingly, I have been instructed to write to both GWR and the ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) raising our serious safety concerns outlined above and to urge GWR to delay the launch of services until RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) can be reassured that the items listed above have been resolved to our satisfaction.

I will also be writing to all GWR On Board and Stations members, by email, text and personal letter advising them of our serious safety concerns and reminding them of their individual responsibilities under the refusal to work policy if they encounter a work practice they believe to be unsafe. RMT advice on refusal to work on the grounds of health and safety can be found at: https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/publication ... eview=true

Branches will be kept fully informed of any developments.

Yours sincerely

Mick Cash
General Secretary

[trainer]

INTERCITY EXPRESS PROGRAMME (IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.))
The NEC^» (National Exhibition Centre - about) has also noted that discussions on these matters have been on the agenda of the Stations Divisional Council for over two years and is staggered that agreement has not yet been reached.

Mick Cash
General Secretary

But no-one is staggered that a dispute is raised so close to the launch that it is bound to put the industry in a bad light with the general public.

I wonder how many hours of combing the rule book it took to come up that list and how many of those items are nit picking (e.g. a form not signed) and how many are genuinely issues of lack of training and in the case of the last bullet point (about deployment of ramps) seemingly very serious indeed.  If there are that many gaps it seems that both management and unions need to share the blame for not getting it right and it may be a symptom of poor cooperation between the various committees, boards, oversight teams etc that seem to proliferate to no good purpose.

[chuffed]

Looking at the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) in Stoke Gifford on 'All the stations', I notice that the  horrific pink/lime green 'mickey mouse ear handholds' on the seats, have been consigned hopefully to history, to be replaced by rather more discreet grips on the sides. Unless they are screwed in, rather than two metal prongs, I suspect many of these will be snapped off within the first week by battering ram suitcases on wheels.

[JayMac]

INTERCITY EXPRESS PROGRAMME (IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.))
The NEC^» (National Exhibition Centre - about) has also noted that discussions on these matters have been on the agenda of the Stations Divisional Council for over two years and is staggered that agreement has not yet been reached.

Mick Cash
General Secretary

But no-one is staggered that a dispute is raised so close to the launch that it is bound to put the industry in a bad light with the general public.

I wonder how many hours of combing the rule book it took to come up that list and how many of those items are nit picking (e.g. a form not signed) and how many are genuinely issues of lack of training and in the case of the last bullet point (about deployment of ramps) seemingly very serious indeed.  If there are that many gaps it seems that both management and unions need to share the blame for not getting it right and it may be a symptom of poor cooperation between the various committees, boards, oversight teams etc that seem to proliferate to no good purpose.

And the union themselves say the issues were raised two years ago. Were the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) regularly reminding the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) over those two years or have they just left it to the last minute to manufacture a dispute?

I suspect the latter.