15:51 PAD-WOS to be an Adelante from next week and other LTV changes

[whole diary]

[charles_uk]

Heard this rumour a few months ago, but the replacement of the 15:51 PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)-WOS^» (Worcester Shrub Hill - next trains) HST^▸ (High Speed Train) service with an Adelante on Fridays over high the summer has gone so well that from next week it will be a Class 180 every day of the week.  When I say 'so well' I really mean terribly badly with both crew and passengers exasperated by a badly overcrowded train with people standing between London and Moreton-In-Marsh.

All rather depressing. I did tweet FGW^▸ (First Great Western) about this to see if it really was true. Their response there was "@charles_uk I have looked on our systems for the forseeable future and it looks like even into November it is scheduled to be HST's. Heather". Something tells me that is going to be a communication thing at their end and not good news.

[CLPGMS]

Heard this rumour a few months ago, but the replacement of the 15:51 PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)-WOS^» (Worcester Shrub Hill - next trains) HST^▸ (High Speed Train) service with an Adelante on Fridays over high the summer has gone so well that from next week it will be a Class 180 every day of the week.  When I say 'so well' I really mean terribly badly with both crew and passengers exasperated by a badly overcrowded train with people standing between London and Moreton-in-Marsh

Yesterday, I spoke to a passenger who regularly travels on the 1551 PAD-GMV, boarding at Oxford.  She said that, on Friday 23rd August it was "absolute hell".  The train arrived at Oxford absolutely full and although many alighted, a much larger number boarded - a number swelled by the 1421 Adelante from PAD having failed at Slough and its passengers having been taken as far as Oxford on a preceding terminating train. I can corroborate this story as I was at Reading at 1622 and saw the packed train enter the station.  With up to 100 waiting to board it, I decided to forego the experience and made a more leisurely journey home by the 1626 Turbo  and the 1715 from Didcot Parkway.

A similar situation was experienced on Friday 9th August when hundreds of passengers travelled on this train for the Wilderness Festival.

Personally, I have used this train about 20 times during the last 12 months.  Passenger numbers can vary wildly.  On some days, there are plenty of seats available, but on others, it is full and standing on departure from Oxford.  How, on busy days, FGW^▸ (First Great Western) will be able to accommodate 400 to 450 passengers on a Class 180 remains to be seen!

[James]

Maintenance and cleaning, yes, but there is still some off-peak scope as demonstrated by this example.  You can stretch the elastic only so far though and the Turbo fleet is being stretched further than ever before...

Sometimes the sets are on depot that in theory can be used, but the logistics involved in getting them on site isn't worth it - perhaps the unit can't be back to where it'd need to be to form its peak train that evening for example, or there are no spare drivers available to swap the sets around.  Sometimes there could probably could be more done to strengthen any off-peak short forms.  In this example a 'quick' trip to Maidenhead and back can obviously be fitted in.

Indeed. If only quick trips could happen, although someone will say, 'we cant operate that due to lack of capacity...'
We need to stop thinking like that and just run the train services wherever fgw can fit them in. If the freight trains block up capacity where else could they be sent via, rather than on the over stretched relief lines... just a food for thought 

[ChrisB]

Oddly as it might seem, freight pays for paths too....

[James]

Yes i agree, however surely if the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) relief lines are full to capacity, why can't the freight's be diverted somewhere else?

[John R]

Several reasons, four I can immediately think of are:-

1. There may not be an alternative sensible route available (eg where would you divert the heavy aggregate trains from Merehead to Acton if they are not to go along the main line east of Reading).

2. Any practical alternative routes may be similarly congested, and may have adverse consequences for other passenger services. Even finding a path for a slower freight train across one busy junction can sometimes be difficult, when a sensible margin is allowed to avoid performance degradation to other services.

3. The alternative routes may not have clearances for the freight trains in question, e.g. the 9'6'' intermodal traffic from Southampton to the north currently uses the relief lines between Reading and Didcot. At first sight it could be rerouted via Melksham, but even if paths are available, the first service would bash many bridges on the way. Clearing the route will cost tens of millions. It might still be viable, but this would be on the wider strategic benefits it might bring.

4. The alternative routes are likely to be longer, thus costing the freight operators more. As they have contractual paths on the main line, why would they agree to this?

So, the work and cost involved to enhance a passenger service suddenly becomes very significant. There has to be a very compelling business case as to why it's the right thing to do, as opposed to "wouldn't it be nice if xyz station could have a better service".



 

[bobm]

I think we should be grateful there are four lines between London and Didcot - it is largely thanks to Brunel's broad gauge that we do!

[ChrisB]

Also - the alternatives are likely to be full too, especially in the peaks

[charles_uk]

Monday's 15:52 (sic) was very cosy when it left Oxford (and the air conditioning was less than convincing). I can't imagine it's going to be any more fun once the schools go back...

Does anyone know what the seating capacity of an 8 coach high density High Speed Train is and how that compares with a 5 coach 180? My guess is the seating capacity has been reduced by almost 50% but it would be interesting to know the exact numbers.

[CLPGMS]

A High Density HST^▸ (High Speed Train) has about 395 Standard Class seats + 112 First Class.
An Adelante has 242 Standard Class seats + about 45 First Class.

[ChrisB]

Nearly a 40% decrease in seating then.

[charles_uk]

Thanks for that information.

A significant decrease considering standing on a high density HST^▸ (High Speed Train) beyond Oxford was not uncommon...

[broadgage]

I think that this is called progress !

[IanL]

second day running this train has been late (today 40min late at Oxford due to unavailability of staff) and absolutely packed as it picks up people arriving for next train. In addition no aircon or even a breeze of air moving from the ceiling air ducts.

[CLPGMS]

In addition no aircon or even a breeze of air moving from the ceiling air ducts

I travelled twice, yesterday, on the unit (180104) which formed the 1552 - to Worcester on the 0921 ex PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) in the morning and on the 1849 ex WOF back.  The aircon was working in the two coaches in which I travelled (E out and A back).  However, there was no aircon in coach C on Tuesday 3rd September when I happened to travel on it again.  Wasn't this the unit which had aircon problems, mentioned in last week's Channel 5 programme?