'Train fares rocket again in January so why are we still on old trains?'

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Mirror:

Train fares rocket again in January so why are we still on old trains?

Many of Britain's chugging trains are up to 35 years old yet ticket prices are continuing to go off the rails


Chugging along: Arriva trains Valley Lines Railway station

Thousands of rail passengers are being forced to travel on decades-old trains ^ as ticket prices soar.

Our oldest ^dinosaur^ trains date back to 1978, long before the network was privatised in the mid 1990s.

Merseyrail tops the list with rolling stock that is up to 35 years old.

First Great Western comes second with 30-year-old trains, followed by East Coast Trains (27), First Capital Connect (26) and Greater Anglia (25).

Intercity trains on First Great Western were bought by British Rail in the ^Seventies and Eighties. The rail firm is already under fire for running the most over-crowded service in the country, from Henley-on-Thames to Paddington.

Two-carriage Pacer trains used on Northern Rail and Arriva Trains Wales routes around Cardiff were made for British Rail 30 years ago. Campaigners say they do not even meet requirements of the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act.

Stephen Joseph, of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: ^Some trains are well past retirement age. We need a proper long-term Government strategy to replace old trains with new ones.^

The figures, from the Office of Rail Regulation, come as train firms hike fares by an average 4.1 per cent in January.

The Department of Transport said: ^Over the next five years the Government is investing around ^8billion to introduce new high-tech trains.^

How many years old is your train?
Merseyrail: 35
First Great Western: 30
East Coast: 27
First Capital Connect: 26
Greater Anglia: 25
Northern Rail: 24
Ariva Trains Wales: 22
East Midlands: 21
First Scotrail: 18
Chiltern: 17
South West: 16

[LiskeardRich]

How many years old is your train?
Merseyrail: 35
First Great Western: 30
East Coast: 27
First Capital Connect: 26
Greater Anglia: 25
Northern Rail: 24
Ariva Trains Wales: 22
East Midlands: 21
First Scotrail: 18
Chiltern: 17
South West: 16

So I look at this to see how old my FGW^▸ (First Great Western) train is, and I will think very positively when I see the Class 180 is implied to be 30 years old, and think how remarkable they look for their age.

Obviously I know the class 180s are not 30 years old, but how many of the Mirror readers who use Class 180s day in day out know they are a lot newer. It will make a positive impression when people read their newer train is much older here, and they will think how good the train is for its age not realising its much newer.

This end bit of the story loses credibility of the report for anyone travelling on the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)'s newer trains.

The Mirror may also want to check how to spell Arriva.

[Chris from Nailsea]

You will note that I chose quite deliberately to post this particular item in 'the lighter side' ... 

[thetrout]

Considering that one of the HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) Power Cars is 43002 which is within First Great Western... I would suggest that 30 years is too young for that particular Power Car

And to be completely honest. Several of my friends when I travel with them on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) HST's always get the question "How old do you think this train is" completely wrong. The closest I've had is 15 years old. The look of surprise on all their faces the moment I say it's actually a 30 year old train does make them all wonder!

[Alan Pettitt]

I would far rather have more trains of any age!

[Phil]

Strangely enough you don't seem to get the same sort of headlines when the West Somerset Railway put their ticket prices up.

[eightf48544]

I'm not sure it's necessarily the age of train but it's quality, take the HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)). the power cars have undergone re-engening and other heavy maintence and teh coaches havehad several interior makeovers some would say to detrement of passenger comfort.

Whereas you could argue the 14x's were appaling when first built, but they were meant only as stop gap, but in their favour they  probably saved several lines from closure.

I would say that age is not so much a consideration with loco hauled stock you can stick a new loco on teh front of rake of coaches. So if the coaches are good Mark 2 and 3 a/c sets then age is not a problem so long as the underframe is sound.

With units I would say age is more noticlble in a DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) rather than EMU^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit). DMU's tend to shake themselves to bits whereas an EMU's can go on forever. Up to 60s the Southern was still running 60 old EMUs  (eg. 2NOLs) some of which were built on even older old steam carriage underframes.  

[JayMac]

I'm not sure it's necessarily the age of train

You're right. 'The age of the train' was the late 1970s/early 1980s.

At least according to those adverts presented by... best not to mention his name.

[crwydryn]

Strangely enough you don't seem to get the same sort of headlines when the West Somerset Railway put their ticket prices up.

Good to see, then, this from WSR's latest newsletter:

FARES HELD FOR ANOTHER YEAR

The West Somerset Railway is pleased to be able to announce that it is holding its

fares, both for individual travel and groups at 2012 levels for the third year in a row

into its 2014 season.