Rumour of HSTs to operate Cardiff-Portsmouth discounted - probably Class 165/166 instead

[whole diary]

[Timmer]

The March edition of Today's Railways is reporting that "GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) is considering using HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) on regional services such as Cardiff-Portsmouth". This is following the recent trial of running a 2+5 set in the SW. This would be in place of running turbos that are due to replace the current 158s that operate the route.

[John R]

That would be consistent with the requirement in the franchise to look at more appropriate stock for that route.  And there will be lots of HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) spare, so it's certainly feasible in the not too distant future.

Would suggest power operated doors would be needed if dwell times are not to suffer, but Chiltern (and soon Scotrail) have these on Mk 3 stock so that shouldn't be an issue.

As well as solving the capacity problem on the route, I'm sure the improved rolling stock would in time make a big difference to passenger numbers.

[PhilWakely]

Not forgetting the requirement for Short Swing Link bogies for Redbridge/Eastleigh to Portsmouth

[Timmer]

Would it be too much to hope that one of the five coaches would be one of the composite coaches bringing back First Class to the Cardiff-Portsmouth line?

[Timmer]

Even if nothing comes of this, I really don't see any HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) ending up at Booths of Rotherham (scrapers yard) for sometime to come. Hope the same can be said of the 18 class 442s about to come off lease.

[paul7575]

A GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) insider posting in the wnxx forum has written within the last week or so that this is definitely NOT happening on this route.

Also, HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) are not cleared to run on the Netley line, believed to be due to the power cars being out of gauge on the Hamble river bridge.

Paul

[ChrisB]

So yet again the rail press don't check their facts.....

[grahame]

As well as solving the capacity problem on the route, I'm sure the improved rolling stock would in time make a big difference to passenger numbers.

... resulting in a capacity issue once again?

[John R]

As well as solving the capacity problem on the route, I'm sure the improved rolling stock would in time make a big difference to passenger numbers.

... resulting in a capacity issue once again?

Given the current sets are 3 car units, 5 coach sets should be OK for a while. Ideally the services should be limited in stops, with  the other stations served by shorter services (e.g. Westbury to Bristol, covering the Trowbridge and Bradford stops).  That would  also create more capacity on the HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))'s and reduce journey times, making the services even more attractive for longer distance traffic.

Although from what paul7755 says, it isn't going to happen so maybe this discussion is academic. (Or maybe not, as the principle is the same even if the service is run by 5 car turbos.)

I probably just hanker after the service I used to take to get from Cardiff to Soton when at Uni... only 4 intermediate stops.

[Chris from Nailsea]

So yet again the rail press don't check their facts.....

Instead, they could simply read the Coffee Shop forum. 

[ChrisB]

quite.

[Timmer]

So yet again the rail press don't check their facts.....

I am a little disappointed they didn't. If this story had been in certain other railway based magazines I wouldn't have bothered posting it. But as it was in Today's Railways, I thought better of them.

[Timmer]

For what it's worth RAIL is also reporting the future use of shortened HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) on Cardiff-Penzance and Cardiff-Weymouth (think they mean Portsmouth) services.

[ChrisB]

So they nick it from Today's Railways & a) can't proof their own work & b) check out the story/source either....our railbpress really are sh1t

[John R]

Even if nothing comes of this, I really don't see any HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) ending up at Booths of Rotherham (scrapers yard) for sometime to come. Hope the same can be said of the 18 class 442s about to come off lease.

Surely a few loco-hauled 442s is the obvious answer. They will be available, provide the improvement in passenger quality that the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) asked GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to look at as part of its franchise terms, and I'm guessing have no issue with the Netley line.  The only problem is if they are regarded as a stop-gap then passenger expectations would need to be managed carefully as to the longer term quality of rolling stock they can expect.