Problems with Heathrow Services

[whole diary]

[BerkshireBugsy]

Really not sure where this should belong on here but went looking at the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) site and came across this

https://www.gwr.com/heathrow-connect-suspension

The clue is in the title!

Does anyone have any more information on what is happening?

Regards

[ChrisB]

Yep - HEX services suspended & all stock withdrawn for checks after a fault found with the frame on one train - rest removed for checking.

HConnect trains 'borrowed' by HEX to run their services

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) running shuttle between Hayes & PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) with a couple of turbos (so some peak GWR services will be short).
HConnect pax wanting Heathrow advised to get 140 bus between Hayes & Heathrow.l

[BerkshireBugsy]

Yep - HEX services suspended & all stock withdrawn for checks after a fault found with the frame on one train - rest removed for checking.

HConnect trains 'borrowed' by HEX to run their services

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) running shuttle between Hayes & PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) with a couple of turbos (so some peak GWR services will be short).
HConnect pax wanting Heathrow advised to get 140 bus between Hayes & Heathrow.l

Ah thanks...that explains the wording..."Connect services withdrawn after problems with HEX"

TA

[JayMac]

... leaving GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to run the 'locals' to/from Hayes and Harlington with Turbos. Meaning some short formations on other services.

Specific problem is cracks found in the anti-roll bar on one HEX unit. Anti-roll bars are a component part of the bogies.

Probably just coincidence, but it was an incorrectly set up anti-roll bar that was the cause of the low speed derailment of the lone HEX Class 360 in May 2014. Both HEX's 332s and the five 360/2s (4 HC, 1 HEX) share maintenance facilities and personnel at Siemens Old Oak Common.

[Rhydgaled]

Not sure if it belongs here, but I read in Modern Railways this morning that C2C are going to be taking two of the class 360s from May. Does this mean FirstGWR's class 387s will be running to the airport as well as Hayes-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) shuttles?

[paul7575]

Not sure if it belongs here, but I read in Modern Railways this morning that C2C are going to be taking two of the class 360s from May. Does this mean FirstGWR's class 387s will be running to the airport as well as Hayes-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) shuttles?

No longer happening.  The decision was made just as Modern Railways went to press on the proposal, Tony Miles confirmed this online.

There are no other EMUs^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit) that can run onto the airport branch without being fitted with GW^» (Great Western - used as an abbreviation for the area / lines under the Great Western franchise, as opposed to FGW which includes "First", the company operating them too. For tickets - about) ATP^▸ (Automatic Train Protection), as the branch does not have AWS^▸ (Automatic Warning System - an arrangement of permanent magnets and electro-magnets that convey information about the associated signal to the train driver) or TPWS^▸ (Train Protection and Warning System).    Discussions in other forums suggested loaning out two 360s was pretty high risk, as three are needed for the Connect service all day, so a 332 would have had to take over the T4 shuttle.

Paul