IETs into passenger service from 16 Oct 2017 and subsequent performance issues

[whole diary]

[bobm]

A sensible choice was made on the Old Oak set this morning to place the two first class sections in the centre of the train, fingers crossed in time that becomes the working practice as that would have a positive effect on dwell time.

Agreed - although they will have to reprint the glossy leaflet that has been produced....

[JayMac]

 

There was also a problem unloading cycles from 1C03 at Chippenham.   

I was on 1C03 at Chippenham.  As I mentioned up thread the problem was, thankfully, someone realised the bike store on the rear set wouldn't be platformed at Bath so took the opportunity of the Chippenham stop to get them unloaded and wheeled down the platform to an area that would be ok for Bath.  I think the train, certainly on the down, was fully platformed at both Chippenham and Didcot Parkway.

That does raise an issue though. Cycles are only meant to be carried with a reservation. Shouldn't the reservation system 'know' not to put a bike in a place where it can't be boarded or alighted at origin and/or destination? 

Same goes for seat reservations. The system needs to know not to put people in a carriage they can't directly board/alight at origin and/or destination. Any time advantage you gain from automatic doors is lost if you have dozens of passengers having to move through a train to get to a platformed door, or trying to find their carriage from the platform.

Teething problems that can be ironed out (excuse the mixed metaphors). The sort of things that crop up only when you start allowing the hoi polloi near your new train set.

[1st fan]

There was also a problem unloading cycles from 1C03 at Chippenham.   

I was on 1C03 at Chippenham.  As I mentioned up thread the problem was, thankfully, someone realised the bike store on the rear set wouldn't be platformed at Bath so took the opportunity of the Chippenham stop to get them unloaded and wheeled down the platform to an area that would be ok for Bath.  I think the train, certainly on the down, was fully platformed at both Chippenham and Didcot Parkway.

That does raise an issue though. Cycles are only meant to be carried with a reservation. Shouldn't the reservation system 'know' not to put a bike in a place where it can't be boarded or alighted at origin and/or destination? 

Same goes for seat reservations. The system needs to know not to put people in a carriage they can't directly board/alight at origin and/or destination. Any time advantage you gain from automatic doors is lost if you have dozens of passengers having to move through a train to get to a platformed door, or trying to find their carriage from the platform.

Teething problems that can be ironed out (excuse the mixed metaphors). The sort of things that crop up only when you start allowing the hoi polloi near your new train set.

I thought about this larger length of the new trains and Moreton in Marsh. There are several stations on the Cotswold line that have short platforms for the existing HST^▸ (High Speed Train). Assuming they're going to run a 5+5 set up there, will they have to announce which section of the train passengers need to be in as well as reservations? From my calculations only one 5 car set will fit on the platforms at Moreton. So if you're in the wrong set after Kingham you're stuffed.

[laird]

Are there sufficient passenger flows to justify running as 2x5 beyond Oxford/Swindon in the Worcester direction, I seem to recall when the Adelante sets operated in 2x5 car one of the two sets was simply out of service until Oxford/Swindon which in turn meant the commuters could be expected to board those in preference to the presumably well laden 5 car set?

[1st fan]

Are there sufficient passenger flows to justify running as 2x5 beyond Oxford/Swindon in the Worcester direction, I seem to recall when the Adelante sets operated in 2x5 car one of the two sets was simply out of service until Oxford/Swindon which in turn meant the commuters could be expected to board those in preference to the presumably well laden 5 car set?

Normally on the 19:22 there's often standing room only on the train until at least Oxford. I know by the time the train reaches Moreton there are fewer people but I wouldn't like to say whether it would fill more than a 5 car. If they want to make the front set for people going beyond Oxford only then that suits me. Won't matter until December though when the trains get up there.

[JayMac]

I suspect the longer term plan, when timetables are recast for exclusive IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) service, the intention is to run 2x 5car to Oxford with one unit going forward to Worcester/Malvern /Hereford. In the other direction, a single unit inbound, joining another at Oxford.

Load factors may mean the peak services being 1x9 or 2x5 throughout. A uniform fleet (and no more Turbos on the Cotswolds Line - remember that!) with SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) and the option to split and join will be a huge benefit.

[1st fan]

I suspect the longer term plan, when timetables are recast for exclusive IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) service, the intention is to run 2x 5car to Oxford with one unit going forward to Worcester/Malvern /Hereford. In the other direction, a single unit inbound, joining another at Oxford.

Load factors may mean the peak services being 1x9 or 2x5 throughout. A uniform fleet (and no more Turbos on the Cotswolds Line - remember that!) with SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) and the option to split and join will be a huge benefit.

Killing off those Turbos cannot happen soon enough.

[Richard Fairhurst]

I believe that platform extensions are planned for the Cotswold Line and that 2x5 won't run until then. But what the state of that project is, who knows. References (both from 2016): http://orr.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/24011/enhancements-delivery-plan-change-control-october-december-2016.pdf, https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Modernising-the-Great-Western-railway.pdf

Until then, there's the 1x5 and 1x9 units.

[grahame]

It will certainly be interesting to see how performance improves (or not) on 1A03 up to Christmas, at least now I know where my seat is within the carriage (since the reserved seat turns out to be the same number now all the way through until then).

Although I'm not looking forward to the prospect of trying to guess which of the 4 possible carriage positions it will arrive in at Reading each day!

The slow boarding problem isn't likely to be solved soon as the train isn't designed with suburban commuting in mind, today if you happened to be slightly slow at getting to the door to leave you would have been met with a large flow and through the narrow vestibule passengers weren't making good progress as they met boarding passengers. Dwell time is likely therefore to be an issue if the train encounters a passenger needing assistance, used on routes where large luggage is common or the cyclists arrive and are not ready to sprint.

A sensible choice was made on the Old Oak set this morning to place the two first class sections in the centre of the train, fingers crossed in time that becomes the working practice as that would have a positive effect on dwell time.

From yesterday morning / Real Time Trains - Station dwell times of first servives of the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train).  In all cases except Reading outbound, train did not leave on time so the duration is a measure of how long station duties took.

2.75 Bath Spa
2.0 Chippenham
3.0 Swindon
2.0 Didcot
2.5 Reading

5.0 Reading (awaiting time)
5.25 Didcot
3.0 Swindon
5.0 Chippenham
4.75 Bath Spa

I would expect these dwells to drop as people get used to the trains, and expect them to drop further as the fleet becomes uniform IET so that passengers don't have to go to different platform places for an IET and an HST^▸ (High Speed Train), and know what's arriving.   Helpful HST "Coach C is here" indicators at stations haven't (yet?) been enhanced with "IET coach C is here", and I don't the old orange and purple zone for which some signage persists has been re-enlivened.

[IndustryInsider]

I believe that platform extensions are planned for the Cotswold Line and that 2x5 won't run until then. But what the state of that project is, who knows. References (both from 2016): http://orr.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/24011/enhancements-delivery-plan-change-control-october-december-2016.pdf, https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Modernising-the-Great-Western-railway.pdf

Until then, there's the 1x5 and 1x9 units.

Works to be undertaken late next year I think.  Until then IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train)’s will mostly replace the existing Class 180 and Turbo diagrams AIUI^▸ (as I understand it) and run as 5-car trains, with the longer distance services still in the hands of HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train). 

No physical works have started yet, though a signal has been moved at Shrub Hill to facilitate the lengthening of one of the platforms there, and the works to introduce a turnback siding at Henwick are now nearing completion.

[bobm]

This morning’s 06:00 ex Bristol diverted via Hullavington due to a points problem just east of Bristol Temple Meads thus missing the calls at Bath and Chippenham.

[grahame]

This morning’s 06:00 ex Bristol diverted via Hullavington due to a points problem just east of Bristol Temple Meads thus missing the calls at Bath and Chippenham.

Previous train skipped Bath and Chippenham too ... and terminated at Swindon

05:29 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington due 07:17
05:29 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington due 07:17 will be diverted between Bristol Temple Meads and Swindon and terminated at Swindon.
It will no longer call at Bath Spa, Chippenham, Didcot Parkway, Reading, Slough and London Paddington.
This is due to a fault on this train.

and (curiously)

05:18 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington due 07:48
05:18 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington due 07:48 will no longer call at Westbury.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.

[NickB]

A telling comment from GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) about their 'ownership' of this problem (and every other one on their franchise)...

From The Times this morning:

"A spokesman for Great Western Railway said: 'Hitachi will be investigating this matter thoroughly.'"

[ChrisB]

Well.....it's true on the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train). What else would you expect? GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) aren't being allowerd anywhere near the ops side of the trains.

[ray951]

For those who want a ride on the new trains today (17/10).
The diagram that failed yesterday (0815 Pad -  Cardiff) was being worked by 800008 and 800009 today and was on time at Didcot.
Where these the sets that failed yesterday or where they on the other diagram?