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

[whole diary]

[a-driver]

I don’t think the introduction has been handled badly by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), I just think you’re going to get more issues when you’re forced to rapidly introduce new trains as opposed to the planned phased introduction.

First new train 16th October 2017 with a couple of diagrams, further diagrams every few weeks.  Firstly South Wales and Bristol turns, then some extensions to Taunton an Carmarthen.  Followed by north and south Cotswolds.   Hereford services to come, and next month there's a start made on the South West services.   Initially 5 car trains were introduced; now 9 car ones are coming on tap too.   Looks very much like a planned phased introduction to me!

HST^▸ (High Speed Train) sets started going off lease in July/August 2017 having had their lease contracts extended for as long as possible.  The lease for the Porterbrook HST’s all expired in 09/17 with the remaining HSTs gone by 01/19
The original plan was for the first IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) to be delivered by the end of 2014 with testing completed by March 2015.  The date of the first 5-car IET being accepted was scheduled for 25/05/17 with them all delivered by 08/02/18.
The acceptance of the 9-cars was scheduled to commence on the 15/02/18 with them all delivered by 06/07/18
This is what I mean by a forced introduction.  They are being forced into passenger traffic because there is no alternative, there is no HST back up. Putting them into passenger traffic then has a knock on effect when it comes to training as they don’t have any units available to train on.  This is why you’re now getting 5-car IET’s running in passenger train. 
Hitachi, at the time, didn’t their trains were ready to enter traffic.  They still wanted more time for testing.
Today, they had 29 IETs when they needed 32.  HST wise, they had 30 sets available when they needed 33.

[grahame]

I don’t think the introduction has been handled badly by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), I just think you’re going to get more issues when you’re forced to rapidly introduce new trains as opposed to the planned phased introduction.

First new train 16th October 2017 with a couple of diagrams, further diagrams every few weeks.  Firstly South Wales and Bristol turns, then some extensions to Taunton an Carmarthen.  Followed by north and south Cotswolds.   Hereford services to come, and next month there's a start made on the South West services.   Initially 5 car trains were introduced; now 9 car ones are coming on tap too.   Looks very much like a planned phased introduction to me!

HST^▸ (High Speed Train) sets started going off lease in July/August 2017 having had their lease contracts extended for as long as possible.  The lease for the Porterbrook HST’s all expired in 09/17 with the remaining HSTs gone by 01/19
The original plan was for the first IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) to be delivered by the end of 2014 with testing completed by March 2015.  The date of the first 5-car IET being accepted was scheduled for 25/05/17 with them all delivered by 08/02/18.
The acceptance of the 9-cars was scheduled to commence on the 15/02/18 with them all delivered by 06/07/18
This is what I mean by a forced introduction.  They are being forced into passenger traffic because there is no alternative, there is no HST back up. Putting them into passenger traffic then has a knock on effect when it comes to training as they don’t have any units available to train on.  This is why you’re now getting 5-car IET’s running in passenger train. 
Hitachi, at the time, didn’t their trains were ready to enter traffic.  They still wanted more time for testing.
Today, they had 29 IETs when they needed 32.  HST wise, they had 30 sets available when they needed 33.

Indeed they would have liked longer and have had some very serious shortage, testing and training issues to contend with that have changed the original timescale.  But only in the rail industry would a process that takes over a year to change trains be describes as rapid, and a process in which we've been looking ahead to next January for the last 12 months fail to b described as planned.   And without all the trains changing at the same time, I don't see how the word phased cannot be applied.

There are examples of rapid in our rail industry.  How long did the new station at Workington North take to build and open?  And how long did it take to add the temporary car park at Tiverton Parkway during the Dawlish blockade - indeed look how quickly the whole works were done at Dawlish. 

[a-driver]

I don’t think the introduction has been handled badly by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), I just think you’re going to get more issues when you’re forced to rapidly introduce new trains as opposed to the planned phased introduction.

First new train 16th October 2017 with a couple of diagrams, further diagrams every few weeks.  Firstly South Wales and Bristol turns, then some extensions to Taunton an Carmarthen.  Followed by north and south Cotswolds.   Hereford services to come, and next month there's a start made on the South West services.   Initially 5 car trains were introduced; now 9 car ones are coming on tap too.   Looks very much like a planned phased introduction to me!

HST^▸ (High Speed Train) sets started going off lease in July/August 2017 having had their lease contracts extended for as long as possible.  The lease for the Porterbrook HST’s all expired in 09/17 with the remaining HSTs gone by 01/19
The original plan was for the first IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) to be delivered by the end of 2014 with testing completed by March 2015.  The date of the first 5-car IET being accepted was scheduled for 25/05/17 with them all delivered by 08/02/18.
The acceptance of the 9-cars was scheduled to commence on the 15/02/18 with them all delivered by 06/07/18
This is what I mean by a forced introduction.  They are being forced into passenger traffic because there is no alternative, there is no HST back up. Putting them into passenger traffic then has a knock on effect when it comes to training as they don’t have any units available to train on.  This is why you’re now getting 5-car IET’s running in passenger train. 
Hitachi, at the time, didn’t their trains were ready to enter traffic.  They still wanted more time for testing.
Today, they had 29 IETs when they needed 32.  HST wise, they had 30 sets available when they needed 33.

Indeed they would have liked longer and have had some very serious shortage, testing and training issues to contend with that have changed the original timescale.  But only in the rail industry would a process that takes over a year to change trains be describes as rapid, and a process in which we've been looking ahead to next January for the last 12 months fail to b described as planned.   And without all the trains changing at the same time, I don't see how the word phased cannot be applied.

There are examples of rapid in our rail industry.  How long did the new station at Workington North take to build and open?  And how long did it take to add the temporary car park at Tiverton Parkway during the Dawlish blockade - indeed look how quickly the whole works were done at Dawlish. 

There’s a plan and to an extent it is a phased entry, but that phased entry is driven by a lack of other suitable rolling stock namely the HST.  Had every part of the project, electrification, train delivery and testing etc been on time, the phased introduction would have been based on available crew and you wouldn’t have had those situations where services were cancelled because there was a lack of a trained driver. 
The first run of a 9-car set wasn’t planned.  They were told it’s not available for use but a lack of other stock means it was forced into use.
The company is having to train, at a guess, 400-500 drivers maybe more, on the IET. It takes the best part of a month to train one driver.  That’s a huge undertaking and given the training stipulations made by Hitachi it’s been a job well done, it’s not been perfect though. 
The IET was due to enter traffic in the West Country next month, unlikely to happen as there’s still a host of operating restrictions on them which haven’t been cleared by NR^» (Network Rail - home page) which means it’s now looking like it’ll be August.  This will stretch the HSTs even further and also,  those West Country drivers already passed as competent may be required to go back to the classroom to refresh their IET knowledge.
Training a driver isn’t as simple as building a car park!

[TaplowGreen]

Two very good explanations from a-driver.

What a pity the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) hierarchy haven't seen fit to be so frank & honest with their customers. Had they done so, they may not have found themselves & their organisation treated with so much ridicule & contempt.

[WelshBluebird]

People trying to shame GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) on twitter because their train says “delayed” and turns out to be one minute late.

At least speaking from my own experience, that is usually down to the live departure boards just saying "delayed" which means that the passenger may not know it will just be 1 minute late when they tweet.

[didcotdean]

The contrast is with TfL^» (Transport for London - about) which is spending an age phasing in the Class 345, having the backstop of no real pressure regarding redeployment of the 315s that they are replacing out of Liverpool Street.

[Sixty3Closure]

People trying to shame GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) on twitter because their train says “delayed” and turns out to be one minute late.

At least speaking from my own experience, that is usually down to the live departure boards just saying "delayed" which means that the passenger may not know it will just be 1 minute late when they tweet.

Bit like when it says 'on time' and is then cancelled. I think unfortunately GWR's track record (no pun intended) means people won't give them the benefit of the doubt any more. 

[YouKnowNothing]

Is there a published programme for the stock introduction?

I don’t think the introduction has been handled badly by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), I just think you’re going to get more issues when you’re forced to rapidly introduce new trains as opposed to the planned phased introduction.

First new train 16th October 2017 with a couple of diagrams, further diagrams every few weeks.  Firstly South Wales and Bristol turns, then some extensions to Taunton an Carmarthen.  Followed by north and south Cotswolds.   Hereford services to come, and next month there's a start made on the South West services.   Initially 5 car trains were introduced; now 9 car ones are coming on tap too.   Looks very much like a planned phased introduction to me!

HST^▸ (High Speed Train) sets started going off lease in July/August 2017 having had their lease contracts extended for as long as possible.  The lease for the Porterbrook HST’s all expired in 09/17 with the remaining HSTs gone by 01/19
The original plan was for the first IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) to be delivered by the end of 2014 with testing completed by March 2015.  The date of the first 5-car IET being accepted was scheduled for 25/05/17 with them all delivered by 08/02/18.
The acceptance of the 9-cars was scheduled to commence on the 15/02/18 with them all delivered by 06/07/18
This is what I mean by a forced introduction.  They are being forced into passenger traffic because there is no alternative, there is no HST back up. Putting them into passenger traffic then has a knock on effect when it comes to training as they don’t have any units available to train on.  This is why you’re now getting 5-car IET’s running in passenger train. 
Hitachi, at the time, didn’t their trains were ready to enter traffic.  They still wanted more time for testing.
Today, they had 29 IETs when they needed 32.  HST wise, they had 30 sets available when they needed 33.

[Sixty3Closure]

Had my first journey in one and apparently it was the first run for the train itself so I'm guessing it was one of the 9 cars ones. 17.06 to Frome (or it might be Westbury seems to vary).

Sadly not a great experience as the train manager announced the doors wouldn't be opening in carriages A+B only for them not to open in C either. Mad rush to get off hindered by the refreshments trolley half way down coach C. The train crew didn't know why the doors hadn't opened and didn't seem able to over-ride it. A shame to start a maiden voyage late after the first stop.

Not quite as bad as the delay on the 12 car EMUs^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit) at Maidenhead though

Can't comment on the seats as didn't have one but i did find the vestible quite dark and cramped compared to the 125s and it was difficult to work out which coach I was in.

[TaplowGreen]

Had my first journey in one and apparently it was the first run for the train itself so I'm guessing it was one of the 9 cars ones. 17.06 to Frome (or it might be Westbury seems to vary).

Sadly not a great experience as the train manager announced the doors wouldn't be opening in carriages A+B only for them not to open in C either. Mad rush to get off hindered by the refreshments trolley half way down coach C. The train crew didn't know why the doors hadn't opened and didn't seem able to over-ride it. A shame to start a maiden voyage late after the first stop.

Not quite as bad as the delay on the 12 car EMUs^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit) at Maidenhead though

Can't comment on the seats as didn't have one but i did find the vestible quite dark and cramped compared to the 125s and it was difficult to work out which coach I was in.

Sounds like a fantastic experience! 🙈

[FarWestJohn]

Sounds like one of the better experiences of an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train).

[IndustryInsider]

It barely lost any time enroute which was good to see.

[bobm]

According to Journeycheck the 17:07 to Frome is likely to be five coaches rather than nine tonight. 

Should solve the problem with short platforms at least.

[CMRail]

First short form to Cheltenham last night, full and standing up to Gloucester in most coaches. 17:42 service.

[broadgage]

24 half length IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) today, mainly 5 car instead of 10 car, but some 5 car instead of 9 also.

Outside of these forums and the rail industry, hardly anyone believes that the new trains are an improvement.
Two neighbours have travelled on what I believe were IETs, both thought that a "local train" had been sent instead of an "intercity train" The reduced train length, the absence of a buffet, the hard seats, and no reservations, all suggested "local type of train"
One person even stated that "it will be OK when they get the new trains" and was shocked by my statement that these ARE the new trains.

There is considerable anger in the West country tourist industry that this downgrade is deterring visitors.