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

[whole diary]

[CMRail]

With the short forms still happening, 13 months after the introduction of the new trains and with the twitter help actually admitting that the shorts are due to staff training, do we know if there is an end in sight for the training?

Does anyone have an up to date timeline/programme for the IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) programme showing the introduction of new trains, when the staff training will finish, infrastructure upgrades etc...

You should see 800001 and 800002 on the network next week freeing up some more duties and by January shortforms should be at 1 or 2 a day due to stock shortage. All five car 802s are now in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) however they are only slowly putting them onto lines and through Swindon there should be no HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) by march excluding substitution and empty stock. HSTs will solely be diagramed onto B and H.

This time next month, excluding substitution and STP (Short Term Plan Diagrams) all services to and from Cheltenham should be Intercity Express operated, and the line will he the first to see full IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) introduction.

From January there should only be 5 HST Diagrams to Wales and Bristol (possibly 4) and slowly going by March. No HSTs planned for Cotswolds for after January.

Thanks to the new timetable  now being postponed to December 3000, there will be more available units than required between February and December meaning that to see a short form it would be very rare. q

That answers the carriage introduction but what about the training that is also sapping available stock?

There will (eventually) be enough to balance out training and general operation together.

[IndustryInsider]

Staff memo from Mark Hopwood, posted here as he seems unwilling to keep his passengers informed:

"Getting our new Class 800 and 802 Intercity Express trains into service has been far from plain sailing.  I recognise that there are still daily challenges when working with the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) which are impacting customer experiences.  We're focused on resolving these problems and are working hard with Hitachi to solve them one by one.

I'm pleased to say that improvements to the on-board experience are coming very soon.  New labels for quiet carriages and bike storage have been agreed and will be fitted retrosepctively to our IET fleet, making it clearer where they should travel and helping colleagues give accurate information.

Opearational issues are also being addressed - we've now accepted more than half of the sets we've ordered, driver availability is improving as our driver training programme progresses, and problems with train formations will get better as our train plan settles."

Make of it what you will.

[SandTEngineer]

We're focused on resolving these problems and are working hard with Hitachi to solve them one by one.

That should take a few years then, according to accounts of the considerable number of defects being found, lists of which being posted elsewhere....

[CMRail]

Well done Mark - he’s been working hard ordering labels.

Now where’s this improved trolley and catering? That’s what I call improved on board experiance..

[YouKnowNothing]

Staff memo from Mark Hopwood, posted here as he seems unwilling to keep his passengers informed:

"Getting our new Class 800 and 802 Intercity Express trains into service has been far from plain sailing.  I recognise that there are still daily challenges when working with the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) which are impacting customer experiences.  We're focused on resolving these problems and are working hard with Hitachi to solve them one by one.

I'm pleased to say that improvements to the on-board experience are coming very soon.  New labels for quiet carriages and bike storage have been agreed and will be fitted retrosepctively to our IET fleet, making it clearer where they should travel and helping colleagues give accurate information.

Opearational issues are also being addressed - we've now accepted more than half of the sets we've ordered, driver availability is improving as our driver training programme progresses, and problems with train formations will get better as our train plan settles."

Make of it what you will.

Why won’t any of the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) management make a public statement? Political pressure? Contractual pressure? I have read that all public statements requires the approval of all parties in the Rail Delivery Group but surely a public acceptance of issues PAX face is a better strategy?

[phile]

Staff memo from Mark Hopwood, posted here as he seems unwilling to keep his passengers informed:

"Getting our new Class 800 and 802 Intercity Express trains into service has been far from plain sailing.  I recognise that there are still daily challenges when working with the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) which are impacting customer experiences.  We're focused on resolving these problems and are working hard with Hitachi to solve them one by one.

I'm pleased to say that improvements to the on-board experience are coming very soon.  New labels for quiet carriages and bike storage have been agreed and will be fitted retrosepctively to our IET fleet, making it clearer where they should travel and helping colleagues give accurate information.

Opearational issues are also being addressed - we've now accepted more than half of the sets we've ordered, driver availability is improving as our driver training programme progresses, and problems with train formations will get better as our train plan settles."

Make of it what you will.

Why won’t any of the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) management make a public statement? Political pressure? Contractual pressure? I have read that all public statements requires the approval of all parties in the Rail Delivery Group but surely a public acceptance of issues PAX face is a better strategy?

We've been waiting for over a year now for the GWR hierarchy to tell us why there have been traincrew shortages at weekends (thankfully seems to have been resolve recently) and more trains than usual undergoing maintenance so don't hold your breath.

[1st fan]

We're focused on resolving these problems and are working hard with Hitachi to solve them one by one.

That should take a few years then, according to accounts of the considerable number of defects being found, lists of which being posted elsewhere....

You mean apart from the seats*? The fabric if you can call it that on the seats of the 9 car in 1st is really nasty. It feels like an industrial e cloth or industrial velcro and a downgrade from even the the 5 car ones let alone the HST^▸ (High Speed Train)? The seat reservations are not working on my current service and I haven't seen the nibbles trolley or the customer host yet in over an hour of travel. Train is rammed apparently and people are standing throughout standard.

Edit: Have now now reached Paddington and there has been no signs of the customer host or a trolley in 1st. Not sure why the journey today is scheduled to be almost half an hour longer than the journey on Friday night on the HST.

*Maybe GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) could make money selling inflatable cushions from the trolley. 

[Timmer]

Staff memo from Mark Hopwood, posted here as he seems unwilling to keep his passengers informed:

"Getting our new Class 800 and 802 Intercity Express trains into service has been far from plain sailing.  I recognise that there are still daily challenges when working with the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) which are impacting customer experiences.  We're focused on resolving these problems and are working hard with Hitachi to solve them one by one.

I'm pleased to say that improvements to the on-board experience are coming very soon.  New labels for quiet carriages and bike storage have been agreed and will be fitted retrosepctively to our IET fleet, making it clearer where they should travel and helping colleagues give accurate information.

Opearational issues are also being addressed - we've now accepted more than half of the sets we've ordered, driver availability is improving as our driver training programme progresses, and problems with train formations will get better as our train plan settles."

Make of it what you will.

Many thanks for posting this II but you shouldn’t have had to, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) should be addressing this to their customers and not just to their staff. Why they can’t do this is beyond me, they might even get a bit more respect.

[IndustryInsider]

Well done Mark - he’s been working hard ordering labels.

I think that sums up one of the frustrations of being a franchisee in the set-up of the modern railway.  It can take considerable time and effort, and in this case consulation with Hitachi, to do simple things like slapping a sticker somewhere on 'your' train.

[broadgage]

Well done Mark - he’s been working hard ordering labels.

I think that sums up one of the frustrations of being a franchisee in the set-up of the modern railway.  It can take considerable time and effort, and in this case consulation with Hitachi, to do simple things like slapping a sticker somewhere on 'your' train.

I think that it sums up, firstly the incompetence of signing a contract that does not permit of the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) carrying out trivial alterations like putting up notices.
And secondly, the incompetence of not ensuring that adequate signage was installed before entry into service.

I it takes well over a year to put up a few notices, then how many more years will it take to fit padded seats?

[Bmblbzzz]

I rather hope they don't fit padded seats. I find the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) seats very comfortable. Supportive, not squishy, plenty wide enough. Some of the best train seats I've sat on, for comfort. But they are filthy already – I don't know if that's down to the colour or fabric, maybe both, but it also applies to the carpets.

[IndustryInsider]

I rather hope they don't fit padded seats. I find the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) seats very comfortable. Supportive, not squishy, plenty wide enough. Some of the best train seats I've sat on, for comfort. But they are filthy already – I don't know if that's down to the colour or fabric, maybe both, but it also applies to the carpets.

Seat covers on the newly accepted trains are now of a much darker colour and have a pattern which also improves the interior look and feel.  Carpets will all need replacing shortly.  Whoever was in charge of those two decisions really should know better, especially given the seat covers are a similar shade to those installed on a HST^▸ (High Speed Train) and Turbo, well before the first IET was fitted out and which soon became badly stained as well.

I concur with the comfort of the seats, every time I use one it becomes more comfortable.  The table seats seem much less cramped than on HSTs as well - not sure if anyone has done the measurements to compare?

[Robin Summerhill]

I rather hope they don't fit padded seats. I find the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) seats very comfortable. Supportive, not squishy, plenty wide enough. Some of the best train seats I've sat on, for comfort.

I shall put this as delicately as possible...

You must be carrying a lot more "personal padding" around than I am...

On a trip from Chippenham to Paddington I find myself uncomfortable and fidgeting well before we get to Didcot. In my view the description "ironing boards" is well-deserved.

[TaplowGreen]

I rather hope they don't fit padded seats. I find the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) seats very comfortable. Supportive, not squishy, plenty wide enough. Some of the best train seats I've sat on, for comfort.

I shall put this as delicately as possible...

You must be carrying a lot more "personal padding" around than I am...

On a trip from Chippenham to Paddington I find myself uncomfortable and fidgeting well before we get to Didcot. In my view the description "ironing boards" is well-deserved.

The idea is to remind you, before you get too comfortable, that travelling with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) is a pain in the arse.

[TonyK]

Staff memo from Mark Hopwood, posted here as he seems unwilling to keep his passengers informed:

"Getting our new Class 800 and 802 Intercity Express trains into service has been far from plain sailing.  I recognise that there are still daily challenges when working with the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) which are impacting customer experiences.  We're focused on resolving these problems and are working hard with Hitachi to solve them one by one.

I'm pleased to say that improvements to the on-board experience are coming very soon.  New labels for quiet carriages and bike storage have been agreed and will be fitted retrosepctively to our IET fleet, making it clearer where they should travel and helping colleagues give accurate information.

Opearational issues are also being addressed - we've now accepted more than half of the sets we've ordered, driver availability is improving as our driver training programme progresses, and problems with train formations will get better as our train plan settles."

Make of it what you will.

Well done Mark - he’s been working hard ordering labels.

It does sound a little like the captain of the Titanic telling the crew, but not the passengers, that he recognises that there has been a problem with more water than usual on the lower decks, and that the grand piano won't be available for tonight's cocktails because it slid over the blunt end an hour ago, complete with pianist still playing "Nearer my God to Thee", but things will soon get better with the new labels for the deck chairs that he has just ordered.