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

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

UK^▸ (United Kingdom) Class 395, Japanese E257, Japanese N700 Shinkansen, TEMU 1000 in Taiwan, Korail NEC^» (National Exhibition Centre - about) in Korea... and many more types.

All Hitachi trains. All work.

Then there are countless products in consumer electronics, power tools, heavy plant, data systems, automotive and aeronautical parts and tooling...

Again, all Hitachi. All work.

One Hitachi rail product, heavily specified by HMG, is having (and overcoming) teething troubles and that is excuse enough to dismiss an entire global conglomerate?

Here's hoping HMG can get on with being a functioning government again once the Brexit brouhaha is done with, sit down with Hitachi and get the Wylfa project back on track. We certainly need the MWe of nuclear to keep the lights on in the not too distant future.

[broadgage]

Indeed, there is more to Hitachi than IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) and a nuclear power plant at Wylfa.
However two failures tend to be much better remembered than a dozen successes.

[Dispatch Box]

Improvement in seat comfort ? Who's he kidding ?

Can anyone remember the original seats fitted to the HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'S seem to remember they were orangy brown, and the smoking compartments had ashtrays in the ends of the arms.

[IndustryInsider]

Indeed, there is more to Hitachi than IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) and a nuclear power plant at Wylfa.
However two failures tend to be much better remembered than a dozen successes.

I'm still interested to hear who has suggested that the power plant should not be built because of problems with IETs?

[broadgage]

Two local political figures whom I met at a social event are very critical of the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train), in particular the absence of buffets and the number of short formations.

These politicians are not in my view well informed on railway matters, they simply observe that the new trains are "often shorter than the old ones" and "never have a buffet" and often "not even a trolley"
Both have experienced repeated standing room only trips on the new shorter trains.
Both have had many letters from local voters demanding action about the trains.

So far as I know, neither of these politicians have any direct influence regarding the proposed nuclear power plant. However both expressed the view that the new trains are a failure and that if "Hitachi cant run full length trains, who wants to trust them with a nuke"

[IndustryInsider]

Oh, I see - sorry I assumed it was somebody officially going on record rather than anecdotes from a chat.  Their 'quote' appears to have changed from "Hitachi can't even build a train that works..." to "Hitachi can't run full length trains..." - did they say both, neither, or are you just paraphrasing them?

[didcotdean]

Improvement in seat comfort ? Who's he kidding ?

Can anyone remember the original seats fitted to the HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'S seem to remember they were orangy brown, and the smoking compartments had ashtrays in the ends of the arms.

Yes. Orange first class, a lightish blue in what was still second class, which stained badly (officially I think these were tangerine and teal). A highly uncomfortable seat arising mainly from the fixed hard armrests.

[broadgage]

Oh, I see - sorry I assumed it was somebody officially going on record rather than anecdotes from a chat.  Their 'quote' appears to have changed from "Hitachi can't even build a train that works..." to "Hitachi can't run full length trains..." - did they say both, neither, or are you just paraphrasing them?

Numerous remarks were made, all critical of short formations, cancellations, no reservations, not enough toilets, and no buffet.
these remarks included;

"trains that don't work"
"half length trains"
"new shorter trains"
And many other slightly differing ways of expressing dissatisfaction about the new Hitachi trains, and consequent doubts about the wisdom of purchasing nuclear reactors from the same vendor.

[IndustryInsider]

Let’s hope they can use whatever influence they have as ‘political figures’ to put pressure on Hitachi/GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to reduce short formations (which have greatly reduced anyway thankfully).  It’s also been months since I observed a 10-car with half locked out of use.

The reservation system and toilet availability is improving quickly in my observations, though still some way to go.  Overall reliability also seems to be improving, significant niggles still remain, especially concerning coupling.  Trolley availability is also improving - can’t remember the last trip I did without the advertised catering.

I didn’t realise the new trains didn’t have a buffet. 

[didcotdean]

Report on my last IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) journey a couple of days ago:

Seat availability: ✔  although this particular service formally was generally either a 2 or 3 carriage 165, so plenty on a 9 carriage IET.
Reservations: ❌ none displayed (electronic or paper). No real issue, considering the above, but ought to be better by now.
Stains / cleanliness: ✔ no issues observed in immediate area
Punctuality: ✔ arrived 2 minutes early for start of journey, 1 minute early at destination
Trolley: ✔ passed by 2 minutes after sitting down
Toilet: - (not tested!)

[Reginald25]

Bit of a general mix here. Today I travelled to Paddington from Swindon (actually started at MKM^» (Melksham (Station code) - next trains)) and back. First time I've been on an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) to London from SWI^» (Swindon - next trains) since electrification has been extended there. A number of issues interested me, as a general traveller rather than an expert railway observer

• Surprised at the number of trains which had their panto-graphs down when presumably there was power available?
  
• Surprised that, on returning in the afternoon, the train had no reservations in place,  said to be the result of late arrival of the stock. How long does it take to download the reservation data to the electronic displays?
  
• For some time (I think years) the automated gate-lines at SWI refuse to accept off-peak tickets until very close to the first off-peak train at 9:12. The operator always lets such ticket holders through, but that defeats the object of an automated gate.
  
• The lack of corridor connection throughout a 10 car train has many disadvantages (and probably many operational advantages as well). But it results in either the Standard class or the First class seats (or both) being being split into two sections. Do you wait at the front or the rear?
  

Having listed a few negatives, I would commend the friendly train manager, especially his announcements - friendly, not overplayed, informative - especially when an automated system gave completely the wrong information.

[stuving]

• Surprised at the number of trains which had their panto-graphs down when presumably there was power available?

I was surprised too, last week when I went to Reading. Both inward and outward, two of the three IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) I could see well enough to say were dieselling. But I understood that Stoke Gifford depot now has 25kV on its OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE"), and the lack of this for sign-off tests had been the main reason for IETs not running in electric mode.

[SandTEngineer]

According to reports elsewhere there have been a number of pantograph 'interface' issues resulting in the trains being restricted to diesel mode only.  Oh well at least Grayling can claim to have kept the train service going......

[IndustryInsider]

The list of diesel only restricted units has been pretty short recently, usually numbering somewhere between five and ten (from a current fleet total of seventy odd).  I would suggest those observations were not typical of the actual percentage of trains running on diesel.

[broadgage]

According to various reports, the proposed/promised/planned new Hitachi nuclear power station at Wylfa is likely to be cancelled due to concerns about escalating costs and growing delays.

Whilst this appears of little relevance to the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) problems, it has been suggested that if "Hitachi cant even build a train that works, whom would trust them with a nuke ?"

Is the Hitachi brand becoming toxic?

Work on the new nuclear power plant has now stopped.
Details from news media of your choice.
Some reports refer to "work being suspended" whilst others call it "cancellation"