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

[whole diary]

[grahame]

BobM almost certainly chose the word "hope" for IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) on the Bedwyns from May to echo informed sources. The camera changes (if that's an apt description) are not a project that was planned for years and has gone through industry scheduling boards and risk assessments on the schedules but a "oops - we need to do this ...".  From what I gather, May is realistic.   

And, yes, it would be helpful to have three or four more turbos in the Bristol area to cut down on the cutting down of train lengths. A very big thing was made of the imperative of having electrification to Newbury completed by January last (50 days of closures at Pewsey, 50 days of services slashed and replaced by buses that couldn't connect during the day on the TransWilts) so that the turbos heading out along the B&H^▸ (Berks and Hants - railway line from Reading to Taunton via Westbury) could come west - and look what happened - the services that were due to switch from 16x to 387 did, but the services due to switch from 16x to 80x didn't.

I'm noting comment that class 43 power car transfers to Scotland are complete, and they're now starting to be sent to store.  Which - if comment confirmed - should mean that short forms are going to be down to acceptable levels on intercity (HS^▸ (High Speed (short for HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) High Speed Services))) services. The "sorry - had to go - contract ended and needed elsewhere" reason is no longer the case.

Also wondering the effect of 5 x 153 headed for Trafnidiaeth Cymru Trenau and what (if anything) is added to and available for customer service operation at Exeter.

[IndustryInsider]

Today is the first time I’ve seen the list of 80x units on a ‘diesel only’ restriction read ‘Nil’.  Further evidence that they are settling down into service.

[Adrian]

And, yes, it would be helpful to have three or four more turbos in the Bristol area to cut down on the cutting down of train lengths.

Couldn't agree more.  Is there any truth in the rumour that they may be hanging on to a few turbos in LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) to cover for 387s going in for modifications for HEX duties?

[REVUpminster]

Finally travelled on an 802 Saturday 16 March. First was the 0750 Plymouth- Paddington and the 1803 Paddington-Penzance. My journey being Newton Abbott- Paddington-Newton Abbot.

Purchased tickets the previous Monday unable to get seat reservations. Tried again Wednesday and got reservations only for the 1803.

Arrived Newton Abbott with half hour to spare. Indicator showed train on time. that first class was in coach 1,2, 9,10 and catering was only in the front unit. This was the cue to get a takeaway tea and coffee in the platform café at Newton Abbot expecting everybody to make for the front unit of the train.

Looking at open train times the train was approaching Totnes 5 minutes ahead of schedule. The platform indicator shortly showed the train was between Totnes and Newton abbot. The train came in, two 5 car 802 units, on time and sure enough the second unit was the wrong way round so that first class was at each end of the train. To me this seemed a good arrangement whether it is the norm or not. There were no reservations and the wife and I got a table seat.
The second unit was well loaded from Newton Abbott and Exeter.

The seats were harder than a HST^▸ (High Speed Train) but alright; the aisle handrail on the seat seemed very low. The luggage rack and space under the seats was good. The coat hook on the bulkhead was good but looked a bit flimsy. Double sockets under the seat. WiFi did not seem to be working. The standard toilet layout seemed logical but the wife had difficulty sliding it open but the locking system was easy and looked robust.

It was noticeable the train was too long for the platforms at Westbury and Castle Cary and the signage was telling passengers to move forward to coach A to get off supplemented by the train manager announcements.

At Westbury someone operated the emergency alarm and announcements came over to the train manager to attend (automated?). Other announcements came over for the driver to contact IC^▸ (Inter City) and then for the train manager to do the same. The train manager did make an announcement to the passengers. On open trains the signal was put back to red. after 10 minute or so the signal cleared again and we moved off.

Either at Westbury or Castle Cary the catering had moved to our unit but as the train was crowded would be remaining in coach B and no hot drinks as the boiler was not working. arrived at Paddington 10 minutes late partly due to waiting for a platform.

Return journey to follow on a 9car 802.

[REVUpminster]

Return on 1803 9car 802.
Arrived at Paddington half hour early and from open trains found the train IC92 was on platform 4. We got on to the train and sat in our reserved seats in coach c. The reservation system was not on and I assumed this was because I was too early until someone (train manager??) came through placing the old style paper reservations on to the seats. 10 minutes before the train was due to depart a cleaner did a litter pick. My drop down table was grubby but no time to clean them.

The take up of the reserved seats was very low probably because the passengers had taken seats nearer the rear of the train. This always happened in the HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s where passenger took unreserved seats near the buffet. When the train left the coach only had up to 20 people.

It is noticeable the train is quicker and we arrived at Reading 5 minutes early. Left on time arrived Taunton 5 minutes early. left on time.  Did not notice the changeover from electric to diesel after all it is still electric motors.

Coach C has two toilets at one end and one was locked out of use and the other was a mirror image so the water was on the right, soap in the middle, and dryer to left so after using the toilet earlier in the day this was slightly off-putting.

The catering trolly arrived between Reading and Taunton one and half hours into the journey, no sandwiches but it did have hot drinks. One of the reasons the tables get grubby is because you have no where to put a used teabag; before you could put them in the brown paper bag the buffet gave out. Litter bins do not seem so obvious on these trains.  The trolly dolly will probably find skeletons in coach A by the time she gets there. These long distance trains do need a buffet and I see the Azuma^▸ (Brand name for Class 80x trains on LNER)'s will have one.

In this coach I saw the windowless seats opposite the luggage rack. They should be replaced with more luggage racks.

The train left every station on time because it was arriving 3-5 minutes early so you can see the scope for accelerating the service. Overall they are not a bad train in their 9 car formation but 2 5 cars linked are not satisfactory at all.

[Red Squirrel]

My daughter and I caught a 2x5 car formation back from London to Temple Meads at 18.30 on Saturday.

For the first time in my experience, the reservation system was working!

We duly took up our seats - airline-style, facing backwards, the seat type I would be least likely to sit in given a free choice. I can't see how these seats differ from the table seats I've had on all previous 80x journeys, but I found them exquisitely uncomfortable - not just the complete lack of padding which has been commented on elsewhere, but also the angle of the seat which may suit someone with a Victorian military bearing but left me nursing a bad back. By way of a contrast, the 2+3 seats on the train back to Montpelier felt like first-class luxury.

[Lee]

Hull Trains 802/3s being readied for November start - https://www.railmagazine.com/news/network/hull-trains-802/3s-being-readied-for-november-start

[SandTEngineer]

I hadn't seen this which popped up elsewhere today: https://www.gwr.com/~/media/gwr/pdfs/seating-plans/intercity-express-train-5-carriage-seating-plan.pdf?la=en

[Red Squirrel]

Did not notice the changeover from electric to diesel after all it is still electric motors...

Must depend on where you sit - a couple of times now I've been very aware when the diesels have shut down, firstly because they seem to have some kind of death spasm and secondly, the vibration - to which all of us who regularly travel in IC^▸ (Inter City)-powered vehicles inure ourselves - stops. Sigh. Bliss.

[IndustryInsider]

I hadn't seen this which popped up elsewhere today: https://www.gwr.com/~/media/gwr/pdfs/seating-plans/intercity-express-train-5-carriage-seating-plan.pdf?la=en

Worth noting that all of the bike and luggage compartments can be used for either bikes or luggage, so in effect there are double the number of spaces that can be used for bikes at the discretion of the TM^‡(resolve).

[Richard Fairhurst]

That's a difficult one from the passenger POV though - GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have been pushing the message "bikes must be booked", and the systems will only allow two bikes per train. So you'd have to be very brave to turn up without a reservation on the off-chance that the TM^‡(resolve) will go against the published policy.

I wouldn't have ever thought I'd endorse CrossCountry's policy on bike spaces, but it would be a better precedent for GWR to follow:

• two bookable spaces
• additional unbookable, first come, first served space

That would be fairly simple: two bookable bikes in one compartment, then the other compartment is a free-for-all in which bikes can count as "luggage" just as anything else does.

Until the happy day that they rip out the kitchens from the 5-cars, replace them with bike/luggage space, and put 9-cars on all the Penzance services <g,d&r>

[IndustryInsider]

Some routes such as short hops on the Cotswold Line regularly have people turning up without reservations, so the extra unreservable spaces come in handy for that sort of thing.

[REVUpminster]

They certainly need a buffet on the 9 car 802's If the Azumas^▸ (Brand name for Class 80x trains on LNER) can have one then Hitachi can retro fit one.

One of the last HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s to go is IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) is IC91 1733 Paddington - Paignton - Newton Abbot-empty Plymouth-Laira.

It is overtaken by IC92 at Exeter and IC91 becomes the local stopping service to Paignton then back to Newton Abbot with usually only the first coach being used.

When it goes IET I wonder if it will be a 5 car 802 although it might be crowded to Reading and Newbury or will it run only to Exeter and the delayed Devon Metro 150'2 do the local service.

[TRAINMAN57]

They certainly need a buffet on the 9 car 802's If the Azumas^▸ (Brand name for Class 80x trains on LNER) can have one then Hitachi can retro fit one.

One of the last HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s to go is IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) is IC91 1733 Paddington - Paignton - Newton Abbot-empty Plymouth-Laira.

It is overtaken by IC92 at Exeter and IC91 becomes the local stopping service to Paignton then back to Newton Abbot with usually only the first coach being used.

When it goes IET I wonder if it will be a 5 car 802 although it might be crowded to Reading and Newbury or will it run only to Exeter and the delayed Devon Metro 150'2 do the local service.

The 17.33 to pgn is now a 9 car 802 from last monday.

[broadgage]

They certainly need a buffet on the 9 car 802's If the Azumas^▸ (Brand name for Class 80x trains on LNER) can have one then Hitachi can retro fit one.

One of the last HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s to go is IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) is IC91 1733 Paddington - Paignton - Newton Abbot-empty Plymouth-Laira.

It is overtaken by IC92 at Exeter and IC91 becomes the local stopping service to Paignton then back to Newton Abbot with usually only the first coach being used.

When it goes IET I wonder if it will be a 5 car 802 although it might be crowded to Reading and Newbury or will it run only to Exeter and the delayed Devon Metro 150'2 do the local service.

The ability to add a buffet is an "essential requirement" of the IET fleet. I cant however see the present management of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) having buffets fitted.
They have been trying to do get rid of them for years, and the down grade from proper intercity trains to regional DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) was the perfect opportunity. They have invested a lot of effort into trying to persuade us that no one wants a buffet, and retrofitting a buffet would be an admission of defeat/admission that they were wrong.
I consider it possible that we MIGHT get a buffet in the future, but only under a different TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company), or with some fairly drastic changes to the present management structure.