Service 1A09

[whole diary]

[TonyK]

very good.  Your suggestion of leaving the dead train in the siding assumes that there is a siding and the path to go and collect the train again. 

Then leave it on the platform at Temple Meads. The Manchester XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) and Waterloo SW trains, amongst others, stay put for the time it takes an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) to get to Weston and back. If it is a staffing issue, that would be better than running the show with the back half of the pantomime horse fast asleep - potentially bad PR^▸ (Public Relations) as Timmer said. 

[trainer]

I've held back from commenting on this before, but I wondered from the beginning how all the 'guff' about increased capacity would actually work out when commuters from Yatton, Nailsea and Backwell and other stations between WSM and BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) who had the 'luxury' of some 8 coach HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) supplementing the 2/3 coach locals at peak times found them reduced in capacity to 5 coaches.  I am sure others are right in saying that the media will have a field day if/when they realise that one of the excuses for fare rises is daily being flouted and possibly even planned for a reduction. They will probably not be interested as to whether it is the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) or GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) who are to blame: it's 'the railways'.

[TonyK]

I've held back from commenting on this before, but I wondered from the beginning how all the 'guff' about increased capacity would actually work out when commuters from Yatton, Nailsea and Backwell and other stations between WSM and BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) who had the 'luxury' of some 8 coach HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) supplementing the 2/3 coach locals at peak times found them reduced in capacity to 5 coaches.  I am sure others are right in saying that the media will have a field day if/when they realise that one of the excuses for fare rises is daily being flouted and possibly even planned for a reduction. They will probably not be interested as to whether it is the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) or GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) who are to blame: it's 'the railways'.

Very true - although I seldom boarded an 8 car HST at Weston to find it full.

When all the gloss has been taken away and the flim-flam forgotten, we will find that we asked for one thing, were told we were getting another, and ended up with some rather different. You're right - it's "the railways", and everybody had better get busy blaming everybody else.

[devonexpress]

If anything blame the unions, trying to look as if they are doing something as all the members pay to be part, in truth all they have done is made everything more difficult for GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) and made a solution to the overcrowding problem, an issue again! I imagine once the 9 car IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan))'s come into service this will soon be sorted, but its just annoying for everyone right now.

[ellendune]

If anything blame the unions, trying to look as if they are doing something as all the members pay to be part, in truth all they have done is made everything more difficult for GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) and made a solution to the overcrowding problem, an issue again! I imagine once the 9 car IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan))'s come into service this will soon be sorted, but its just annoying for everyone right now.

And your justification for that statement?

[eXPassenger]

I have seen a comment in the diagrams thread of UK^▸ (United Kingdom) Railways that the issue relates to failures in the uncoupling of units.

The diagram for trains running West of Bristol is that they run 2x5 between Paddington and Bristol where they split and a single 5 coach unit runs on to Weston or Taunton.  On the return this links at Bristol to form a 2x5 to Paddington.

Since the automated uncoupling is not working correctly they are being run as 2x5 with a locked out set until Hitachi produce a working system.

[SandTEngineer]

I have seen a comment in the diagrams thread of UK^▸ (United Kingdom) Railways that the issue relates to failures in the uncoupling of units.

The diagram for trains running West of Bristol is that they run 2x5 between Paddington and Bristol where they split and a single 5 coach unit runs on to Weston or Taunton.  On the return this links at Bristol to form a 2x5 to Paddington.

Since the automated uncoupling is not working correctly they are being run as 2x5 with a locked out set until Hitachi produce a working system.

Well coupling up seems OK: https://youtu.be/fiitEoXTrbE

[eXPassenger]

The relevant discussion is towards the bottom of this page:

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/gwr-intercity-express-train-iep-initial-diagrams-allocations.153431/page-20

I cannot comment on the accuracy or otherwise of the statements, but we know there were reported coupling problems on the first day.

Presumably these teething problems will be quickly sorted.

[devonexpress]

If anything blame the unions, trying to look as if they are doing something as all the members pay to be part, in truth all they have done is made everything more difficult for GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) and made a solution to the overcrowding problem, an issue again! I imagine once the 9 car IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan))'s come into service this will soon be sorted, but its just annoying for everyone right now.

And your justification for that statement?

Why is it that some people seem to be overly in love with unions and what they do, sorry but what I said is my own personal opinion and the truth.