Problems with IET trains from April 2021

[whole diary]

[Celestial]

All current or recently retired stock. No need to call on preserved diesels and Mk1s/2s.

Don't forget Tornado!

[a-driver]

Expect IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) availability to improve dramatically within the next few days.

[IndustryInsider]

Expect IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) availability to improve dramatically within the next few days.

Good news for everyone...except Broadgage.

[broadgage]

Expect IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) availability to improve dramatically within the next few days.

Good news for everyone...except Broadgage.

Not so, I never thought much of IETs, and recent events have confirmed my negative views. I would still prefer that they work and transport people, rather than sit idle.

I doubt that any repairs can be done by tomorrow, so presumably slightly cracked units are going to be allowed to run. Eventually though, the whole fleet will need repairs though not all at the same time.

[TonyN]

A more fanciful idea. Could redundant Class 91s + Mk4s run between London and Cardiff? LNER^» (London North Eastern Railway - about)» have taken back a couple sets from storage. By my reckoning there are still 10 or so sets warm stored.

There are also Mk4 sets and class 90s stored someware that where prepared and test run on the proposed Euston Blackpool open access service. The class 90s are DB^» (Deutsche Bahn - German State Railway - about) Schenker owend ex Scotrail sleeper.

[a-driver]

Not so, I never thought much of IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train), and recent events have confirmed my negative views. I would still prefer that they work and transport people, rather than sit idle.

I doubt that any repairs can be done by tomorrow, so presumably slightly cracked units are going to be allowed to run. Eventually though, the whole fleet will need repairs though not all at the same time.

Examined independently and deemed safe provided there’s not more than two cracks.

Two of the worst affected units have had large chunks cut out and sent to the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) Welding Institute and it's equivalent in Japan. 
There’s a suggestion that the cracking is present on DPT vehicles (non-engine fitted).  The yaw damper damage is likely to be stress related. The jacking point damage is not stress related. The true extent of the problem was hidden because the damage caused the paint to flex rather than break.

If the ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) approve then sets can be returned to traffic. They won’t be allowed to outstable as they’ll obviously need inspecting.

Personally I think GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) & Hitachi have done a fantastic job in what they’ve achieved so far to rectify the problem. Hopefully some concrete plans including timescales will soon be in place. I know a lot of GWR staff and, given the impact Covid, they know this Summer is vital for the recovery of the franchise. Let’s hope they can get some sets back safely ASAP and get people moving again. 

[trainbuff]

What are the plans for the 5 HST^▸ (High Speed Train) coaches ? make an additional 5+2 set, or perhaps add one vehicle to each castle set to make 2+4 sets into 2+5.

Unlikely to be a mixed set - can you have both slam door and electric doors in the same train?   Logic might be another 4+2 set with a spare carriage??

I presume that there is a rule against mixed slam doors and power doors within the same train, WHILST TIMES ARE NORMAL.
In the present circumstances an exception could reasonably be made.

Option one. Put the single additional slam door vehicle at one end of the train. Lock the external slam doors and put up signs that read "this door not in use"
Passengers to move along the train to use this extra seating. If any platform can only take 4 cars, make certain that the slam door vehicle is the one not platformed.

Option 1 is not allowed by the rules. End doors have to act as emergency escape. Cannot do if Locked out of use

[rower40]

The true extent of the problem was hidden because the damage caused the paint to flex rather than break.

This reminds me of the Simpsons episode where the people of Springfield rebuild Ned Flanders' house.  Rod (or was it Todd?) dislikes the Krusty the Klown poster in his bedroom, but is told he can't take it down, because it's load-bearing.

Hitachi's paint is THAT good...

[grahame]

Journey check - now reporting disruption to the end of Sunday:

Due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time at London Paddington fewer trains are able to run on all lines. Disruption is expected until 23:59 16/05.

Last Updated:13/05/2021 07:13

No surprise  - in fact it would be surprising if services were not disrupted for longer.  Sensible to have Journey Check alerting to problems for more than 24 / 36 hours as that can help people plan.

[Timmer]

A couple of services operating between Reading and Exeter today. 

[bradshaw]

Richard Clinnick reporting four Cl 800s in operation today

https://twitter.com/richard_rail/status/1392752115093757958?s=21

[bobm]

A couple of services operating between Reading and Exeter today. 

Means the return of a train service for Pewsey - albeit it somewhat limited.

[grahame]

From GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) ... I have a conference call on another matter in 3 minutes and will come back later and reformat. Some reformatting done ... follow up post coming too

For immediate release – Thursday 13 May 2021
 
Hitachi Rail and rail industry agree service recovery plan to get trains back
 
Hitachi Rail, train operators, and government have agreed, with oversight from the Office of Rail and Road, a service recovery plan to safely reintroduce more 800 Series and 385 Series trains to the network.
 
The fleet of 800 series trains was removed from service as a precaution at the weekend when cracks were found on some trains.
 
Following extensive safety checks on their trains, Transpennine Express, Hull Trains and ScotRail have been able to operate services across all of their routes since last weekend.
 
After further rigorous safety checks involving ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about)’s HM Railway Inspectorate, GWR and LNER^» (London North Eastern Railway - about) will now begin reintroducing trains with a more regular service for passengers. Trains on some routes may be less frequent than usual and train availability could vary, for a number of reasons, so passengers should continue to check with the operators before they travel.
 
Passengers are being advised to check the latest travel advice from their train operator. Eligible passengers are also being encouraged to claim refunds.
 
Service Recovery Plan
 
The service recovery plan follows joint work between Hitachi Rail, train operators and the regulator around the safe return to service of some trains. Since discovering the faults, Hitachi Rail engineers and independent experts have completed rigorous tests and research to gain a clearer understanding of the cracking issue.
 
Based on the work undertaken to understand the issue, and after extensive engagement, Hitachi Rail and train operators, working with the rail regulator, have put in place suitable criteria for the trains to meet before they can re-enter service.
 
The service recovery plan includes thorough inspections by specialist teams before trains leave the depot. Trains will only re-enter service if they meet agreed safety criteria. Working with Hitachi Rail, the rail regulator will continue to carry out rigorous oversight to ensure robust processes are being followed.
 
Over time, trains will be subject to a Forward Repair Plan, which will ensure the long-term continued safe running of the fleet.
 
Andrew Barr, Group CEO^▸ (Chief Executive Officer) of Hitachi Rail, said:
 
“Today’s agreement sets out our joint plan for the phased reintroduction of our trains into service, which will continue to deliver the highest possible safety standards. Safety remains our number one priority, and we and our partners have worked round the clock to agree an approach that allows the return of trains to service where they have been deemed safe.
 
“With our service recovery plan now underway, the operators will begin reintroduction of trains as they are individually approved and deemed safe. We would like to thank our partners for their ongoing support as we work collectively to reintroduce more trains into service.”
 
Robert Nisbet, director of nations and regions at the Rail Delivery Group, said:
 
“The safety of passengers has been the absolute focus for each of the organisations involved in making decisions about these trains over recent days. After some incredibly hard and detailed work, Hitachi’s engineers have worked with train operators and the rail regulator to safely bring some trains back into service. Over the coming days we will be able to get passengers on the affected routes moving again, but for now passengers should continue to check before they travel.”
 
HM Chief Inspector of Railways at the Office of Rail and Road, Ian Prosser CBE said:
 
“We’ve engaged with Hitachi and the train companies to oversee their development of a safe and suitable plan.
 
 “We’re also continuing to provide the rigorous oversight needed to make sure the right checks are being carried out so that the trains are able to re-enter passenger service safely.”
 
Mark Hopwood, GWR Managing Director, said:
 
“Our customers have shown great patience over the past couple of days, and I am grateful for their understanding as we have worked with Hitachi to allow trains to return safely. This news will allow us to run some additional services today and reintroduce more consistent robust timetables for customers after the weekend.
 
 “The industry has come together to help support those travelling – with other operators allowing each other’s tickets to be used on their networks; adding in extra shuttle services to help move people; and in sharing rolling stock to provide it to those who need it most.”
 
David Horne, LNER Managing Director, said:
 
“I am pleased we have been able to work as an industry to agree a service recovery plan with Hitachi and industry partners that will allow trains to return safely to our route. We are continuing to work together to begin the return of Azuma^▸ (Brand name for Class 80x trains on LNER) trains into service from next week. Customers should continue to check before they travel with LNER and I apologise for the disruption caused.”

[grahame]

Covering letter, from the update press release posted an hour ago.

The press release covered the whole class 80x fleet (and 385s) in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) - this is somewhat more specific on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) issues. Having been told "go ahead under the following conditions", though, GWR are now working through the 'details' of that and we're best to wait a little longer to see how it translates into what trains are going to be running and from when.

Dear Graham,
 
The Rail Delivery Group and Hitachi Rail have just issued this statement (also copied below previous post) confirming that all investigations on their UK Class 800 (IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train)) fleet  are complete, and that a significant number of Intercity Express Trains can be safely put back into passenger service. 
 
We are now working on what this will mean for GWR timetables for the rest of this week and going forward. Advice for today remains not to travel on our long distance routes. I will update you again when we have the details on that.   I thought it important however to share the good news about trains coming back into service as soon as it was released.
 
Finally, can I say a personal thank you for all the messages of support and goodwill, particularly those that recognised the hard work of our staff.  We have had tremendous support from other rail operators, from Network Rail and from the Department for Transport, and despite operating with less than a handful of long distance trains, between us, we have managed to keep a limited service going.    We are all very glad though that we can now start to bring IETs back into service. 
 
Mark

[grahame]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) in the last few minutes

Trains taken out of service after cracks were found are to be reintroduced following "rigorous safety checks", the Rail Delivery Group says.

Some of the Hitachi Class 800 trains have cracks on the lifting plate, but as this is used for maintenance and not passenger journeys, regulators have agreed they are safe to return.

There has been disruption for passengers since Saturday

The rail minister warned travellers to expect disruption for "some time".

The Rail Delivery Group said Great Western Railway and London North Eastern Railway (LNER^» (London North Eastern Railway - about)) will ramp up services.

Travellers are being advised to continue to check with their operator before they travel.

[snip]

Great Western Railway is still advising customers not to travel, saying disruption is "likely to continue for some time".

"We have had to cancel many of our long-distance services and expect disruption to journeys to continue for the next few days," it said on Thursday.