Class 387 to Cardiff

[whole diary]

[lbraine]

Onboard train maps (above doors) now show Class 387’s limited services to Cardiff and Bristol.

[grahame]

Onboard train maps (above doors) now show Class 387’s limited services to Cardiff and Bristol.

I find myself gazing into a crystal ball and seeing a high frequency (every 20 minutes?) electric service from Paddington to Cardiff Central operated Driver Only by 8 (or perhaps 4) car 387 electric units with ongoing connections to Swansea and beyond operated by Transport for Wales. Released IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) then migrating to take over remaining Castle diagrams and perhaps starting to appear on Cross Country services.

[bobm]

Are you suggesting no through GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) trains from London to Swansea?   Be interesting given the recent introduction of more through services to Carmarthen from Paddington.

[grahame]

Are you suggesting no through GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) trains from London to Swansea?   Be interesting given the recent introduction of more through services to Carmarthen from Paddington.

My crystal ball is a bit foggy on that, but I think I saw something like that.  It might have been just that IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) out from Maliphant spend their day in England and return home at night, so there could still be morning peak through services from Swansea to London and back from London to Swansea in the evening.  So that's 1L01 up to 1L10 still running, and 1B28 to 1B38

[CyclingSid]

The ever helpful Reading Buses have train departures on buses heading towards the station. On Saturday morning I noticed one destined for Pemboke Dock, not noticed before. How many of these runa a day?

[infoman]

If I am flexible with my departure times from Bristol Parkway to London,I avoid the trains starting from Cardiff and defo Bristol Parkway.

No first class
no reservations and
no catering 

Think on these things if you join at Swindon,Didcot or Reading

[grahame]

The ever helpful Reading Buses have train departures on buses heading towards the station. On Saturday morning I noticed one destined for Pemboke Dock, not noticed before. How many of these runa a day?

Pembroke Dock is back on Summer Saturdays when there are no rail strikes for the first time since covid.    Let's say it runs 10 times a year, which makes it 0.027 services on an average day.

[broadgage]

Was not the original plan that almost all long distance services would be operated by IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) ?
As electrification spread, IETs to be converted into electric trains by removing all but one engine.

Yet now the policy seems to be to use 387s on electrified routes.

387s dont even claim to be inter city trains, with no first class, catering, or reservations. The wretched IETs are at least claimed to be inter city trains, if not very good ones.

[Mark A]

On the one hand, this (unhelpfully and totally irrelevantly) puts me in mind of the last years of the GCR^» (Gloucester - next trains), trains only as far as Nottingham, mostly 4 carriage DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) and one seven carriage for good measure.

On the other, I've not travelled very much on the 387s but changing on to one for the first time from an IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) at Reading, despite the 1/3 - 2/3 doors, when it set off we remarked to each other that the impression was of a step-up in comfort and 'Traininess' compared to the train we'd just left. But then, some of the IEPs are pretty rough riding - not sure if it varies by set or by where one's sitting, or both. If it's the former, perhaps we could have forum advice on 'Where best to sit in an IEP'.

Mark

[GBM]

Onboard train maps (above doors) now show Class 387’s limited services to Cardiff and Bristol.

I find myself gazing into a crystal ball and seeing a high frequency (every 20 minutes?) electric service from Paddington to Cardiff Central operated Driver Only by 8 (or perhaps 4) car 387 electric units with ongoing connections to Swansea and beyond operated by Transport for Wales. Released IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) then migrating to take over remaining Castle diagrams and perhaps starting to appear on Cross Country services.

NOT driver only.
Safety first please - complete with train manager and catering (such as it is).

[TaplowGreen]

Given that (AIUI^▸ (as I understand it)) the sawnoff HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) last day of service is 10 September, presumably the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) & 387 fleet will be spread even more thinly with commuter trains no doubt appearing more regularly on long distance routes?

[IndustryInsider]

AIUI^▸ (as I understand it) a small number of Castles are now staying into next year, but your point is correct, yes.

[bobm]

Onboard train maps (above doors) now show Class 387’s limited services to Cardiff and Bristol.

Indeed



A contrast from their launch in 2016

[TaplowGreen]

Bodes well for major sporting events in Cardiff.

[Ralph Ayres]

387s dont even claim to be inter city trains, with no first class, catering, or reservations. The wretched IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) are at least claimed to be inter city trains, if not very good ones.

I'm increasingly finding that I prefer what you might regard as local trains for longer journeys, rather than the purpose-built long distance trains.  Most can now top 100mph and have air-con, the seats are often comfier and the windows bigger.  First Class on all but a few routes is a disappointment for the price anyway and catering is dying out.  I'd much prefer not to have to get my refreshments before I get on the train, but at least the choice is often now far better than it was.  A reservation is no use unless you want to be tied to a specific train (I'd rather trains were long enough not to have absolutely every seat full), and could anyway be offered without too much effort on the 387s if GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) wanted to, ditto catering.