175s to GWR

[whole diary]

[John D]

At a Local forum this afternoon, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) were insistent that the Castles will be withdrawn on the current expected date, so it looks as though the 175s will start...

Or, as discussed, other trains will be shortformed.  There are still some trains running around as MULTIPLE units (IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train), Turbos and sprinters) - and it would be possible though unpleasant to inadequate - to provide shorter trains on some services.

If it was November or January in South West then might be acceptable.  But in May as busy tourist season starts is not a logical time to cut formations.   

Of course there is Glastonbury (25-29 June) when other services have been cut in past to provide trains.   Not that GWR keeps extra stock for its 140+ days annually of busy trains (Cheltenham festival, Henley Regatta, Cornwall summer school holidays, Bath markets, Cardiff rugby specials etc

[ray951]

Do we know whether GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) (or whoever is responsible for procuring these trains) have even signed a contract for the 175's yet?

If they haven't then I guess we can't be sure that these trains will ever arrive, especially as the Dft/Treasury/Government are looking to save money.

[ChrisB]

I was informed at this Local Panel meeting on Friday that there would be no delays in their introduction. So presumably.

[REVUpminster]

 3 two cars and one three car 002/007/009/114 now at Laira

 7 two car and 15 three car 001/003-006/010/011 & 101-113/115/116 at Ely
 008 possible also at Ely or at Alstom

 There could easily be another 7 or 8 at Laira by the end of April.

[Chris from Nailsea]

The correct name being CAF^▸ (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, Spanish train manufacturer) (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles), the Spanish train manufacturer.

Now duly added to the Coffee Shop forum's 'abbreviations & acronyms' page.

[UstiImmigrunt]

The correct name being CAF^▸ (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, Spanish train manufacturer) (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles), the Spanish train manufacturer.

Now duly added to the Coffee Shop forum's 'abbreviations & acronyms' page.

But will the railway staff version be added please?

[LiskeardRich]

Castle sets only run 2 diagrams a day at present. Shortforming elsewhere to cover 2 castle sets isn’t going to cause a massive short form problem. It’s not unusual for a pair of 150s to turn up on a castle diagram at the moment.
Cardiff to Penzance I’m led to believe are being cut back to Cardiff to Exeter and Cardiff to Weston super mare from May.

[GBM]

Might this be a forerunner of making all Cornish services start/stop at Exeter St Davids I wonder?
Hopefully not.

[grahame]

Might this be a forerunner of making all Cornish services start/stop at Exeter St Davids I wonder?
Hopefully not.

Your use of the word "all" is interesting.  Are you wondering about the Paddington to Penzance services going no further than Plymouth?   With all the depot work at Longrock I would be surprised ... though there could be a case for morning IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) to start from Penzance as they come "off shed" but then the IETs that start from London turning at Plymouth or Exeter allowing the high speed stock to be used on high speed lines ... final services of the day carrying on to Penzance and servicing at Longrock.

[REVUpminster]

Might this be a forerunner of making all Cornish services start/stop at Exeter St Davids I wonder?
Hopefully not.

The only reason I can see them doing that is to stop uncoupling 2 five car units at Plymouth which is probably the most efficient use of the stock than using a nine car from Paddington-Penzance which most passengers like.

If they do stop them at Exeter then platform 6 is going to be tied up unless they have a short turn round time.

[REVUpminster]

175001 and 175003 were dragged from Ely to Wolverton works yesterday. Presumably for modifications and painting??

The four 175s at Laira must be enough for training purposes.

[grahame]

Official - at last (just Saturday I was warned it wasn't yet signed off!!)

Dear [name]
 
We promised to keep you up to date with improvements in GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) rail services.
 
We have just issued the following media release here announcing that we will add 26 additional trains to our fleet – Class 175s – to improve performance and resilience across our network.
 
These will be used in Devon and Cornwall, and maintained at Laira Depot in Plymouth. Their introduction will also provide the trains needed for Mid-Cornwall Metro and MetroWest in the West of England, and allow us to ultimately remove our remaining Castle Class trains (our old High Speed Trains), which are our least efficient diesel trains and very expensive to continue maintaining.
 
There will need to be a period of driver and guard training and development, so their introduction will not be immediate, but this is really good news for our customers and we wanted you to know as soon as we had been given the official clearance to release the news.
 
I will of course make sure you are kept up to date on progress.
 
Best wishes
 
Tom
 
Thomas Lydon | Head of Public Affairs | Great Western Railway

[John D]

There were 27 units, I think a couple of vehicles (from different units) have had accidents so guessing one unit will be a reform and the two vehicles will be spare parts doners

[stuving]

Here's the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) press release:

10 Mar 2025
Class 175 trains to help Great Western Railway improve reliability across the network[/b]

Great Western Railway (GWR) will welcome 26 Class 175 trains to its fleet to help improve punctuality and reliability for customers, replacing older diesel trains that are more expensive and less environmentally friendly to run. 

The move marks the first stage of the train operator’s plans to rejuvenate its regional and suburban services while preparing the way for decarbonisation.

The 10 two-car trains and 16 three-car trains are expected to start to enter service in Devon and Cornwall later this year, with the entire fleet expected to be operational from the end of next year.

Able to be connected in four, five and six-car formations, the trains will operate predominantly on the line between Exeter St Davids and Penzance, as well as to Barnstaple and Okehampton.

The Class 175s will release trains to improve performance in other areas of the network.

This boost to the fleet will lead to the removal of some of its oldest and least efficient diesel trains, which have become more expensive to maintain as spare parts become more difficult to find on the open market. 

GWR Managing Director, Mark Hopwood, said: 

“The benefits of these trains will be felt by customers across the whole of the GWR network. With more trains we will have more scope to increase resilience where it is needed most, delivering the reliability our communities deserve and need.

“They are a fantastic addition to our fleet and will provide a welcome boost as we seek to rejuvenate our regional and suburban services.

“We’d like to thank our industry partners, and the Department for Transport, for helping us get to this point and we look forward to welcoming the trains into service later this year.”

Chair of the Peninsula Rail Taskforce, Councillor Andrea Davis, said:

“Rail services are a big part of our climate change and economic development offer, and we have been campaigning for extra rolling stock for some time.

“It is also great to hear that the additional trains will mean improvements to services elsewhere across the GWR network, but I am especially delighted with the news for Devon and Cornwall.”

In the run-up to service launch, GWR will undertake a comprehensive programme of training for staff, as well as preparing Laira depot, where the trains will be maintained.

[grahame]

I wonder how long they will stay ... will there be a repaint program ... how will liveries go under GBR^▸ (Great British Railways)?