West needs better deal on transport, says MP (Exeter Express & Echo 26/08/11)

[whole diary]

[Tim]

Personally I had enough of the financial disaster and shortcomings that are the hallmark of our privatised railway and so have many other people.

Devon and Cornwall's tragedy is that a real difference could be made to passengers and the economy by some improvemenst that in the great scheme of things would be small scale.  A few lengthened platforms and HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) and a dozen extra units would make a huge difference.  We can afford to spend Billions on something like Crossrail but when it comes to relatively small amounts of money, we are told that schemes are unaffordable. 

A sensible government would go for the easy wins first and adding a handful of new units to Devon and Cornwall (and for places like Melksham) would transform services for a signifiant number of people for money that in the great scheme of things is peanuts   

[Rhydgaled]

Regarding the Intercity 225s, yes it would be pretty daft and almost unworkable to drag one with the 91 still on. However, I think swapping the locomotive for a diesel would be a very good idea. Of course there never was a suitable diesel locomotive, I think only the class 43 power cars ever had a suitable TDM system. The obvious solution is to create a new batch of class 57s, fitted with TDM, or fit existing 57s with TDM. Swapping a locomotive will probablly take about 8-9mins, too long in most cases but shouldn't be an issue at places like Swansea where there is a 7min dwell time for Intercity services anyway.

As for Intercity 225s not being released from their ECML^▸ (East Coast Main Line) duties, it seems daft to me to pay for guage clearance for IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) on such a wide range of routes. If the IEP carriges were confined primarilly to the ECML and Padington to Oxford/Bristol/Cardiff instead of being cleared for Penzance, Hereford and Carmarthen (Pembroke Dock isn't confirmed) then IEP could completly replace East Coast's fleet, releasing the 225s and hence providing a means of continued Pembroke Dock trains.

[Maxwell P]

Let's hope that a revamp of services doesn't cut down the number of trains retained from scrapping to a bare minimum, but rather uses the opportunity to add more seats in total.

I share this hope. 

It would be an ideal opportunity to add an extra carriage to the retained HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) too.  That ought to be a no-brainer cost-wise.  The capital costs ought to be merely equal to the cost of defering cashing in on the scrap value of the coach for a few years and the running cost ought to be extra fuel and maintence only (no more operation staff would be needed) which on a growing railway where overcrowding contrains further growth should be more than offset by extra fare revenue.

BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) would have done the calculation like that and concluded it could lengthen the trains without huge extra costs, but you just know that under our present system the only way the HSTs would be lengthened would be at huge cost to the tax-payer 

Great idea in theory, particularly if sets are used as EXPRESS trains.  However, 8 coaches is already a PIA when there are no platform staff at smaller stations.  9+2 further complicates the issue, particularly when SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) is used, although we do already run the occasional 9 coach train.

[FlyingDutchman]

I can't wait to get rid of these 143 units we have on the exmouth line.

[noddingdonkey]

We'll have the 143 on the exmouth branch for several years to come - better learn to love them!

[gaf71]

We'll have the 143 on the exmouth branch for several years to come - better learn to love them!

Not too sure about that, I think if the agreed amount of 150's eventually arrive at EX TMD^▸ (Traction Maintenance Depot), replacing the outgoing 142's, you may see the 143's return to their 'home' depot at SPM^▸ (St Philip's Marsh (Bristol depot)).

[devon_metro]

I would have thought that demand for the 143s around Bristol was limited since as I understand it FGW^▸ (First Great Western) want to run 150s on the Severn Beach line.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Agreed: the preferred stock for the Severn Beach Line is 150s - 143s just can't cope.

[JayMac]

And yet I prefer the 143s on the SVB line. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

I, too, have a certain fondness for the 143s ... 

Last train out of BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) last Thursday night was the 23:06 to Exeter - a well-packed 143. We departed on time, but then we went rather slow until reaching a complete stop somewhere short of Bedminster. After some delay, after announcing that we were 'waiting for a signal to clear', the embarrassed guard then announced that the signaller had apparently sent us down the wrong track, so we would have to reverse and start all over again. 

Fair play to the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) guard for dealing with such an 'off the script' situation with good humour - I even resisted the temptation to suggest to him that he could have used the standing time to carry out a full ticket check. 

[JayMac]

Did you go through the old carriage wash line between Temple Meads and Bedminster? I've not coloured that one in yet on my rail atlas. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Hmm. It was pitch black outside the train, so I couldn't be sure - but my personal suspicion was that that was exactly where Control had sent us ... 

[Henry]

 In my opinion Morris is saying nothing different than Lib-Dem Younger-Ross was 10 years ago.

 I cannot see much change in the next 10 years either, no criticism on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) part, considering most
 of the time they are 'farting against a thunderstorm'.

[gaf71]

Did you go through the old carriage wash line between Temple Meads and Bedminster? I've not coloured that one in yet on my rail atlas. 

That was where it went!

[RichardB]

We'll have the 143 on the exmouth branch for several years to come - better learn to love them!

Not too sure about that, I think if the agreed amount of 150's eventually arrive at EX TMD^▸ (Traction Maintenance Depot), replacing the outgoing 142's, you may see the 143's return to their 'home' depot at SPM^▸ (St Philip's Marsh (Bristol depot)).

Exeter Depot do a great job with the 142/3s and I too think we'll have 143s on Devon local services for a few more years yet.