First Great Western announces extra capacity across network

[whole diary]

[IndustryInsider]

The only Maidenhead trains it is helping, I think, are the stoppers.. I am very disappointed with this.. 

No 10 the 17:18 is disappointing, I used this last Friday it was crushed with lots getting out at Maidenhead only to be replaced by loads getting on, (a couple of Muppet's with a full frame bikes did not help) 

Surely the 17:18 has to be the worst crush loaded train.

Agreed that the 17:18 remaining a 3-car is disappointing, though I don't think that is the full list of strengthened trains, just what is being done to those that (probably inaccurately) were surveyed as the 10 busiest in the most recent list.

For example, of Maidenhead's three up HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s this morning 06:43, 07:08 and 08:00, two of those were operated by 2+7 sets, which are all going to become 2+8 sets giving an extra 80 or so seats each.

[johoare]

OK so it seems that the info I posted is just "phase 1" of strengthenging.. So maybe I missed that important point..Not sure where I missed it though? Anyway...

And good news re the HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train).. as long as Maidenhead is allowed to keep them after the olympics (!).. Mind you the 8am varies between 8 and 7 coaches.. And when it is 7 coaches we never can quite tell whether the driver is going to stop at the 7 or 8 car stop each morning... It makes it SO much more fun for us first class customers though.. (not) 

[JayMac]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) News:

First Great Western buffet cars made seating carriages

Disused buffet cars are being stripped and turned into seating carriages by rail operator First Great Western (FGW^▸ (First Great Western)) to try to curb overcrowding.

The rail firm is refurbishing 15 buffet cars and 33 former high speed carriages which will add one extra carriage to the London rush hour services.

Passenger group Railfuture has praised the move but said it is a "stopgap measure" and more capacity is needed.

FGW said it had taken positive action to increase seating capacity.

Managing director, Mark Hopwood, said: "We've found some buffet cars which haven't been in use for a while. We've sent those up to a railway works in Scotland.

"They're being stripped, completely refurbished and rebuilt from scratch inside with 84 seats."

'Complete scramble'

Work to refurbish the 48 additional carriages started last month and should be rolled out across the network by September.

Commuter, Matthew Critchley who travels from Kemble in Gloucestershire to London, said: "From London, it's a complete scramble to get on the train in time to get a seat and often you have to stand until Reading or Didcot Parkway.

"I think people who have season tickets ought to have guaranteed seats, they ought to have more carriages and trains for the price we pay."

Bruce Williamson, from the transport pressure group Railfuture, said: "The problem is you can't just go to a train dealer and buy one off the shelf, these things take an awful lot of time.

"We're suffering from a lack of long-term investment.

"What people don't understand is that rail operators don't own the trains, they lease them and the operators are micro-managed by the Department of Transport.

"Every little helps. These interesting, imaginative ideas have got to be welcomed but we need to recognise these are stopgap measures."

Price paid for a season ticket vs getting a seat argument again. I have some sympathy with the commuters but on price grounds they are already getting heavily discounted travel.

[ellendune]

There is a strong argument that since they pay so little for their journey they should have less right to a seat than full fare paying passengers.

[paul7575]

Haven't the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) got the numbers a bit confused here?

Yes, the original announcement was for 48 'carriages', but only 15 were HST^▸ (High Speed Train) buffet to trailer conversions, the other 33 are just the various extra 150s and the five 180s?

Paul

[John R]

Managing director, Mark Hopwood, said: "We've found some buffet cars which haven't been in use for a while. We've sent those up to a railway works in Scotland.

Oh, those wouldn't be the same buffet cars that we sent off lease at the start of the franchise would they, so that we could cut our sets down to 7 coaches? And then had to convert ordinary coaches to buffets because it wasn't practical to have trolleys. Silly me, I quite forgot to mention that. 

[paul7575]

Well yes, but as Mr Hartley once explained, 

"The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there."

Paul

[broadgage]

There is a strong argument that since they pay so little for their journey they should have less right to a seat than full fare paying passengers.

Agree, A season ticket holder recently expected me to give up my seat for them, on the grounds that they paid many thousands a year for the ticket.
I declined, on the grounds that I had paid twice as much per mile for a first open ticket, and also arrived first.
It was most entertaining when tickets were checked and they had only a steerage season !

[IndustryInsider]

Video article including an interview with Mark Hopwood and scenes of the buffet cars being converted with the cutters torch cutting out the smaller windows to full size - worth a look.

http://www.itv.com/wales/new-carriages-to-tackle-overcrowding84620/

It also appears from the final scene that there's 10 tables in the new carriage!

[paul7575]

ITV's caption get's it almost as wrong as the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)'s attempt:

"Fifty carriages including disused catering waggons are being turned into commuter carriages that will be used to lengthen the busiest trains..."

Fifty/Fifteen confusion?

Paul

[Btline]

Wow - tables that line up with the window.

Also, if 300 people are standing and there will be 80 more seats...

Anyway - it's good news!

[IndustryInsider]

Wow - tables that line up with the window.

Actually, looking at the clip again, I'm pretty sure the final shot is of a Class 180 carriage interior, which certainly looks like it's getting more of a refit than I expected, but is retaining the same table/seating layout.

[pbc2520]

Wow - tables that line up with the window.

Actually, looking at the clip again, I'm pretty sure the final shot is of a Class 180 carriage interior, which certainly looks like it's getting more of a refit than I expected, but is retaining the same table/seating layout.

Looking through the back of the carriage is the front-end of a 180 so it seems likely, assuming that the stock is all kept together for refurbishment.

Table alignment may be nice but look a little below... POWER SOCKETS!  pbc2520 *is* excited!  (As much as one can be about such things...)

[Btline]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) HST^▸ (High Speed Train) power sockets are unusable for many chargers, unlike Chiltern's, who rotated the socket 90 deg.

[bobm]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) HST^▸ (High Speed Train) power sockets are unusable for many chargers, unlike Chiltern's, who rotated the socket 90 deg.

Take a two or three way square adapter with you - the socket on the top or side then works for most chargers.