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Ok, understood. However, I would suggest that 'over-capacity' is a better term to describe such a suituation rather than 'non-functional' - have any of the ecocidal advocates of the proposed second M4 around Newport ever used the latter to describe the current M4 through south-east Wales...

Not sure I would call them outdated but I agree that the class 158s do often fall short of the ideal as far as air conditioning is concerned. It is a massive shame that there isn't anything which can provide a good service year-round on the Cambrian - the 158s are not up to the job on hot days...

While the new proposal sounds like it could be cheaper, but it isn't clear what the relative benefits could be. Presumably there still won't be wig-wag lights for the open crossings and, if there will be, why will the trains be limited to just 5mph? I expect you would need automatic signalling...

The TfW 158s are certainly 'non-standard' nationally, as they are the only ones with ETCS fitted. Might that be a bigger issue for other TOCs than the different engines? Also, I'm pretty sure I've read somewhere that First Great Western (or possibly Wessex Trains before them) had a preference...

The status of this registration now seems to have changed to 'Withdrawn'. The 'effective date' of 1st April doesn't seem to tie up with the expected contract renewal dates either (which, for the T11, is not until November) although according to that the T5 contract was up at the end of Jan. and...

Is YJ14 CCV still the only VDL SB200 with an MCV Evolution body?

Aren't the 230s (D-Trains) around 55 metres long and 756/0 (the 3-car FLIRT units) 65 metres; in which case both are shorter than a 3-car Cavity (71.4m) and probably closer to the 2-car Cavity (48.05m) than the 3-car ones? Seasonally and off-peak yes, an appropriately designed 2-car unit would...

I don't think you can read that much into it. Presumably the change from Fainsa Comrail ('ironing boards') to Fainsa Sophia was a contract variation (I seem to recall a quote along the lines of variation orders "turning a net loss into a gross profit"). Had the Sophias been specified initially...

I understood that all the new-build TfW/KeolisAmey fleets were owned by special purpose ventures (companies that own to isolate any losses from impacting other parts of a larger business - maybe a bit like a reverse form of cross-subsidy between loss-making and profitable bus/rail services). If...

Would a transfer of 175s to GWR require additional funding if it means the remaining Castle HSTs go off-lease? Or perhaps it will be part of the budget? On a different note - did the refresh/relivery* work TfW had done on the 175s at Widnes include a full external repaint (and, if so, is the...

A Metro is a very different kettle of fish to a rural branch line - anything ordered to work both is bound to be an inappropriate product for one or the other. Assuming 'Devon Metro' is an Exmouth-Paington all stations stopper then my feeling is that something like the class 166/165 units (but...

Longer platforms, additional depot space and, most of all, upgraded ERTMS would still come in useful some day when the 158s are eventually replaced by something. If I recall correctly, the leasing (and possibly running) costs of a 158 in ATW days were considerably lower than a 2-car 175, so the...

The KeolisAmey franchise plan was a simpler, reliable and consistent service. Consistently outer-suburban that is, outside the valleys Metro, even on 5hr journeys to the likes of Pwllheli. Almost everything would have been a 197; or a 170/230 on specific routes - away from the south-east Metro...

Don't Angel also own the 175s though - so presumably they would be even happier to get the 175s on-lease than they would be to shift the 158s from TfW to GWR? The whole system is pretty daft (although I think I heard/read somewhere that John Major's preferance was a return to somethine like the...

True, 158s can get pretty much insufferable on a hot summer's day (though I don't seem to see the same complaints regarding SWT (and possibly EMT) units - so did Stagecoach fix the aircon on their examples?). However, the class 800s etc. (and everything else with Fainsa or other new seating...

The 175s seemed to do just fine under Arriva Trains Wales at a time when virtually everything outstationed at Carmarthen overnight was a 175. In my view Cardiff-Portsmouth needs to be predominately run using 5-car fixed-formations of either 158s or 175s. By 'fixed formations' I mean keeping...

I don't think that has ever been officially answered - was it a cost-saving measure or are ETCS-fitted units somehow inferior if you don't have to have it? If I recall correctly they were originally expected to all be delivered with ETCS/ERTMS but that later changed for some reason (or perhaps...

If I understand correctly from what I've read on this thread, class 197/0 (ie. 2-car sets) are cleared to run in pairs (to make up a 4-car train) but the 3-car sets (197/1) are only allowed to be used in multiple on certain route sections (and Shrewsbury-Manchester isn't one of them).

I was a little surprised to read this, given that the class 756s have been out on the GWML I assumed TfW would have been able to start driver (and guard) training on the 756s on the GWML between Newport. Having just gone looking for the relevant pinned threads however I see that this route is...

If the 158s go off-lease without more 197s being introduced first it won't only short forms but also cancelations since none of the 197s currently in use can run on the Cambrian at the moment as far as I know. Even if/when the ETCS-fitted 197s are delivered they are, at best, a 1-for-1...