Abellio Greater Anglia Class 755s (Regional Trains)

[dk1]

Are they planning a new 1930 service to London then?

Not by the looks of it. That and the 20:30 are withdrawn. Back to the hourly service after 19:00 like it was back in the 2000s.

 

[Railperf]

Not by the looks of it. That and the 20:30 are withdrawn. Back to the hourly service after 19:00 like it was back in the 2000s.

A 22:00 would have reached Norwich around 23:45 only 15 min after the Sheringham arrival. Is there really no demand for people leaving London late the chance to get to Norwich? Bristol - similar distance from London - has a last train from London departing Paddington at 23:30! I'm surprised the last local trains leave Norwich around 23:00. Is there no demand for later services?

 

[dk1]

A 22:00 would have reached Norwich around 23:45 only 15 min after the Sheringham arrival. Is there really no demand for people leaving London late the chance to get to Norwich? Bristol - similar distance from London - has a last train from London departing Paddington at 23:30! I'm surprised the last local trains leave Norwich around 23:00. Is there no demand for later services?

There is a 22:30 & 23:30 to Norwich from Liverpool St.

No there is no real demand to speak of. When you consider crewing costs etc. They'd probably only attract the wrong element.

This has cropped up many times over the years particularly Fridays & Saturdays but there has been no appetite from the operators to run late night trains and staff have never wanted to work such services.

We do however run additional trains up to midnight to Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Ipswich, Ely & Sheringham when concerts are held at Carrow Road.

 

[Railperf]

There is a 22:30 & 23:30 to Norwich from Liverpool St.

No there is no real demand to speak of. When you consider crewing costs etc. They'd probably only attract the wrong element.

This has cropped up many times over the years particularly Fridays & Saturdays but there has been no appetite from the operators to run late night trains and staff have never wanted to work such services.

We do however run additional trains up to midnight to Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Ipswich, Ely & Sheringham when concerts are held at Carrow Road.

Ahh, yes the 22.30 and 23.30. somehow didn't show up in my RTT search.

EDIT: From a reliability point of view the fleet really seems to have bedded in now. I've been checking the allocations this week, and there seems to be a very consistent service being delivered with hardly any cancellations due to unit availability. I noted yesterday that 755 403 was running on only 3 egines out of four on a Norwich Stansted diagram. Given that the timings are quite slack and can be kept by a 755/3, it was another example of the luxury GA seem to have with the quality and quantity of units they have. At least two 745/0's sitting at Crown point in the sidings and a 'spare' 745/1 at Victoria sidings.
Comparing the last days of the older fleet / late 2019/ early 2020 with how the service is today, you cannot argue against the fact that this is probably the best fleet replacement program in the country. The quality f interior materials is also to be praised. It is now 4 years since their introduction and where other similarly aged fleets are aleady looking quite tired, the interiors of these trains still looks clean and new!

Getting back to 755403 on 3 engines, there's been a lot written about the GWR bi-mode fleet running around with engines isolated etc. How is the 755 fleet faring? Are there many 755/3's running around on a single engine or 755/4's running around onless than 3 or fewer engjnes? Are there any units running restrictd to diesel or electric only?
Be interested to know if there has been a passenger uplift since the new trains wre introduced. I was on the 1258 Ipswich to Peterboro and return operated by a 3-car. The train was well used and quite full, particularly the return. Is there a case for going hourly on this route yet? The Norwich to Stansted services also seemed quite well patronised. Is there a case for going half hourly. I'm guessing the busiest stations are Stansted, Cambridge Ely and Norwich, but I do wonder if the intermediate stations would be busier if the service was more frequent?

It seems to do so would require more platforms at Ely. Ely in particular would be a perfect interchange point if trains could be timed to connect there with the right infrastructure. At the moment the Peterboro to Ipswich ends up a few nminutes behind a Norwich to Stansted - missing a connection there. The fact that Peterbro to ELy is 2 hourly makes planning a decent connection difficult, but the station and track layout is not suited to it. The trans are great, but the infrastructure is now the limiting factor from a service point of view.

 

[dk1]

Ipswich to Peterborough would be hourly but Network Rail will not allow it yet sighting level crossing safety issues with increased trains all day everyday and of course the bottleneck that can be Ely North Junction.

Earlier last year we had several 755/4s running around on 3 legs but this has improved greatly since the Deutz engine renewal programme at Clacton. The 755/3s are not permitted to run around on 1 engine so would be removed from service at the earliest opportunity.

Passenger numbers on GA regional routes have exceeded those in 2019 for a couple of years now.

 

[Railperf]

Ipswich to Peterborough would be hourly but Network Rail will not allow it yet sighting level crossing safety issues with increased trains all day everyday and of course the bottleneck that can be Ely North Junction.

I Nnoted how many level crossings the trains still have to slow down for - Croxton and leaving Atlleborough / Wymondham. And Gypsy Lane - this is a disgrace that these issues haven't been sorted in years. Also seemed to slow for some crossings on Ely to Peterborough.

 

[dk1]

I Nnoted how many level crossings the trains still have to slow down for - Croxton and leaving Atlleborough / Wymondham. And Gypsy Lane - this is a disgrace that these issues haven't been sorted in years. Also seemed to slow for some crossings on Ely to Peterborough.

Croxton is being converted to MCBOD as part of the Cambridge-Bury resignalling plus so should go back to 90mph & Gypsy Lane just gets more & more complex. I would’ve thought miniature R/G would suffice now it’s only a foot crossing. There will be no changes to Attleborough or Wymondham (down direction) as that was as it was planned to be when done in 2012 due to Spronces/Browick Road AHBs respectively.

 

[Adrian1980uk]

Ipswich to Peterborough would be hourly but Network Rail will not allow it yet sighting level crossing safety issues with increased trains all day everyday and of course the bottleneck that can be Ely North Junction.

Earlier last year we had several 755/4s running around on 3 legs but this has improved greatly since the Deutz engine renewal programme at Clacton. The 755/3s are not permitted to run around on 1 engine so would be removed from service at the earliest opportunity.

Passenger numbers on GA regional routes have exceeded those in 2019 for a couple of years now.

As a whole this year I wouldn't be surprised if GA show approximately 2019 passenger numbers or pretty close to, particularly as Stansted express are back to 4 trains an hour and although being half term, full and standing coming back to Norwich from London, even normal times peaks are practically full. Regional have exceeded 2019 as well.

I wonder how long NR can hold the position of not allowing hourly Ipswich to Peterborough. Hopefully Ely area improvements will happen soon as half hourly Norwich Cambridge will also become needed as the cities expand

 

[Railperf]

Earlier last year we had several 755/4s running around on 3 legs but this has improved greatly since the Deutz engine renewal programme at Clacton. The 755/3s are not permitted to run around on 1 engine so would be removed from service at the earliest opportunity.

Has Class 755 performance on electric been detuned lately, or is it likely drivers are bored with the warp factor 7 acceleration that they seemed to have at the beginning? Or worse still an instruction to drive them a bit more slowly!

 

[dk1]

Has Class 755 performance on electric been detuned lately, or is it likely drivers are bored with the warp factor 7 acceleration that they seemed to have at the beginning? Or worse still an instruction to drive them a bit more slowly!

No nothing has changed but we don’t all thrash them especially if there’s a catering trolley onboard.

 

[Class 170101]

Ipswich to Peterborough would be hourly but Network Rail will not allow it yet sighting level crossing safety issues with increased trains all day everyday and of course the bottleneck that can be Ely North Junction.

Except they seem quite happy to add more freight to the mix.

I wonder how long NR can hold the position of not allowing hourly Ipswich to Peterborough. Hopefully Ely area improvements will happen soon as half hourly Norwich Cambridge will also become needed as the cities expand

Depends how many freights they keep accepting and whether thew government wants the extra services to Peterborough (or indeed anywhere else).

 

[Haywain]

Depends how many freights they keep accepting and whether thew government wants the extra services to Peterborough (or indeed anywhere else).

The simple answer there is that passenger services require subsidy and freight services don't, so it's clear what the government will want.

 

[Class 170101]

The simple answer there is that passenger services require subsidy and freight services don't, so it's clear what the government will want.

Some of the freight receives subsidy too. Modal Shift Grant or something like that?

 

[Adrian1980uk]

The simple answer there is that passenger services require subsidy and freight services don't, so it's clear what the government will want.

Not strictly true for GA as they're receiving the same subsidised track access charges as FOCs but other than that they're paying a few million £ a year into the treasury

 

[Railperf]

No nothing has changed but we don’t all thrash them especially if there’s a catering trolley onboard.

Do they run trolleys on the 755 regionals? I thought only 745's had a trolley service. Judging by the 745 i was on last week starting at Norwich, there were quite a few people queuing for refreshments from the bar before the train had even set off for London.

 

[dk1]

Do they run trolleys on the 755 regionals? I thought only 745's had a trolley service. Judging by the 745 i was on last week starting at Norwich, there were quite a few people queuing for refreshments from the bar before the train had even set off for London.

Yes it moves between units at Colchester normally. Some do Ipswich too but that's not official. On triple traction one unit will usually not be served.

 

[Railperf]

Would I be right in thinking the majority of delays are caused by congestion at Ipswich / Norwich where the track layouts really need improving to allow more movements in and out of those stations?

 

[dk1]

Would I be right in thinking the majority of delays are caused by congestion at Ipswich / Norwich where the track layouts really need improving to allow more movements in and out of those stations?

I dont really see much delays except signalling faults or freight congestion. D line Trowse to Norwich is out of action and has been for a couple of weeks.

 

[Railperf]

Croxton is being converted to MCBOD as part of the Cambridge-Bury resignalling plus so should go back to 90mph & Gypsy Lane just gets more & more complex. I would’ve thought miniature R/G would suffice now it’s only a foot crossing. There will be no changes to Attleborough or Wymondham (down direction) as that was as it was planned to be when done in 2012 due to Spronces/Browick Road AHBs respectively.

Still not clear what the northbound restrictions leaving Attleborough and Wymondham are for. Certainly no path or foot crossings on the exits unless I am going blind.

 

[trebor79]

Still not clear what the northbound restrictions leaving Attleborough and Wymondham are for. Certainly no path or foot crossings on the exits unless I am going blind.

Attleborough there's a road crossing not far north of the station, the signal that you can see from the northbound platform seems to be held at danger (or perhaps yellow, can't recall) until the train has almost drawn up to it for stopping services. Non stop trains go straight through at line speed.
I guess it's to avoid the crossing being closed for an unacceptably long time whilst a stopper stops, dwell time etc.

 

[dk1]

Still not clear what the northbound restrictions leaving Attleborough and Wymondham are for. Certainly no path or foot crossings on the exits unless I am going blind.

It's for timings on the AHBs upon leaving both stations. Was similar for stopping trains before resignalling at these too.

 

[Railperf]

It's for timings on the AHBs upon leaving both stations. Was similar for stopping trains before resignalling at these too.

Wouldn't a TRTS button on the platform be better?

 

[dk1]

Wouldn't a TRTS button on the platform be better?

No because there could always be a delay in departure causing the half barriers to be across the road for to long. Also getting agreement for traincrew to operate such equipment and take on the extra responsibility would be very difficult to bring in. You might mean a plunger as TRTS only lets signallers know trains are ready to depart, it does not start the AHBs operation.

Various ideas were put forward at resignalling and only this operation was workable.

 

[Railperf]

Yes, some sort of pluger would be seem to have been a good idea, but then it does raise other issues as you say. Maybe it needed a dfferent type of crossing - similar to Church Lane Kelvedon. Stoppers alays approach on a red but it does clear during the dwell to green? Having sampled the EMR 'fast' services, it seems there are lots of crossings that are slowed down for between NRW and ELY. It's a shame as the route is pretty straight and doesn't seem to be any reason it can't be 90mph throughout. Same with Ely to Peterboro. Getting back aboard an EMR 158 after being in a 755 is a stark contrast in quality. The 158's are dirty, slow, cramped, noisy, lots of vibration. Not an advert for enjoyable rail travel. In fact the 755's are a more comfy train than the 720's being used on the Cambridge to Liverpool St route.

 

[dk1]

Yes, some sort of pluger would be seem to have been a good idea, but then it does raise other issues as you say. Maybe it needed a dfferent type of crossing - similar to Church Lane Kelvedon. Stoppers alays approach on a red but it does clear during the dwell to green?

Church Street Kelvedon & Palgrave Diss are both much further away so wouldn’t work at Spronces Attleborough or Browick Road Wymondham. All 4 work on the same fast/stopping train principal. Only hope is conversion to CCTV/MCBOD but nothing is on the cards in the medium to long term.

I did however hear yesterday that Gypsy Lane may close this year.

 

[Railperf]

I did however hear yesterday that Gypsy Lane may close this year.

How long have they been saying that?
Network Rail's own webpage still says late 2022 early 2023 lol.

 

[bspahh]

How long have they been saying that?
Network Rail's own webpage still says late 2022 early 2023 lol.

This is from January 25th:
https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/asset-library/SLAF-Agenda-and-Papers-25-January-2024.pdf says:

Further to the update provided in October of last year, the project has unfortunately been delayed further due to the effects of Storm Babet. The exceptional rainfall and severe flooding that occurred between 18 – 20 October resulted in the landowner’s private access bridge being damaged beyond repair. This bridge was to serve as the access for NR’s contractors and the plant needed to undertake the works to the culvert. The landowner and NR are in discussions regarding the bridge replacement, but it is clear this set back will impact the timeline for the completion of the works and the associated permanent closure of the Gipsy Lane crossing. The county council continues to await NR’s comments on SCC’s formal response to the draft funding agreement that was previously circulated and has not been provided with an update on the bridge replacement investigations and how this may impact the delivery of the project. Since October 2023 the landowner has been severely impacted by the effects of flooding and has been reporting all flood incidents to the Floods Management team, which are being investigated in line with operational priorities and service standards. It has also recently been identified that Ravens Bridge, adjacent to Ravens Farm, has been damaged by the high flood waters and its safety is currently being monitored.

 

[dk1]

How long have they been saying that?
Network Rail's own webpage still says late 2022 early 2023 lol.

So complicated.

 

[Railperf]

So complicated.

Network Rail warned about fatal Needham Market crossing, says report

A report says more could have been done to prevent the death of a woman who died when crossing a Suffolk railway line.

www.google.com

They've neen arguing and procrastinating about this for over 13 years - at least two lives have been lost, Network Rail fined £4 million for one of those deaths. Plus NR are paying TOC's for loss of time due to the TSR. It's scandalous! Oh well we get more time to enjoy the views of the Gipping Valley in those comfy 745 and 755's.

 

[RailWonderer]

Is there any plan to have more GE diagrams Stadler operated? There is this one, which is booked 8 car but these will be fun tonight.

Realtime Trains | 1932 Norwich to London Liverpool Street | 01/03/2024

Real-time train running information for 1932 departure from Norwich to London Liverpool Street on 01/03/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

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Realtime Trains | 2200 London Liverpool Street to Ipswich | 01/03/2024

Real-time train running information for 2200 departure from London Liverpool Street to Ipswich on 01/03/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk