Class 484 replacing class 483 on the island line: progress updates

[pompeyfan]

Is there no capacity to run three trains on the network, even if it means only shuttling back and fro beween a couple of stations, or running a few minutes behind a timetabled train?

you either run every 20 minutes or every 30 minutes.

 

[Goldfish62]

RTT this morning shows the first down train reaching Shanklin 10 late, and the return working leaving 10 late and reaching St John's 25 late, where it possibly terminated.

Realtime Trains - 2U06 0615 Shanklin to Ryde St Johns Road

Realtime Trains is an independent source of live realtime running information for the Great British railway network.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Not an encouraging start it would appear!

Reportedly signalling problems.

 

[BayPaul]

Is there no capacity to run three trains on the network, even if it means only shuttling back and fro beween a couple of stations, or running a few minutes behind a timetabled train?

If the other path is needed for training, then presumably the staff are also needed for training and fault-free running

 

[swt_passenger]

Is there no capacity to run three trains on the network, even if it means only shuttling back and fro beween a couple of stations, or running a few minutes behind a timetabled train?

IIRC from the infrastructure thread the existing setup already theoretically allowed for a regular 3 tph at 20 min interval. But although they never attempted 3 tph normally, it’s why the 2 train timetable was 20/40 min interval. Whether a 3 tph was robust enough with usual delays is another question.

 

[Elshad]

Noticed from 0:20 in this video that Celia Drummond's voice is used for the announcements, presumably recorded before she passed away earlier this year. One of the best railway voices IMHO.

 

[Goldfish62]

Noticed from 0:20 in this video that Celia Drummond's voice is used for the announcements, presumably recorded before she passed away earlier this year. One of the best railway voices IMHO.

Oh look, it fits through the tunnel.

 

[ABB125]

Oh look, it fits through the tunnel.

Are you sure? How do you know that the video isn't fake...?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Surprised they haven't taken the opportunity to get rid of the jointed rail.

 

[swt_passenger]

Surprised they haven't taken the opportunity to get rid of the jointed rail.

Yeah, they should have taken one of those long welded rail delivery trains over to the island, that would have sorted it…

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yeah, they should have taken one of those long welded rail delivery trains over to the island, that would have sorted it…

It is possible to weld in place, is it not?

 

[swt_passenger]

It is possible to weld in place, is it not?

Is it worth the bother for a low speed line though. They’ve supposedly improved the quality of the ballast, that’s probably adequate.

 

[Bob Price]

I do feel as if they should have broken out into applause as they pulled away.

 

[Chris125]

IIRC from the infrastructure thread the existing setup already theoretically allowed for a regular 3 tph at 20 min interval. But although they never attempted 3 tph normally, it’s why the 2 train timetable was 20/40 min interval. Whether a 3 tph was robust enough with usual delays is another question.

It's usually said that the 483s proved incapable of running it reliably

Surprised they haven't taken the opportunity to get rid of the jointed rail.

That would surely require total track renewal, and the shingle ballast would have to go - the guy who came down and inspected the track posts on RMWeb, IIRC his opinion was that jointed track was more maintainable on a line like this.

 

[JonathanH]

484001 and 484004 in use today - 1345 from Ryde Pier Head just left fifteen minutes late.

 

[spark001uk]

Looking at RTT times so far today, they seem to be slowly but surely losing time, and it appears to be mostly down to dwell time? Issue with the unit(s)?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Looking at RTT times so far today, they seem to be slowly but surely losing time, and it appears to be mostly down to dwell time? Issue with the unit(s)?

Dwell time has been a killer on the Marston Vale as the door operation is very, very slow.

 

[fgwrich]

Noticed from 0:20 in this video that Celia Drummond's voice is used for the announcements, presumably recorded before she passed away earlier this year. One of the best railway voices IMHO.

While It’s good that they have used Celia to keep the commonality across the SWR Fleet, it’s a shame they’ve asked her to do the SWT “Posh Voice” version which makes every sentence or station sound like a question at the end of the word; E.g Ryde EsplanadE?

 

[Gloster]

Islandecho now reporting that services have been suspended due to a lineside fire to the north of Sandown: suspension expected to last from ca.16.00 to 18.30. The cause is possibly to do with railway electrical circuits (details are vague).

 

[bramling]

It's usually said that the 483s proved incapable of running it reliably

Are you able to elaborate more on this? A 20/40 minute service with fairly minimal turnround times at each end doesn't have that much more breathing opportunities than a 20/20/20 one, as every trip will still pass something else somewhere which means delays will transmit.

 

[30907]

Are you able to elaborate more on this? A 20/40 minute service with fairly minimal turnround times at each end doesn't have that much more breathing opportunities than a 20/20/20 one, as every trip will still pass something else somewhere which means delays will transmit.

But it required 2 trains not 3 which ISTR was the issue.

 

[Bletchleyite]

But it required 2 trains not 3 which ISTR was the issue.

Other than in July/August there wasn't demand for 3tph anyway.

 

[Chris125]

Are you able to elaborate more on this? A 20/40 minute service with fairly minimal turnround times at each end doesn't have that much more breathing opportunities than a 20/20/20 one, as every trip will still pass something else somewhere which means delays will transmit.

I can't recall a satisfactory explanation but they had a troubled introduction with very poor riding, which presumably led to slower journey times than expected - a bit lethargic getting up to 45mph too perhaps? The 20/40min service at least meant trains would pass on the double track every other time, where a small delay had less impact on the other service.

 

[Gloster]

A tweet retweeted by Paul Clifton ( @PaulCliftonBBC ) shows someone using a very odd wheelchair ramp (at Brading?). A lot of the comments seem to think it a railway ramp and are highly critical. I wonder if it is someone’s own ramp: it looks unsuitable, verging on the dangerous.

 

[Bletchleyite]

A tweet retweeted by Paul Clifton ( @PaulCliftonBBC ) shows someone using a very odd wheelchair ramp (at Brading?). A lot of the comments seem to think it a railway ramp and are highly critical. I wonder if it is someone’s own ramp: it looks unsuitable, verging on the dangerous.

In among the hyperbole, it seems it's the wrong way round.

I don't however get why they haven't done level boarding. They said they were going to.

 

[spark001uk]

That looks way too steep as well, likely that scooter didn't make it without grounding out.

 

[swt_passenger]

That looks way too steep as well, likely that scooter didn't make it without grounding out.

Is this the same ramp that is linked in post #1131 in the infrastructure thread?

 

[southern442]

While It’s good that they have used Celia to keep the commonality across the SWR Fleet, it’s a shame they’ve asked her to do the SWT “Posh Voice” version which makes every sentence or station sound like a question at the end of the word; E.g Ryde EsplanadE?

That's not due to tone of voice, that's poor programming of the announcements.
Each station clearly seems to have a mid-sentence and end-of-sentence recording, and on the 'the next station is...' announcement, they've used the mid-sentence one instead of the end-of-sentence one. It's a small thing but it really ruins the professionalism of the announcement.

The obvious way out of this is to have all station names be end-of-sentence. With some voices this sounds very robotic, but with Southern's Julie Berry announcements I think it works very well and sounds fine.

Also it sounds much more like Celia's Northern Line announcements than her SWR ones which is interesting. Maybe due to the quality of the speaker? Interesting that these were recorded before her passing, but TfL didn't use her voice for the NLE announcements, even though it's been in the works for ages now. These could be the last recordings she ever did.

 

[fgwrich]

That's not due to tone of voice, that's poor programming of the announcements.
Each station clearly seems to have a mid-sentence and end-of-sentence recording, and on the 'the next station is...' announcement, they've used the mid-sentence one instead of the end-of-sentence one. It's a small thing but it really ruins the professionalism of the announcement.

The obvious way out of this is to have all station names be end-of-sentence. With some voices this sounds very robotic, but with Southern's Julie Berry announcements I think it works very well and sounds fine.

Also it sounds much more like Celia's Northern Line announcements than her SWR ones which is interesting. Maybe due to the quality of the speaker? Interesting that these were recorded before her passing, but TfL didn't use her voice for the NLE announcements, even though it's been in the works for ages now. These could be the last recordings she ever did.

Interesting explanation, thanks. It's a bit of a shame and I agree, it does alter the professionalism of the announcement.

As for Celia's voice in this - it's certainly the same as the "Posh" Celia announcements installed by SWT in their final few years - here is a not so great video on Youtube. She sounds less harsher than before, but again sounds like she is questioning each station, and sounds a little bit patronising.

On a side note, how good does it feel to hear South West Trains again. For all their faults and lack of ambition, I'd rather go back to the heady days of SWT!

 

[Sutton in Ant]

Yes. South West Trains are far better than South Western Railway.

 

[spark001uk]

Service seems to be going a bit better today, according to RTT the only delays in red are the last few since about 5pm ish.