Furthermore, a lot of the rolling stock also receives software updates on an ongoing basis. And not only minor ones. Some of our >25 year old rolling stock is to recieve a new traction software to improve brake and traction effort in bad adhesion conditions.
ASLEF? Why more issues with ASLEF? I assumed we were past that when the cab was changed and the improvements to the train were made. I'd expect the RMT to be more of an issue
The DT is referring to any new units being ordered wouldn't cost the taxpayer anything they are taken into traffic. We already know that SWR have taken a fair few 701s into traffic so they were probably liable for leasing charges so that would mean two fleets are being paid for. One would hope that there are provisions in the leasing contracts that if units remain unfit for use then no charges are being incurred but given the secrecy veil around the 701s who knows what the truth is.
The RMT 701 dispute was settled 3 years ago now as has been mentioned several times in this thread.
When SWR finally runs out of spare units and services become short formed or removed from the timetable perhaps a few letters/emails will flow to MPs who then ask questions in the HoC
Won't be long with the 458s getting converted to /4s
Oh right, makes sense. I guess not all stations are compatible with 2 , 5 car formats? And doesent that technically make the unit longer slightly. Given that the cab sticks out and adds extra length?
Id love to see them. Apparently they've been put on hold because not enough 701s are in service. And there isnt a huge demand for them, so my guess is that Porterbrook or whoever, can take their time upgrading them.
The redesigned blunter cab front was specifically so that 2x5 = 10. The end cars are the same length as the intermediate ones, so the door positions will be the same whether the middle two cars of the train have cabs or not.
And the not minor issue that it enables a 2 x 5 formation to be able to use P1-4 at Waterloo and the driver is still able to see the starting signal.
There was 2 ways of doing it, take away bit of the passenger saloon, or shorten the cab, they opted for latter.
The laudible, if over-ambitious, aim of the now-defunct franchise spec of 2017 was to change all that, effectively turning the inner-suburban / Windsor lines into a high frequency, fast metro network to cope with ever-increasing demand.
Much of that is down to increased dwell times, because more people arew trying to squeeze through the same number of doors (or even fewer where ten cars have been reduced to eight) and once inside, fight past each other to make space for more people to get on and off.
Two months on and nothing has changed... it must be time to run these in service during the peak to add some much needed capacity. If not replacing an existing diagram then as an extra.
What's really needed is for crew training to start! And none of us know why it hasn't!
Apparently that's all up to the DfT signing it off.
Hopefully. Although I'd assume they'd just say "we can't give you a date at the moment" as usual.
Will believe it when I see it. Lots of "this might happen" and "now it won't" during this fiasco so can't be sure until they actually run
Agree - but while all that is going on moving the existing diagram to the morning peak is a quick win.
Thanks - I would argue that the 06:53 and 07:23 would be better to 'crowd bust' in the peak but it's a good start.
Assuming this happens, is this one unit doing three round trips ( which seems to me would take longer than the peak? ) or at least two diagrams running at the same time for the first time?
I thought we'd concluded on this thread that that was just one of a million possible reasons for the delay, rather than being definitive.
The 0656 and 0726 are both formed from empties from Feltham Depot but all the 701s used in service have come from Wimbledon Park Depot, where the 0753 started its day so makes it a bit easier to switch it by the looks of it.
Will be interesting to see how the guard works these trains if crush loaded.
Looking at the schedule on RTT, that diagram seems to work as follows: 2Ux9 (down) and 2Ux6 (up)
And seven for Reading.
Only ever one at a time in passenger service.