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Class 730 LNR & WMR Delivery/test Updates
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Halish Railway
Established Member
Am I correct in thinking that Wolverhampton to Walsall via Birmingham New Street will be a single three-carriage 730? If so that would be quite a downgrade as it is well used between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street.
I would think so. The units have 2+2 seating and as such are built for the sort of passenger traffic on the route. Not too many years ago the route was worked by class 323s.
Don't forget that there will be be the extra Wolves - Walsall route once the new stations open. Granted that's not via New St but there's many options that way already.
Halish Railway
Established Member
Maybe if Liverpool and Shrewsbury to Birmingham returned to two trains per hour the additional services can make additional stops at stations between Birmingham and Wolverhampton to offset the reduction in train length by replacing four-carriage 350s with three-carriage 730s.
To summarise, am I right in thinking that the WMR 730/0s will be used on the Cross City line and anything that goes through Walsall?
Jacob Porrett
On Moderation
There wasn't a pandemic when they started building and training on them so there is a difference.
Well they are down as the 323 replacements, plus 350/2 will go at some point. So X-City was the plan initially, but supporting 319 replacement first now.
Would like to see them on the Wolves-Walsall route as well given no first class on the 730/0.
Bhm-liv going half hourly is still up in the air, certainly wanted at staff and managed level, unsure whether DfT will ever allow it to return.
paddyb6
Member
- Joined
- 21 May 2018
- Messages
- 225
What is the overall plan with the 730s then?
WMR /0s on the XC and Walsall-Wolves
What is the plan for the /1 and /2?
WMR /0s on the XC and Walsall-Wolves
What is the plan for the /1 and /2?
Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure that the general idea with the 730/0s is that they will be the main commuter EMU for the west midlands, running Cross City, Walsall-Wolverhampton, maybe Chase Line and maybe Brum-Crewe, hence the change of the order to 48 730/0s, and 36 730/1 (dunno if 730/2s will exist since they do not seem any different to 730/1s now).
The 730/1s are meant to operate all WCML south stoppers, Euston-Crewe’s and maybe Birmingham-Liverpools.
The 57 350s left will still operate Euston-Brums, Abbey Line services, the services above that I mentioned I’m uncertain of and additional peak services. If these are the only services they’ll operate I doubt how highly utilised the 350s will be, and wonder whether some other services will continue to be 350s.
Wikipedia quotes Modern railways as saying the /1s are for suburban/commuter services and the /2s for the long-distance services, so I suspect any difference would be in interior layout/spec.
Halish Railway
Established Member
There's some 15 minutes of slack at Northampton on the Euston to Birmingham services, maybe they can use this time to enable joining/dividing, i.e. 12-carriages from Euston to Northampton and 8 continuing to Birmingham. I'm not convinced that 2tph from Northampton worked by 8-carriage trains is enough, especially as these services originate at Birmingham and call at all stations to Leighton Buzzard.
The Birmingham to Crewe 'wobble' service will almost certainly remain as a 350 worked service - The 730/0s just aren't fast enough.
The main annoyance is that the first stage of HS2 is still about a decade away - Spare units in the LNWR fleet can be put to work on additional services facilitated by vacated long distance paths (E.g. 2tph Trent Valley stopper, the restoration of Northampton services using the fast lines from Hanslope Junction).
They both will now have 2x2 intercity tables+armrests interiors, so I don’t see any reason as to why they’ll be separated by subclass now.
Liam L
Member
Well training and testing was stopped during the pandemic due to social distancing so that had a affect.
Wyrleybart
Established Member
AIUI the WMR/LNR franchise was intended to split during it's life into two different business. I beleived that the class 730 order was reflected in the split. However, I understand the class 730/0 order is being increased from 35 or 36 units up to possibly 48, the class 730/1 takes the balance of the build, and class 730/2 remains stillborn. Not seen that anywhere but I find it odd that so many 90mph 730/0s are still being built instead of the 110mph variants.
Whether the franchise split will still go ahead bearing in mind it is technically no longer a franchise as such.
It was, but it won't now. Out of interest, how many 323 and 350/2 are there? Keeping the 730/0 to X-City, Wolves/Walsall and New St-Crewe via Stoke negates the speed difference and probably replaces all of those units
Liam L
Member
26 323s
34 350/2s
Halish Railway
Established Member
So at the moment the requirements for the following current services are:
Rugeley Trent Valley to Birmingham International - 6 diagrams
Walsall to Wolverhampton via Birmingham New Street - 5 diagrams
Lichfield Trent Valley to Bromsgrove - 6 diagrams (Each formed of two units)
Four Oaks to Redditch - 5 diagrams (Each formed of two units)
Total required units = 33 units out of a possible 48, assuming that the first two services are worked by a single 730
The Birmingham to Crewe 'Wobble' service uses 4 units, extending the Redditch to Four Oaks service to Lichfield would probably require one or two more diagrams, so four more units at most and the Wolverhampton to Walsall via Darlaston service could probably be done with a single unit. These additions take the requirements up to 42/48 units being used on any given day (excluding peak time extras).
Rugeley Trent Valley to Birmingham International - 6 diagrams
Walsall to Wolverhampton via Birmingham New Street - 5 diagrams
Lichfield Trent Valley to Bromsgrove - 6 diagrams (Each formed of two units)
Four Oaks to Redditch - 5 diagrams (Each formed of two units)
Total required units = 33 units out of a possible 48, assuming that the first two services are worked by a single 730
The Birmingham to Crewe 'Wobble' service uses 4 units, extending the Redditch to Four Oaks service to Lichfield would probably require one or two more diagrams, so four more units at most and the Wolverhampton to Walsall via Darlaston service could probably be done with a single unit. These additions take the requirements up to 42/48 units being used on any given day (excluding peak time extras).
Intercity110
On Moderation
Have they began testing units on the WCML yet? On realtime-trains there’s some Q headcodes that look like they could be it.
GodSaveTheKing
Member
Pretty sure yes. But any idea when will the first unit getting into full passenger service?
One of them was a C2C 720.
This has been worked up to Crewe regularly over the past week or 2. Can't remember the unit number unfortunately.
Yes there have been plenty of test runs between Eus-Cre.
Also, spoke to head of engineering, wasn't willing to give too much away other than dates for train acceptance for service will be confirmed within the next few weeks. Also there is a plan for Crewe depot to be trained up soon after Bletchley so could be a plan to remove the 350/2s from those routes. Be interesting to find out which depots are currently able to maintain the 730snas I know Soho isn't yet.
The_Train
Established Member
- Joined
- 2 Jun 2018
- Messages
- 4,373
I thought I recalled seeing photo's of the LNWR 730's at Euston but was told they'd not done any mainline testing - do you recall when this was please?
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
The C2C 720s are knocking about on the WCML doing tests, I've seen them several times.
Liam L
Member
730018 was dragged to Tyseley from Oxley this morning and a return path is booked later back to Oxley?
Any ideas as to why?
Any ideas as to why?
Not sure if the LNWR ones have been out, the WMR ones definitely have.
D.K.TAYLOR
Member
- Joined
- 28 Apr 2014
- Messages
- 749
Yes 37611 with the 730 came storming through Coseley at 09-15 this morning
I think 730103 has been out on test, assuming the image in this twitter post is indeed showing the unit on it's own.
Liam L
Member
If it’s the image which was posted from Nuneaton it did look like it was running under its own power
Ahh yeah, there are also 2 LNWR units at Crewe depot. Maybe this is one of them, think they are 730103/105
Assuming they haven’t moved since Saturday it’s 103 and 101.