Class 745 Stadler FLIRTs

[Paul Jones 88]

Wow, was it working a service due to actually stop at Ponders End or did it merely pause to ponder it's end?

 

[mtmikethom]

Looking at Real time and GA Twiiter it seems to have been a Stansted Express service possibly 0755 ex Liverpool St. Looks to have blocked the down line for about 3 hours judging by the diversions etc. Paragraph perhaps??

 

[Alfie1014]

GA have announced https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/abo...anglia-increasing-frequency-intercity-service that from Monday 21st that there will be an extra 6 round trips from Norwich reintroduced on weekdays, 09:32, 10:30, 11:32, 14:30; 15:30 and 16:30 up and 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 17:00, 17:50 and 19:02 back. 3 more 745 diagrams needed to cover these be interesting to see how they achieve this! I’m surprised there are no equivalent upping of peak outer suburban GE services where crowding is definitely becoming worse too?

 

[86246]

GA have announced https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/abo...anglia-increasing-frequency-intercity-service that from Monday 21st that there will be an extra 6 round trips from Norwich reintroduced on weekdays, 09:32, 10:30, 11:32, 14:30; 15:30 and 16:30 up and 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 17:00, 17:50 and 19:02 back. 3 more 745 diagrams needed to cover these be interesting to see how they achieve this! I’m surprised there are no equivalent upping of peak outer suburban GE services where crowding is definitely becoming worse too?

The 05:30 & 06:48 from Norwich with the 08:00 and 09:00 return have been running since April. They will now continue on the remainder of that diagram for the day. That should just be the one additional 745 to find for the day. I'm sure that these are the diagrams that they were running for the second half of last year. Although for the first couple of weeks in April with that slight increase in the morning peak service a 755 was required on a few occassions to deputise.

I have to say having seen the loadings recently for a few services in the middle of the day the increase in services will be welcome.

 

[RailWonderer]

As the number of IC diagrams and workings slowly increases to the pre-Covid frequency, there are two ways GA could handle this. Either they crack on at clearing pairs of 755s for passenger service to make up for the shortfall of 745s, or they poach some StanEx 745s, return some 379s to Stansted and retain some 317s until more 720s arrive.

 

[dk1]

There are between eight & ten 745s sitting around in the Norwich area everyday. Whether any of them are serviceable is another matter.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Aha, Now if 745’s were Human that would be tad embarrassing for a 2 year old unit to be towed by a 60 or so years old Loco! Mind I sometimes get out of the bed on the wrong side which can be painful considering the brick wall

The obvious solution there would be to remove the wall. Now I wonder what the parallel would be or has been on the railways .

 

[Alfie1014]

The 05:30 & 06:48 from Norwich with the 08:00 and 09:00 return have been running since April. They will now continue on the remainder of that diagram for the day. That should just be the one additional 745 to find for the day. I'm sure that these are the diagrams that they were running for the second half of last year. Although for the first couple of weeks in April with that slight increase in the morning peak service a 755 was required on a few occassions to deputise.

I have to say having seen the loadings recently for a few services in the middle of the day the increase in services will be welcome.

Of course I’d forgotten about those.

 

[JonathanH]

There are between eight & ten 745s sitting around in the Norwich area everyday. Whether any of them are serviceable is another matter.

Is the idea that Stadler have to only provide a certain number of diagrams so have taken the decision to park some of the fleet up or are they broken and there isn't enough depot space to fix them? Are the ones in service ever rotated?

 

[dk1]

Is the idea that Stadler have to only provide a certain number of diagrams so have taken the decision to park some of the fleet up or are they broken and there isn't enough depot space to fix them? Are the ones in service ever rotated?

Everything is rotated to keep mileage under control but I have no idea how anything else is planned.

 

[Grumbler]

Everything is rotated to keep mileage under control but I have no idea how anything else is planned.

If two units were out of service due to a fault on one half-set, would they ever form a "new" set from the two non-faulty half-sets pending the repair of the two faulty half-sets?

 

[dk1]

If two units were out of service due to a fault on one half-set, would they ever form a "new" set from the two non-faulty half-sets pending the repair of the two faulty half-sets?

Not unless it was very long term through accident damage for instance. I would imagine it’s a very complex thing to do not least on the software side of things.

 

[47584Suffolk]

The 05:30 & 06:48 from Norwich with the 08:00 and 09:00 return have been running since April. They will now continue on the remainder of that diagram for the day. That should just be the one additional 745 to find for the day. I'm sure that these are the diagrams that they were running for the second half of last year. Although for the first couple of weeks in April with that slight increase in the morning peak service a 755 was required on a few occassions to deputise.

I have to say having seen the loadings recently for a few services in the middle of the day the increase in services will be welcome.

So far as I can work out, there shouldn't be the need for an extra set out each day as that off the 05:14 Ipswich to Liverpool St (off the previous evening's 23:05 ex Norwich)/07:00 Liverpool St to Norwich will be nicely in position for the revived 09:30 Up/12:00 Down/14:30 Up/17:00 Down. This set (and the two others off the 05:30 and 06:48 Up) had hitherto retired to Crown Point after their not-so-strenuous days! I've worked out that eight sets will be required for InterCity services and five for Stansteds, so still only 13 sets (of an overall fleet of 20, regardless of sub-types which seem to be ignored anyway) out each weekday.

 

[colchesterken]

In the good old days old B R built a fleet of inter cities for the Clacton expresses Cl 309
for a while the service was branded Essex Express, with 1st class and buffets, how about bringing back a speeded up service for Clacton call it an intercity service using 745
Take some seats out of 720s and badge them Stansted Express
Poor Clacton people have been relegated to outer suburban for the last 20+ yrs

 

[Astro_Orbiter]

But Clacton pretty much is outer suburban at this point? Its hardly intercity express distance or loadings? There seems a strange obsession on here with removing 745 from Stanex and then having them float about on random "intercity" services on the GE

 

[86246]

So far as I can work out, there shouldn't be the need for an extra set out each day as that off the 05:14 Ipswich to Liverpool St (off the previous evening's 23:05 ex Norwich)/07:00 Liverpool St to Norwich will be nicely in position for the revived 09:30 Up/12:00 Down/14:30 Up/17:00 Down. This set (and the two others off the 05:30 and 06:48 Up) had hitherto retired to Crown Point after their not-so-strenuous days! I've worked out that eight sets will be required for InterCity services and five for Stansteds, so still only 13 sets (of an overall fleet of 20, regardless of sub-types which seem to be ignored anyway) out each weekday.

Good point, I had forgotten about the Ipswich starter. No additional units required then.

 

[Grumbler]

The 05:30 & 06:48 from Norwich with the 08:00 and 09:00 return have been running since April. They will now continue on the remainder of that diagram for the day. That should just be the one additional 745 to find for the day. I'm sure that these are the diagrams that they were running for the second half of last year. Although for the first couple of weeks in April with that slight increase in the morning peak service a 755 was required on a few occassions to deputise.

I have to say having seen the loadings recently for a few services in the middle of the day the increase in services will be welcome.

Will GA be uploading revised timetables to https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/timetables soon to alert potential customers of these extra services?

 

[dk1]

But Clacton pretty much is outer suburban at this point? Its hardly intercity express distance or loadings? There seems a strange obsession on here with removing 745 from Stanex and then having them float about on random "intercity" services on the GE

Just makes far more operational sense.

 

[43096]

But Clacton pretty much is outer suburban at this point? Its hardly intercity express distance or loadings? There seems a strange obsession on here with removing 745 from Stanex and then having them float about on random "intercity" services on the GE

Clacton is arguably a better use of the FLIRTs than Stansted as longer distance sets - it's about 30 miles further to Clacton!

 

[Astro_Orbiter]

Clacton is arguably a better use of the FLIRTs than Stansted as longer distance sets - it's about 30 miles further to Clacton!

12 cars is a bit overkill though wouldn't you agree? And theres not much "longer distance"-esque about the 745/1 as compared with a 720, 2+2 instead of 3+2 thats about it.

 

[Class 170101]

Will GA be uploading revised timetables to https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/timetables soon to alert potential customers

Here on Greater Anglia - second paragraph

Timetables

Download a timetableLooking for a timetable? Search your origin or destination station below. All timetables with your selected station will be listed in the results, including large print versions.Please check your journey on our journey planner or app before you travel in case of any updates...

www.greateranglia.co.uk

Here in Real Time Trains

Realtime Trains | Departures from Diss between 0500 and 2200 on 21/06/2021

Train information at Diss between 0500 and 2200 on 21/06/2021. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Grumbler]

Here on Greater Anglia - second paragraph

Timetables

Download a timetableLooking for a timetable? Search your origin or destination station below. All timetables with your selected station will be listed in the results, including large print versions.Please check your journey on our journey planner or app before you travel in case of any updates...

www.greateranglia.co.uk

Here in Real Time Trains

Realtime Trains | Departures from Diss between 0500 and 2200 on 21/06/2021

Train information at Diss between 0500 and 2200 on 21/06/2021. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Thanks for that. But why doesn't GA just update its PDFs?

 

[Class 170101]

Thanks for that. But why doesn't GA just update its PDFs?

Probably the time to create them, its not quick to create the timetable, spruce it up etc each time a change happens especially in this covid era, but also how many people use them now in preference to journey planners Real Time Trains etc.

 

[Grumbler]

Probably the time to create them, its not quick to create the timetable, spruce it up etc each time a change happens especially in this covid era, but also how many people use them now in preference to journey planners Real Time Trains etc.

Then introduce a facility for users to enter origin and destination points and simply generate a customised PDF. When travelling it is far easier to consult a piece of paper than faff about on the tippy tappy prone to failure because of connectivity or battery issues.

 

[CBlue]

Then introduce a facility for users to enter origin and destination points and simply generate a customised PDF. When travelling it is far easier to consult a piece of paper than faff about on the tippy tappy prone to failure because of connectivity or battery issues.

I remember Stagecoach used to have this facility on East Midlands Trains alongside most bus operations. It's a very simple and user-friendly system from memory...

 

[47584Suffolk]

12 cars is a bit overkill though wouldn't you agree? And theres not much "longer distance"-esque about the 745/1 as compared with a 720, 2+2 instead of 3+2 thats about it.

Once the pandemic is finally behind us and social-distancing is not so much of an issue, I agree that 12-cars may indeed be 'overkill' for off-peak services. However, when it comes to peak services (which don't only serve Clacton itself but a number of other more busy GEML stations, particularly Chelmsford, Witham and Colchester), then it might be surprising to learn that 1 x 745 has around 300 less seats than a 10-car 2 x 720 formation.

 

[dk1]

After months of rebuilding then months out of use, the new carriage washer is back in use again. Some Flirts have been looking very grubby for a while now with only so many getting the odd hand bash.

 

[87015]

Extra diagram going well, today joins yesterday in not enough 745s available...

 

[Railperf]

Extra diagram going well, today joins yesterday in not enough 745s available...

which train

 

[trebor79]

Once the pandemic is finally behind us and social-distancing is not so much of an issue, I agree that 12-cars may indeed be 'overkill' for off-peak services. However, when it comes to peak services (which don't only serve Clacton itself but a number of other more busy GEML stations, particularly Chelmsford, Witham and Colchester), then it might be surprising to learn that 1 x 745 has around 300 less seats than a 10-car 2 x 720 formation.

Not really surprising, the 720s have 3+2 seating.