Quick video here showing the Class 360 running on the slow lines through Wymington, Bedfordshire. Looks like the middle train's pantograph was not raised.
I'm not sure if that's meant in jest or not. Desiro UK EMUs ride reasonably well, are quiet inside, certainly moreso than the DMUs currently used on EMR, and I find them perfectly pleasant to travel on, their only downside is usually the seating arrangement, easily remedied. Avanti would not have considered 350s for their purposes as they don't do 125mph, nor would they meet the bimode requirement to cascade Voyagers out.If replacement of 22x's by Desiros is an upgrade, Avanti have missed a trick!
They could replace the 221s on all-wired journeys with the redundant 350/2s from WMT (after a change to 2+2 seats, of course).
And the 350/2s are even better than the 360s - they're through gangwayed!
There’s a big argument going on about whether all 360/1s are still operated by Greater Anglia... Seems that Twitter is a suitable citation for some rolling stock articles, but not for others.
Drifting off topic, but I did notice there’d been dozens of changes and reversions. I saw someone had even gone to the trouble of decorating 360/2s in EMR colours...There’s a big argument going on about whether all 360/1s are still operated by Greater Anglia... Seems that Twitter is a suitable citation for some rolling stock articles, but not for others.
Apparently 332014 is still operated by HEx
I know 360/2s aren't going into service with EMR but they could use possibly buy some 360/2s from whoever owns them for spares maybe or if a coach is damaged beyond repair from a collision perhaps?
But the vast majority of spares for all of 350, 360, 450, 444 will be common to all the fleets, it’s many hundreds of units. Then add a few more interior common items if you include 185s.
ISTR the 360/2s were bound for Thailand, for use on Bangkok's Airport Rail Link.
On your 1st point fair enough.
116, 104 and 113
It doesn’t matter whether Siemens do the maintenance or not, they’re the original manufacturer and they and the ROSCOs will have built an appropriate level of spares availability into all the contracts.
Well, there might be true in some way, but at the moment the Corby service is broadly one 4-car set per hour, with, for other than Corby stations an hourly Nottingham, already well loaded from stations further North, This will jump to 8 or 12 cars twice an hour. Bear in mind that the new 360 service will be no quicker as far as the Northamptonshire stations are concerned - slightly slower, even - the amenities broadly similar, and you say that the price must remain the same, what will stimulate the increase in demand to fill the trains in the new service? It's just basic economic theory in an elastic market; reducing price increases demand; reducing journey time increases demand; improving amenities increases demand. None of these is happening and arguably some are being reversed; what is going to fill those new trains? Or is that theory wrong?
Not to mention that the Corby service was meant to be an outer suburban passenger service - 222s operated it due to stock shortages...
Railway travel is not a normal good in the traditional sense because it's not as if someone will take a rival operator's service if they offer a better deal, in the vast majority of the country there is no rival operator. Increased frequency, or more specifically, far less likelihood of having to wait more than 30 minutes for a train, will generate a small amount of extra demand, the rest of the extra capacity is simply to serve the stations that come before the Corby branch.
Very true and I can see the EMR Electrics service being very popular especially from Luton and Bedford as they won't be stopping anywhere else bar the Airport as it will offer faster connections then Thameslink and offer more comfort once refurbished.
Unless travelling in first class (and even then perhaps debatable given seat preferences), the 360s will definitely offer a more comfortable travelling experience than 700s, even before the interiors are refurbished.
I don’t mean to be pedantic but Market Harborough won’t be receiving the 360s as they’re destined for the Corby services only as far as I’m aware?
Class 360 to Corby only (with the 810's for the Melton Extensions). Market Harborough will have 810's only when they arrive.
It would be possible to send a 360 to MH assuming the electrification is extended, as may be happening although not officially announced. I can see them doing that when there is engineering between MH and Leicester, with the 810s diverted via Harringworth providing the Corby service and the 360s serving MH instead.
I've never seen an official announcement as to wires going to MH, but there was piling work taking place at Glendon last Friday night/Sat morn.
The fact they can only do 100 south of Bedford will be partially offset by their good acceleration versus a 222.
That's true - somewhere, there's a 0 - 100 mph performance comparison between different classes and the Desiros do show up well. Looking forward to storming out of P4 at Wellingborough, the Higham trains never did that!