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Greater Anglia Bombardier Aventras (Class 720): Technical discussion and introduction

Gulf1159

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Joined
14 Jul 2018
Messages
168
There are 18 class 720’s at Ilford

720511/515/517/536/537/538/539/540/543/548/549/550/551/552/553/556/558/564

Not seen in passenger service yet are

549/550/551/553/564

These are driver training and test trips units
 
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The_Train

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2 Jun 2018
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4,313
There are 18 class 720’s at Ilford

720511/515/517/536/537/538/539/540/543/548/549/550/551/552/553/556/558/564

Not seen in passenger service yet are

549/550/551/553/564

These are driver training and test trips units
Does anyone know when 549 was completed please? :)
 

Shunter_69

Member
Joined
10 Dec 2014
Messages
478
There are 18 class 720’s at Ilford

720511/515/517/536/537/538/539/540/543/548/549/550/551/552/553/556/558/564

Not seen in passenger service yet are

549/550/551/553/564

These are driver training and test trips units
550 and 556 have been paired up all week on driver training based at Harwich yard
 

jopsuk

Veteran Member
Joined
13 May 2008
Messages
12,771
Greater Anglia have announced the start of on-track training of West Anglia drivers

New trains for Cambridge to London route a step closer as driver training starts​

NEW COMMUTER TRAIN AT LIVERPOOL STREET STATION
The new commuter trains are already operating on routes in EssexCredit: Greater Anglia
Greater Anglia has begun training its drivers to operate the new trains that will be used on its route from Cambridge to London Liverpool Street.
The entire fleet on the route, which goes via Bishop's Stortford and Harlow, will be replaced over the course of this year.
Around 250 drivers need to be trained on the five-carriage units; most have already spent time in a simulator getting used to the controls, and the next stage of training will focus on how the trains handle in reality as well as emergency situations.
Andrew Goodrum, Greater Anglia’s business readiness director, said: "The start of training for our driving instructor colleagues who work on the west Anglia route is the next stage in our new trains introduction programme.
"Feedback from our instructors has been overwhelmingly positive - they see these new trains as a huge step-up and are proud to be playing a key role in getting them into passenger service."
The electric units have already been introduced on routes to Southend, Braintree and Southminster in Essex.
Eventually, the 133 sets will operate all of Greater Anglia's commuter services into London from Essex, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.
 

DannyMich2018

Member
Joined
19 Dec 2018
Messages
732
There are 18 class 720’s at Ilford

720511/515/517/536/537/538/539/540/543/548/549/550/551/552/553/556/558/564

Not seen in passenger service yet are

549/550/551/553/564

These are driver training and test trips units
I expect a large amount of the ones built so far are stored at Worksop with a few at Old Dalby.
 

47421

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7 Feb 2012
Messages
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Location
london
The requirement per the 2016 Franchise Agreement is below. Of course, like almost all the commitments in the Franchise Agreement, this has not been delivered. But now GA are not having any 10 car units, query whether the platform extensions are needed, maybe 5 cars max will be enough for a while

105. Infrastructure upgrades

105.1 By no later than 1 May 2019, the Franchisee shall make all necessary changes to the infrastructure of the Stations (including relevant associated infrastructure surrounding such Stations) in order to accommodate the Passenger Services as set out in TSR2 and the Franchhisee shall incur a minimum expenditure of [REDACTED120] in doing so.

105.2 Pursuant to paragraph 105.1 such changes to the infrastructure shall include such infrastructure works at each of Hertford East, Wickford, Manningtree, Kings Lynn, Elsenham, Ware, St Margarets and Enfield Lock Stations as are necessary to enable any Passenger Services comprised of 10 rolling stock vehicles to call at such Stations by no later than 1 September 2018
 

Shunter_69

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10 Dec 2014
Messages
478
Wickford is in progress, Manningtree fits a 5 car so little or nothing required there.

On the GE the SDO means platform extensions aren’t required.
 

fat_boy_pete

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16 Mar 2015
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Location
Essex
Wickford is in progress, Manningtree fits a 5 car so little or nothing required there.

On the GE the SDO means platform extensions aren’t required.
Kings Lynn has been done as well I recall, but I thought the problems in the Lea Valley with level crossings and signal sighting meant SDO doesn't help.
 

Railperf

Established Member
Joined
30 Oct 2017
Messages
2,922
Pair of 720s sitting at Orient Way

That c
The requirement per the 2016 Franchise Agreement is below. Of course, like almost all the commitments in the Franchise Agreement, this has not been delivered. But now GA are not having any 10 car units, query whether the platform extensions are needed, maybe 5 cars max will be enough for a while

105. Infrastructure upgrades

105.1 By no later than 1 May 2019, the Franchisee shall make all necessary changes to the infrastructure of the Stations (including relevant associated infrastructure surrounding such Stations) in order to accommodate the Passenger Services as set out in TSR2 and the Franchhisee shall incur a minimum expenditure of [REDACTED120] in doing so.

105.2 Pursuant to paragraph 105.1 such changes to the infrastructure shall include such infrastructure works at each of Hertford East, Wickford, Manningtree, Kings Lynn, Elsenham, Ware, St Margarets and Enfield Lock Stations as are necessary to enable any Passenger Services comprised of 10 rolling stock vehicles to call at such Stations by no later than 1 September 2018
That covers stations.. What about depots and stabling?
 

47421

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7 Feb 2012
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Location
london
Kings Lynn has been done as well I recall, but I thought the problems in the Lea Valley with level crossings and signal sighting meant SDO doesn't help.
KL only 8 car not 10 car 720 I think
yes Elsenham,Enfield Lock, St Margarets and Ware, if stop at signal rear of train blocks crossings.
Hert East, signals and crossover need to be moved, with associated work on overheads. Took them ages to get planning permission, granted last year, but dont know if they are actually planning to do the work
 

47584Suffolk

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Joined
1 Feb 2021
Messages
46
Location
Ipswich
There are 18 class 720’s at Ilford

720511/515/517/536/537/538/539/540/543/548/549/550/551/552/553/556/558/564

Not seen in passenger service yet are

549/550/551/553/564

These are driver training and test trips units
Subject to confirmation and based on a sighting report seen elsewhere, 720549 + 720551 were moved away as 5Q16 10+16 Ilford to Wembley on 15 February. If so, then only 16 units at Ilford. There's still a long way to go!
 

Ianno87

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3 May 2015
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KL only 8 car not 10 car 720 I think
yes Elsenham,Enfield Lock, St Margarets and Ware, if stop at signal rear of train blocks crossings.
Hert East, signals and crossover need to be moved, with associated work on overheads. Took them ages to get planning permission, granted last year, but dont know if they are actually planning to do the work

Though current GA services north of Ely are 4 car max anyway, splitting/joining at Cambridge as necessary. So King's Lynn should not see more than 5 cars.
 

arb

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31 Oct 2010
Messages
411
Though current GA services north of Ely are 4 car max anyway, splitting/joining at Cambridge as necessary. So King's Lynn should not see more than 5 cars.
The 07:29 southbound departure from Ely is 8 cars (or at least it was pre-Covid, I haven't used it for ages now). I found it interesting that it didn't have a Waterbeach stop added following the platform lengthening there, which hinted to me that they're ultimately planning to use 10-car 720's.

They also did some weird stuff with their evening peak services a couple of years ago, taking Waterbeach stops out of the Liverpool Street to King's Lynn services, and adding Waterbeach into the Stansted to Norwich services instead. Again that hinted to me that the grand plan was eventually to use 10-car 720's, and they had to come up with a different solution to keep serving Waterbeach in the evening peak. Odd that they didn't make similiar changes southbound in the morning peak though!
 

Shwam3

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13 Jun 2016
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Location
Norwich
KL only 8 car not 10 car 720 I think
yes Elsenham,Enfield Lock, St Margarets and Ware, if stop at signal rear of train blocks crossings.
Hert East, signals and crossover need to be moved, with associated work on overheads. Took them ages to get planning permission, granted last year, but dont know if they are actually planning to do the work
There is no issue with the signals/crossing at Elsenham, a 10 car can fit in clear both directions.
 

Ianno87

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There is no issue with the signals/crossing at Elsenham, a 10 car can fit in clear both directions.

The stop boards are off the end of the platform, I.e. the rear doors open under SDO, with the front coaches "overshooting".
 

47421

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The stop boards are off the end of the platform, I.e. the rear doors open under SDO, with the front coaches "overshooting".
fair enough, perhaps the signal has been moved, thought it used to be at end of platform, but could be wrong about that

anyone know what they will do at Enfield Lock, move the signal on the up side I expect

what about Hertford East line, anyone know if they are going to do work so 10 cars can go there?
 
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jopsuk

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Shelford? The platforms as far as I know are only long enough for 8x20m, and on the Down therefore a 10x23m will foul the crossing?
 

Ianno87

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Shelford? The platforms as far as I know are only long enough for 8x20m, and on the Down therefore a 10x23m will foul the crossing?

The Down signal is some way off the end of the platform, so again I recall the stop board is positioned so that the front two carriages "overshoot" with the rear carriages opening.
 

Shwam3

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I believe these are all the currently planned works on the West Anglia:
  • Brimsdown up direction signal move.
  • Enfield Lock up direction signal move.
  • St Margarets down direction signal move.
  • Ware London end S&C + signal move.
  • Hertford East S&C + signal move + platform extensions.
  • Stratford platform 11 country end signal move + platform extension.
  • Cambridge platform 4 extension.
  • Broxbourne platforms 1 & 4 extensions.
I have no idea what the timescales are for any of these or whether they will actually end up going ahead.

Shelford? The platforms as far as I know are only long enough for 8x20m, and on the Down therefore a 10x23m will foul the crossing?
Shelford down direction will be front-off ASDO for 10 cars, the same at all other short platforms with a crossing behind.

fair enough, perhaps the signal has been moved, thought it used to be at end of platform, but could be wrong about that
No signal moves at Elsenham at all, they are already far enough off the end of the platforms.
 
Last edited:

Shwam3

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I wonder how they might do this, the bridge over HS1 and Startford Intl isn't that far at all off the country end of 11&12 at Stratford. Must be a headache
I think a bigger concern is actually the neutral section about 100m off the end of the current platform.
 

Astro_Orbiter

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I think a bigger concern is actually the neutral section about 100m off the end of the current platform.
Aye that too.
Would be a big job to lengthen those platforms. Maybe 10 cars could stop with rear coaches off the platform and then go round high meads to return in the down direction? If high meads is even cleared for passenger trains.
 

fat_boy_pete

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Aye that too.
Would be a big job to lengthen those platforms. Maybe 10 cars could stop with rear coaches off the platform and then go round high meads to return in the down direction? If high meads is even cleared for passenger trains.
Doubt the paths would exist given LO frequency plus freight.
 

TheHSRailFan

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16 Jun 2018
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what about Hertford East line, anyone know if they are going to do work so 10 cars can go there?
I don't think they are bothered in doing it yet. as far as i know, the line will not start work until the Kings Cross/ECML upgrade works are done.
 

robert west

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4 Apr 2013
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720537 and 540 on 1248 liverpool street to braintree today
left london 18 late and termated at witham due to a train fault
1400 ex braintree cancelled and units to go ecs to ilford depot
 

Astro_Orbiter

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I heard in a very round about way today that they might start to appear on West Anglia around May? Anyone able to confirm or supply details?
 

Shunter_69

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10 Dec 2014
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478
Sounds a bit optimistic for passenger service given instructor training has only just started on the West and the Clacton, Ipswich and Norwich routes haven’t started running yet. Added to that only 16 units have been accepted to date.

I would think you’ll see them on driver training runs but not in service that quickly.
 

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