Hello everyone. I have just registered with the site and am here under my real name. Quite a few of you obviously know me as I have been name-checked a few times. For those that don’t, I’m the Programme Director for the Class 777s and work for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority/Merseytravel.
I appreciate that this is a site primarily for enthusiasts but that there are plenty here that know the industry from the inside as well. I have followed the chat here since page 1 with a mixture of amazement, admiration, bewilderment and occasionally a good laugh. I have enjoyed reading it all: right, wrong, supportive, critical, insightful and occasionally just nuts.
I really don’t want to cramp anyone’s style so don’t intend to give a running commentary on what we’re doing. My intention in participating actively is to address any inaccuracies in what is being discussed (there is one that I’ll come to) and to answer any questions that you might have for me.
Hello David. It’s very nice to hear that you’ve taken the time to read through this very much unofficial conversation. Earlier in the fleet replacement programme I noted just how well you were able to answer all kinds of 777 related questions on Twitter.
I’m sure everyone would indeed be interested in a running commentary, especially at this stage with a 2022 introduction mooted. An irregularity I’ve noticed recently is that 777003 and 013 have been stabled in the wallside siding at Southport for a week or so as an 8 car, despite 8 cars not being able to fit in any of the platforms!
I also hope to draw your attention to the TfW Class 197 Civity DMU thread, where there seems to be an obsession with ordering more of these aforementioned Spanish Diesel units to replace the Class 230s on the Bidston - Wrexham line, whether or not they ever enter service, with almost no consideration for the popular proposal of more battery 777s and a through service to Liverpool round the loop.
The inaccuracy I wanted to address is the debate about battery powered traction. Sadly there has been some recent poor journalism, from publications which we should all be able to rely on, which has misrepresented what we’re actually doing.
The key message is that although we’re going to have the first IPEMUs in passenger service in the U.K., we’re not fitting the entire fleet with the IPEMU battery system. The original order was for 52 EMUs. We have exercised some of our options with Stadler and now have 53 units on order of which 7 will be IPEMUs.
We couldn’t possibly ask for anything more than the facts from an industry professional. So this is still the plan. 52 new 777s replace 59 old 507/508s, not all of which still exist and an additional unit ordered as part of the Headbolt Lane package, with 7 of the now 53 units carrying batteries.
I do believe the “all units will be battery fitted for the purposes of regenerative braking when running on the 3rd rail” actually came from the journalists at a certain newspaper, so that is quite poor. The level of efficiency required for such battery use to be viable seemed dubious to me.
www.merseyrail.org
