For those of us that commute to Spondon from the Nottingham direction the answer is terrible.
The often lauded door positions have very little relevance on this type of service because passenger numbers at the vast majority of stations aren't high enough for it to make any reasonable difference. The biggest problem facing any train running along the Robin Hood Line in this heat is the constant stop-start nature of the route and the units running around almost constantly under full power in first stage drive. I've known many 15x revert to idle to protect the engine from overheating on the incline from Hucknall to Kirkby in Ashfield, when that happens there is absolutely nothing you can do but hope one or both engines cut back in and allow you to maintain some sort of forward momentum. The issue will be just as bad if not worse with the 170s as they don't throw over until 71 or 72mph and even on the mildest of days their rad fans seem to be on overdrive keeping the engine cool.
In theory 170s are supposed to be capable of half minute dwells, but that's quite ambitious in most circumstances. I suspect the performance is the bigger issue as you allude to; 170s simply aren't designed for that kind of slow, stop-start running.
Whatever the current time keeping problem is on the Robin Hood Line it needs sorting out quickly before passengers give up and use the bus or tram. I don’t know if it was a 170 on the route today, but even on a Sunday, when there’s only roughly a 2 hourly service between Nottingham and Mansfield Woodhouse, trains were losing time with delays in excess of 10 minutes by the end of their journey. Very little excuse for delays due to the single line section on a Sunday.
I'm wondering if any of the delays at the moment are to do with possible heat related speed restrictions. Looking at RTT for today and yesterday the delays started later in the morning and tailed off in the evening. The first two trips today were basically within a minute all the way except waiting to arrive into Nottingham on the second return.
I think the issue is in the sectional running times if I'm totally honest. There have been issues up there for years and I can't remember the old WTT to be able to compare it to the new WTT, but certainly until the May TT change it was somewhat more reliable at maintaining the schedule than now, even though there were sections where you were guaranteed to lose time.
Officially it will be back to normal from December. Some trains already make a last minute get Reinstated at short notice. 1645 Lincoln - Newark is one that runs but should officially. Again EMR say they will reintroduce services before December if possible. I would expect to see improvements after September (subject to COVID)
Do any of the timetables elsewhere on EMR require the better running times of 170s? I imagine in Lincolnshire there isn't much running faster than 75mph but elsewhere there may be timings that require a 100mph unit.
It is an interesting question, but I don't think so.
Note for Grimsby-Leicester... Grimsby to Wrawby Junction is 60, Wrawby Junction to (just outside Lincoln) is 90, with only one stop at Market Rasen which should usually allow for some higher speeds.
The line speed from Wrawby Junction to Lincoln does not go above 75mph.
Booked to work the 07xx, 12xx and 17xx departures from Nottingham but can be subbed with a 15x.
Thanks @LowLevel - helpful to know.
As far as I know Norwich crews haven't learnt then yet. I suppose there will be the odd out and back with Nottingham crew but it would need very careful diagramming.
The ECS was turned into a passenger service, mis-timetabled, then rerouted via Stockport, and then cancelled "temporarily" back in June. See #38
Thanks for the gen.
It is ironic that the Hope Valley line now has plush Class 195s compared to the Pacers only a year or so again. Likewise the EMR service between Sheffield and Manchester has gone from the best to non-existent in the same time frame.
