I wonder how the leasing costs of the 701s compare with the older fleets? Is there any sign of them starting in service yet? Binning off the older trains before the new have started was always going to end badly. To be clear, I don't mean the 442s, but several 455s, 458s and 707s have gone, not to mention all the 456s.
I don't think any DMUs have gone elsewhere. They lost one at Salisbury but that should not prevent most of the 2019 service being restored if required.
I wonder are the 701s costing a lot of money whilst they are not in service?
I know that, but there are actually more 6 cars now than 2019 on weekdays.
No guessing required - post a couple of people at Waterloo to observe trains' loadings for a couple of weeks to ascertain the trends and react accordingly.
That must be a reflection of the sleek and efficient railway that the Tories touted when they stupidly privatised it - purportedly to reduce the burden on the public purse! It was always either a lie or a scandalously naive assumption.
The ballot box will be downsized so many votes won’t be able to fit inside.
Not as far back as the "days of Thatcher", but on the Direct at least, there were more trains in late BR days than now.
Indeed, 2tph to Portsmouth is, in one sense, almost a record low in post-electrification history, but in the 80s when there were 3tph, one of the trains was overtaken at Guildford, so one could probably say that the current timetable, off-peak, is equivalent to the 80s.
I've travelled back in the evenings from Waterloo for years. Trains Pre-Covid nearly always consisted of two units at least. And there were more services per hour. I can understand that there might be shortages overall of 450s, but not of 444s. There must be some 158/159s to spare as well because fewer Salisbury trains now get nearer to London than Basingstoke.
How about c), they can't change anything because they're forbidden to by DfT, who are controlled by self-serving politicians who realise that their government is doomed at the next election, and are desperately thrashing around for any way to cut taxes in the hope that might save them?
It was tongue in cheek, yes
More than a couple of times I’ve been on 12 car 450s running Alton services with at most, 15 people on them. 8 or 12 on that line seems to be the norm all day.
It’s not the lease cost but the maintenance agreement with Siemens that has mileage bands in it. As mileages increase, cost increases (bogie changes are more frequent, for example) so the bands are there to reflect that.
In the 1995 and 1997 timetables I quoted above (post 40), between Guildford and Havant: the xx.00 stopped only at Haslemere and Petersfield, and indeed the xx.40 ran nonstop.
Maybe dead quiet in the middle of the day, but now all the early evening peaks have been reduced to 8 they are all rammed too esp. 16.55 / 17.25.
I remember that. There used to be an up working left Haslemere around 7AM fast to Waterloo too, and that definitely was heavily loaded.
Delay repay at every opportunity, pics to local press, they are always looking for a story, letters to everyone with the slightest interest in railways and Windsor etc. etc. Lots of little waves can sometimes create big ones.
Was talking to a friend today who is work from home 3 days/office 2 days. Is trying to avoid office days now due to frequent overcrowding (Their last experience was a 5 car in the morning peak) so any cost savings may end up being counter productive.
Delay Repay is just a recipe for frustration most of the time - any excuse they can find to knock a claim back, they will use it.
