• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

XC Voyager Refurbishment

Trainman40083

Member
Joined
29 Jan 2024
Messages
743
Location
Derby
I am told, a fitter is meeting this train at Newcastle. Report of traction motor problem, but driver found nothing, hence why it stood for 15 minutes just south of Darlington.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Halish Railway

Established Member
Joined
26 Apr 2017
Messages
1,751
Location
West Yorkshire / Birmingham
this is showing as 221116 ex Avanti voyager.

This is now being worked by a pair of 220s, starting from Newcastle due to a trespass. 221116 is instead working the service an hour later and is running on time.

 

hux385

Member
Joined
25 Apr 2023
Messages
92
Location
Edinburgh
Is this the only ex-Avanti unit in service currently then? Anyone know any info on when any more might follow?
 

Trainman40083

Member
Joined
29 Jan 2024
Messages
743
Location
Derby
Is this the only ex-Avanti unit in service currently then? Anyone know any info on when any more might follow?
Entirely dependent upon when new IEPs 805/807 class enter service, I would have thought, although there has been a suggestion that unit numbers around 221116 are off leased by Avanti.
 

class 9

Member
Joined
18 Nov 2010
Messages
967
I am told, a fitter is meeting this train at Newcastle. Report of traction motor problem, but driver found nothing, hence why it stood for 15 minutes just south of Darlington.
Well it reached Edinburgh & is now on 1V70 heading for Bristol, so can't have been anything major.

The shop is still in place, I presume they will wait till they go through refurbishment to remove it. https://x.com/Inv_Pete/status/1797266287040606417
We've been told that tha ex Avanti sets will be the last to be refurbished and they'll be altered to the configuration as the rest of the XC fleet.
 

Trainman40083

Member
Joined
29 Jan 2024
Messages
743
Location
Derby
Entirely dependent upon when new IEPs 805/807 class enter service, I would have thought, although there has been a suggestion that unit numbers around 221116 are off leased by Avanti.
Correction. Several class 805 units have entered service today with Avanti West Coast.
 

jayah

On Moderation
Joined
18 Apr 2011
Messages
1,924
Just saying, I know I'm Exeter based, but I was on a full and standing Plymouth Paddington service operated by 800304 a few days ago.

A 4 coach voyager from Scotland is a joke
And that is before you consider a 9 car IET on GWR has 580 Standard seats, whereas a XC 9 car Voyager has 440!

It is a great to see the extra 5 car trains in XC service almost immediately and they didn't see fit to spend a 6 months looking at them first. As of last week, they seemed to be running about 7 4-car diagrams (160 Standard seats) just on the Plymouth - Scotland / Leeds axis so what they are getting certainly isn't enough to 'fix' that franchise.
 

Northerngirl

Member
Joined
16 Aug 2023
Messages
183
Location
Wirral
Indeed, Avanti over Virgin base, with XC logos on top. It'lll be noticeable from the front by having a cleaner yellow cab ends that's for certain. Nameplates also temporarily retained too.

(Not my video)

That looks very nice, the red roof & logos works well, I'd rather that livery than the pink nightmare we are getting
 

AirRail

Member
Joined
2 Sep 2020
Messages
20
Location
London Kings Cross
I thought it was mentioned the interior refurb work was starting by October this year?

I'm presuming it's once they have enough of the ex-Avanti fleet in full service.

Cross Country have now mentioned that the Voyager refurbishments will commence next year (2025). Unfortunate news for the timeline, but atleast if you're lucky enough to get on an ex-Avanti set, it will be decent.
 

TT-ONR-NRN

Established Member
Joined
30 Dec 2016
Messages
10,593
Location
Farnham
I personally think both don't look that great, the debranded avanti looks very hotchpotch.
I'd have peeled the blue vinyls off; the red ends would probably have looked better, although I don't know what state the paint will be in now.
 

tomoufc

Member
Joined
12 Dec 2014
Messages
145
Cross Country have now mentioned that the Voyager refurbishments will commence next year (2025). Unfortunate news for the timeline, but atleast if you're lucky enough to get on an ex-Avanti set, it will be decent.
The priority has surely got to be boosting capacity. The refurbs can wait.
 

Blindtraveler

Established Member
Joined
28 Feb 2011
Messages
9,833
Location
Nowhere near enough to a Pacer :(
Given what cross-country do in terms of serving the West country and Edinburgh, to key milestone tourism destinations as well as the South coast and airport connections, I certainly think that throwing every set that just about works into traffic over the high summer, which we're now racing towards at the speed of a speeding. Voyager south of Newcastle is the most important
Would have thought they might take a couple out for refurb in the autumn though, or at least perhaps get rid of the shop from the Avanti sets which are going to be at a distinct disadvantage for luggage and bike capacity
 

Energy

Established Member
Joined
29 Dec 2018
Messages
4,634
I'd have peeled the blue vinyls off; the red ends would probably have looked better, although I don't know what state the paint will be in now.
I think its safer to leave the blue vinyl on than discover the paintwork beneath. That can wait until the proper refurb work.
That looks very nice, the red roof & logos works well, I'd rather that livery than the pink nightmare we are getting
It looks fine, I think the red roof works better than a black roof. Its only temporary anyway and it looks sufficiently different to Avanti to not confuse passengers.
 

fgwrich

Established Member
Joined
15 Apr 2009
Messages
9,362
Location
Between Edinburgh and Exeter
So despite XCs original suggestion that the ex Avanti units will not be heading down towards the South Coast, 221116 is providing much needed relief today on the Manchester Bournemouth services. Also very welcome to see the shop open, announcements made and hear that it’s actually being utilised too - Well done to XC / XC’s staff for that!

(Note - No that is not XC Maroon on the cab ends, the sun went in at the time of taking that but it is certainly Avanti teal)
 

Attachments

  • IMG_8430.jpeg
    4.8 MB · Views: 357
  • IMG_8426.jpeg
    4.6 MB · Views: 310

tomoufc

Member
Joined
12 Dec 2014
Messages
145
So despite XCs original suggestion that the ex Avanti units will not be heading down towards the South Coast, 221116 is providing much needed relief today on the Manchester Bournemouth services. Also very welcome to see the shop open, announcements made and hear that it’s actually being utilised too - Well done to XC / XC’s staff for that!

(Note - No that is not XC Maroon on the cab ends, the sun went in at the time of taking that but it is certainly Avanti teal)
The shop being open and used shows some common sense and flexibility.
 

RealTrains07

Established Member
Joined
28 Feb 2019
Messages
1,787
The fact that XC have removed the avanti menu and put their own up did give the impression that maybe they would use the shop even if it was on and off otherwise. Why add a menu?
 

CptCharlee

Member
Joined
31 Jan 2018
Messages
119
Crosscountry also liking posts about the shop on social media. You can tell if they had the choice they would bring them back on all the fleet.
 

Ayman Ilham

Member
Joined
2 Jul 2016
Messages
435
Location
Blackburn (Lancs)
Indeed, Avanti over Virgin base, with XC logos on top. It'lll be noticeable from the front by having a cleaner yellow cab ends that's for certain. Nameplates also temporarily retained too.

(Not my video)

The XC logos over the Avanti livery actually look rather nice IMO
 

fgwrich

Established Member
Joined
15 Apr 2009
Messages
9,362
Location
Between Edinburgh and Exeter
221114 is out and about today. It should currently be in Bristol.


And 116 is heading to Bournemouth.

 

43055

Established Member
Joined
8 Mar 2018
Messages
2,956
221116 is off to Aberdeen today

221114 is also out
 

Top