Great Western Coffee Shop

Slightly misleading thread title. This is a feasibility study at the moment. Nothing more.

The Cross Country railway line runs from Penzance to Aberdeen.

It does seem like a win-win-win-win-win situation:

• A win for the passengers in terms of added capacity on routes which are regularly very overcrowded resulting in passengers standing for long periods even outside the peak hours.
• A win for the TOC's as Cross Country (and perhaps Virgin) will be able to grow their markets better with the added capacity, and also operate the trains more cheaply when under the wires.
• A win for the environment.  At a guess over 50% of the routes XC's Voyagers and Super-Voyagers regularly travel on are electrified.  Probably nearer 75% of Virgin's routes.
• A win for the government as it will take the heat off of them regarding Bombadier.
• And a win for Derby's Bombadier plant as it will mean at least some of the workforce will be retained, pending their attempt to win the big future orders for Crossrail, replacement of Pacers/Sprinters etc.

Even issues such as platform lengths will be few and far between as Reading's bay platforms (maximum 5-car length) will be a memory by then with all the extra full-length through platforms to accommodate them.  I will watch this one develop with great interest...

not theirs to sell, are they?

Why would any contract go to Bombardier?

And because Bombadier built the original trains.  It's their design.  I doubt any other manufacturer would even bother to tender - should tendering even be necessary to lengthen an existing fleet?

Because I'm sure Bombardier have the original crayon drawings for the 22x stock somewhere in their possession.  :P ;) ;D

One is whether or not only 4 carriages with diesel engines out of 6 could accelerate and move the train properly.

And lets not forget that additional Win,

Able to keep running when the Wires are down!

.
 I though that at more than 100MPH only one pantograph could be used on a train.

I'm ready to be shot down here by those who know better than I do, but I could have sworn that 390s on the WCML operate with two pantographs up...

I don't know about that I'm affraid.  Seems odd to be though because it would be unnecessary becaus ethe 390 has traction current conductors running the whole length of the train anyway to deliver power to traction motors in intermediate vehicles.

At a guess over 50% of the routes XC's Voyagers and Super-Voyagers regularly travel on are electrified.  Probably nearer 75% of Virgin's routes

Run any Stock with 2 pantographs up that have HV jumpers linking the 2 power cars and you have a BIG problem:

Bombardier: Doubts over Derby factory's CrossCountry hopes

Bombardier does not have the facilities at its Derby factory to carry out work it has been invited to bid for by the government, the BBC understands.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said the firm could protect jobs by securing a deal to upgrade CrossCountry trains.

The work would involve building new steel carriages but the plant is only equipped to weld aluminium, BBC Derby's political reporter Chris Doidge said.

Bombardier said it had not decided where it might build the carriages.

The CrossCountry project, worth about ^120m, would involve adapting a fleet of 57 trains to allow them to partly run on electric power from overhead lines.

However, industry experts have said upgrading the factory to handle steel might not be commercially viable.

Mr Doidge said one alternative would be for the company to build the shells at its factory in Bruges, in Belgium - where the CrossCountry trains were originally made - and ship them to the East Midlands to be finished.

This would mean about 70% of the project would be completed in Derby.

Alternatively, the entire upgrade could be carried out in Belgium.

The Department for Transport said it anticipated that, if the work went ahead, it could largely be delivered in the UK.

However, under EU procurement rules, the government cannot insist on where a contract is fulfilled.

A Bombardier spokesman said: "We welcome that they (the DfT) are looking at this opportunity.

"Where we would build the trains is a bit further down the line. We will look at it at the point of bidding."

It is widely expected the design work for the upgrade will be done in Derby.

About 1,400 jobs are under threat at the Derby plant after the company lost out to Siemens as the government's preferred bidder for the ^1.4bn Thameslink contract.

Last week, 200 Bombardier workers, campaigners and politicians travelled to Westminster to put pressure on the government to rethink the decision.

But Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said the train contract would not be reviewed or put out to tender again.

The Canadian-owned firm employs 3,000 people in Derby.

Run any Stock with 2 pantographs up that have HV jumpers linking the 2 power cars and you have a BIG problem:

So if its only a lego-job in Deby, I wonder how many people they need / will still let go?

I am not aware of any reason that requires different vehicles in a train to built of the same material.

Well that would explain it then. Doesn't necessarily preclude running two electric 'voyagers' in multiple with pans up becuase I'm guessing there won't be a high-voltage bus between them (after all, happens with plenty of other EMUs all the time, albeit at a maximum of 100 mph). I know it sounds like there are other issues that may stop that working for voyagers, but is the difference in speed between 100/110/125mph really so critical...?

I was thinking of additional vehicles including a Cummins and traction motors. Not unpowered.