Doesn't GENIUS still exist, though? AIUI^▸ (as I understand it) that is still used as a general on-line data viewer away from head office, but is no longer used (or "to be used") for stock allocation.

While the report I found last night talks about Integrale (or its use in GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)) being new within the last year, its date (which I missed out) was 2017. Integrale itself goes back even further, though it looks as if its use was rather narrower for stock allocation and has grown.

It is one of a whole soup-bowl of acronyms for what Network Rail have called Railway Code Systems (there's a catalogue of them). Some of those are obviously industry-wide, for example if NR^» (Network Rail - home page) runs them and everyone else joins in. For others, such as Integrale, it's less clear - for example this is NR's catalogue entry from 2015:

Of course the way software uses networking these days makes such a distinction hard to draw anyway, though if you're head of IT and security at one TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) it might interest you.

As an aside, this thread on railforums included several posts at the end from user JN114 - who works at GWR and describes the shuffling of information about train formations, part-manual and part-automatic, between acronyms to reach station displays.

We hope that it will be concluded as soon as possible.

In the (good) old days we just used to paint black triangles etc on the ends of units.

There'll always be a real world beyond the virtual one of software.

OTC

Yes indeed, a clear benefit of MU^▸ (Multiple Unit) working over loco and coaches.  The HST also had ‘computer says no’ moments when dealing with wheel slide in the form of a ‘locked axle’ warning.  You had to reset the system and do a rotation test every time which was a pain.

Of course if we had "Japanese levels of reliability" 

Perhaps 'Incider' can comment further?

But a couple of potential factors:

The 14:15 Cardiff sets then form the 16:56 Cardiff to Paddington which I would imagine is also quite busy, but, more importantly, those sets then form the 19:30 Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare.  That's the first super off-peak train from Paddington to places like Bath and Bristol and is also a very busy train.  I expect the many hundreds of passengers wanting that train would congratulate the decision to form that diagram with 10-cars instead of 5-cars rather than think someone should be dismissed.  The Swansea set works a much later train out of Paddington as its final run of the day.

Also, if you were to swap the 10-car train onto the 14:45 to Swansea, then your set for the 14:15 to Cardiff would be formed off of a train arriving at 14:14.  Even with that train arriving 5 minutes early today, you would then be looking at a late start.

I can only trust what the Managing Director has said which is that there is much less maintenance after the December timetable so availability should be a lot better.  If it isn't and we do get significant numbers of shortforms on busy trains from then onwards, I will soon be taking the side of those who have said 5-car trains were not the right decision.

Finally, on a slight tangent, we're in the middle of the leaf fall period, yet the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) are proving pretty good at dealing with that - so much so that I don't think the leaf fall season has been mentioned on here this year yet.  By now in previous years we'd no doubt have been dealing with HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) getting stuck up Dainton/Rattery/Hemerdon and Campden Banks, or losing loads of time, and no doubt there would have been many more cancellations as a result of that.  A shortform is better than no train at all.

This is how the road vehicle industry categorises

A Scrap – complete vehicle crushed without any components being removed.
B Break – body-shell/chassis crushed without any structural components being removed.
S Structurally damaged but repairable.
N Non-structurally damaged but repairable.

And I would be a-MAZED if the Longrock unit is worse than an N.   Minor in damage, but may be expensive to fix. Rather depends on whether they're built for each component switching (Lego train) if something gets damaged

Leaving aside the exact cause of the mishap at Penzance, it must be accepted that these sorts of minor accidents are part of running a railway.
It might never happen again in the exact same place, but it seems a reasonable supposition that something similar will happen again somewhere.

Fleet size and maintenance/repair arrangements really should allow for this sort of thing.

For two years we have had regular short formations, with various excuses offered. If a single minor and entirely foreseeable mishap results in short formations for a few months, that is very poor indeed.

Years ago, I forecast that short formations would be a regular feature. I based this forecast not on any detailed study or analysis, but simply on experience of other new train fleets. Progress I know, but still regrettable.

Any ideas as to what happened please?

In think there's a unit down in Cornwall with a scratched nose that might account for one of those short formations.

A pair of pictures of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) 800 bogies ... driving and non-driving, I believe.   A little bit like "completing the record" as I note various other pictures already posted.

Waiting on P1 at Bath today, a 9-car IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) drew up on the opposite platform heading for London. I noticed that the first two or three coaches had a metal grill over the wheels and brake discs, but the following six or seven did not. What is the grill for and why would it be only partially present?