Class 150 Reading to Basingstoke

[whole diary]

[phile]

As the Cascade of 150s from LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) is now complete, I have decided to post this item on this Board where I feel it may be more appropriate rather than on the "Across The West" Board.   150002 is at Reading for staff familiarisation and 150001 is at Barton Hill being refreshed into FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Livery etc.

[anthony215]

As the Cascade of 150s from LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) is now complete, I have decided to post this item on this Board where I feel it may be more appropriate rather than on the "Across The West" Board.   150002 is at Reading for staff familiarisation and 150001 is at Barton Hill being refreshed into FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Livery etc.

Its on WNXX^▸ (Stored Unserviceable, Mainline Locos HQ All Classes)  that 150001 is also having some structural work done to it as well, I wonder what the structural problem is.

Hopefully we will be able to see these 2  class 150's in service soon.

I think praise has to be given to the FGW mangement for coming up with this idea.

[phile]

Yes.   Obtained additional Sets for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) as a whole.   The original DaFT^» (Department for Transport - critical sounding abbreviation I discourage - about) intention was to go into Store at Eastleigh.   One of them actually moved there and subsequently recovered .   Also obtained the oddball toiletless 150209 to use as Centre Cars to from 3 Coach 150 Sets.

[The SprinterMeister]

Its on WNXX^▸ (Stored Unserviceable, Mainline Locos HQ All Classes)  that 150001 is also having some structural work done to it as well, I wonder what the structural problem is.

General heavy repairs to coach bodyshells. Those 150/0's have been around for well over 25 years.

150001 to move from Barton Hill to RDG^‡(resolve) this coming Monday I believe. Fitting staff being trained using 150002.

Edited to fix quote. i_b

[coachflyer]

150001 ran two test trains today.

It is hoped to be out doing a few trips in passenger service tomorrow starting with the 1007 to help speed up training.

Full service with both units is due to start on 27 Feb.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

photos on flickr, the outside looks smart would be interesting to see how they are inside

[IndustryInsider]

It is hoped to be out doing a few trips in passenger service tomorrow starting with the 1007 to help speed up training.

Quite correct - it managed to successfully work 16 trains between the two peaks working alternate trains with 165122.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Basingstoke Gazette:

Peak time rail capacity to go up between Basingstoke and Reading

Train capacity between Basingstoke and Reading will be beefed up by 12 per cent at peak times ^ thanks to investment from rail operator First Great Western.

The first of two Class 150 trains, which previously served London Midland, began operating on weekday commuter services along the route on January 30. The other is expected to be in operation by the end of February.

Pictures of the train chugging along its new route were captured by Marion and David Canning, well-known railway photographers based in Aldermaston.

Mr Canning praised First Great Western for bringing the carriages into use. He said: ^I feel they are a big improvement, although older, as the extra coach will help a lot. The newest is not always the best ^ it was quite a smooth ride and the seats are nice and comfortable.^

The new trains are an answer to increased demand for First Great Western services, according to bosses.

First Great Western managing director Mark Hopwood explained: ^While that demand is gratifying in one respect, it has put real pressure on the capacity of some of our services, particularly at peak times.

^I am pleased we have been able to deliver these investments for our customers, even as we approach the final year of the current franchise.

^We have been working closely with the Department for Transport for some time to find a way to deliver that extra capacity for customers, and I am delighted we were able to reach a new deal and deliver extra seats for Basingstoke commuters.^

[IndustryInsider]

Full service with both units is due to start on 27 Feb.

And it has - though 150002 was suffering with engine problems and was replaced mid-morning today.  Best that a 165 is kept on standby for the time being I think! 

[JayMac]

Where are these two 150s being maintained? Is light work being done at Reading with anything more serious requiring a move to SPM^▸ (St Philip's Marsh (Bristol depot))?

[inspector_blakey]

I think Reading is also set up to do heavy maintenance on 14x and 15x units as well as the Turbos, so they shouldn't need to return to the Marsh. It's not unheard of for Sprinters and Pacers to find their way to Reading from SPM^▸ (St Philip's Marsh (Bristol depot)) for heavy work on occasion.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the letters page of the Basingstoke Gazette:

No new trains, just old problems

Sir.^I was sorry to see that Basingstoke MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) Maria Miller fell for the "spin" that First Great Western trains gave her.

The replacement trains on the stopping service between Basingstoke and Reading are not new. They are some of the oldest in service, built in 1984.

The newer "Turbos" have been transferred to FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s more important routes. There are more seats but the space per seat is much less and there is no first class.

I would be less than pleased if I commuted to Paddington every day and paid extra for first class. In December, I wrote to Maria warning her of the planned changes and the likely effect on services. I was assured that it would be better.

The new trains are far from reliable. There are only two of them with no back-up. In the last three weeks, there have been several failures. One afternoon both units failed leaving a gap of 90 minutes between trains.

Only two weeks ago, when I tried to travel to Reading, one of the units failed at Basingstoke leaving a 60-minute gap between trains. On Friday, that unit was still awaiting repair. So much for improved reliability.

Even when working, the "new" trains struggle to keep time. My train was 10 minutes late leaving Reading, due probably to congestion whilst rebuilding takes place. It failed to make up any time. This caused me to miss my "new" hourly bus service to Old Basing.

Maria, please experience for yourself the public transport that your constituents endure. Come on the late running 09.30am bus from Old Basing with 15 passengers standing. Come to the station and miss the train. Wait for an hour because your "new" train has failed.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

wasn't interested in the hourly xc fast service then?

[Jason]

Having endured these 'new' trains for some weeks now as part of my daily commute to London I can but concur with this level of frustration.

The punctuality is appalling with the departure boards in both directions regularly showing delays. Whilst waiting for the delayed 6:19 from Mortimer last week, the 6:16 down to Basingstoke was even then showing a 10 minute delay.
Even when stated as on-time the trains will run a few minutes late. All within tolerance but this was very much the exception with the Turbo services.

The reliability would appear to be highly questionable judging by the (welcome) number of times that Turbo trains have been back on the route during the week.

It seems to take an inordinate amount of time for the door light to illuminate when stopping at stations and then again to get moving again.

The interior decor is a thin veneer of modernity over what is clearly a dated shell. Despite the space from the extra carriage the seating layout feels cramped. Many people prefer to stand despite the presence of plenty of seating. The sets of three seats are fit only for children or two adults sharing bag space on the centre one.

To address one point in the quoted article though - to their credit, FGW^▸ (First Great Western) did compensate first class season ticket holders for the cessation of that part of the service.

[anthony215]

I have noticed the class 150's do seems to be a  little slugish then again ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) do have 1 or 2 which are very quick off the mark.

I wonder if the class 150's are refurbished to meet DDA^» (Disability Discrimination Act - about) legislation that the new dorr lights etc will iluminate more quickly.

I think praise has to be given to the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) manageent for getting these class 150's and hopefully things will get sorted out soon