12 car trains made up of 3 x 4 car corridor EMUs▸ has been routine on the three "southern" TOCs▸ for ages. Stopping at mostly 12 car platforms but eventually getting to shorter platforms at some stations further down the line is also commonplace. It really isn't a major problem.
We now have some 10-car (2x458) trains running on Reading-Waterloo, though still more 8-car ones. From the start they had warnings about short platforms in the recorded "next stop" messages, though of course the limited choice of stopping patterns makes that easier to provide. To start with the guards included the same warnings, using almost the same words, for every stop. In fact it gets rather tedious to have so much repetition - and that may even make it easier to forget about it (though I'd be unlikely to use an affected station anyway).
Are there any examples where it is as many as 5 carriages at the rear which remain locked? And if there are would any of them have hundreds of passengers alighting such as at Maidenhead and Twyford? I think the fact it's a 'new' way of working at stations like Maidenhead means it should be given more attention than it was yesterday, and sticking a few posters up is not enough. I agree with 'a-driver' that any platform extensions at both locations should have been completed on time.
In some cases there might be a margin to cross the 387 over to platform 4 at Twyford East and back over at Twyford West - that would create a cross platform transfer for the Henley Branch and reduce or eliminate any hold being needed.
The crossover at Tywford East is only 25mph and has 'approach controlled' signalling, so by the time a train is signalled in via that route it would actually be slower in terms of transferring passengers than getting them to go over the (well located) footbridge as normal.
Apparently there were 11 Class 387 units out of service yesterday, which is about 25% of the fleet.
I don't know what the issues were, but I find that odd given that these trains having been running for several years (although not on GWR▸ ) and that the GWR examples were the last off the 'production' line.
Despite all being used, many have had very light use over the last few months, some sitting for weeks on end in Didcot Yard, as there simply weren't the diagrams for them - I believe some required software updates for example. Combined with the fatality at Iver late Monday evening, it's perhaps not surprising fleet availability was poor, though that should have been predicted as yesterday was a disaster. Seems to be
much better today though? What experiences have JaneS, TG and Nick had today?
0701 from Taplow this morning, plenty of space but rammed by Paddington, few minutes late......on 1859 heading home, short formed (4 coach 387) full & standing on departure, people left shouting on platform at Ealing Broadway.
