I’m not stating those rumours aren’t true, but I’ve not heard any of them. Castle Class HSTs▸ will be running as far as Cardiff (from Penzance).
According to a Swansea driver there will be a few Penzance to Swansea services operated by Castle HSTs with Swansea drivers learning down to Taunton.
IndustryInsider: Have you heard any rumours regarding the Paddington to Cheltenham services?
Everything I have seen or heard states they will normally operate no further than on services between Penzance and Cardiff in passenger service, along with the 158 fleet -
IIRC▸ there are three daily services expected to do that route in entirety, though I don’t know what the HST/158 split on those services will be. That of course is quite far anyway, and wouldn’t necessarily preclude Swansea drivers from driving them as a second option as well as Bristol depot.
Regarding Cheltenham services all I’ve heard is that from December the plan is to go hourly throughout the day, seven days a week, using
IETs▸ , with fairly substantial journey time reductions. Have you heard different?
Technical question. With HSTs through their life, the individual formations have changed relatively easily with the addition or removal of carriages (and we see a glorious mix of green ones and blue ones) - will that be as easy with Castle classes with automatic doors? I have to wonder if a 2+4 could become a 2+6 or 2+8 as capacity busters - whether the extras come from another set or even elsewhere.
I don’t think there would be many issues in extending them, or replacing a carriage if necessary. The door interlock of the carriages is now linked to the power cars, but the basic method of operating is little changed.
