ScotRail's plans for their HSTs.

[whole diary]

[LiskeardRich]

I thought I read in thaty thread that they were saying GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) had them too?

The current HST^▸ (High Speed Train) seats are a former model of that manufacturer. The green 150248 has a current version by the looks of it, I'm on 150248 now and they do look like the ones on that webpage

[chrisr_75]

I thought I read in thaty thread that they were saying GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) had them too?

I read it slightly differently, but I see where you're coming from now I re-read it!

I just googled for interior photos of ScotRail 158's and the seats do indeed appear to be the same as in GWR standard class, complete with the Mickey Mouse ears, although yellow rather than magenta or whatever the GWR colour is...

[Timmer]

Just makes me wonder why GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) spent the money to revamp the interiors of all the 1st class

To soften the blow to First class passengers where either an entire carriage or half a carriage was removed from every set, decreasing seating and vastly increasing the cost of 1st Advance tickets on most services.

Still it's one of the best interior refurbs I've seen, GWR did a greet job. I shall be sad to see them go as the First class on the new trains looks at present very basic and plastic.

[JayMac]

Further detail on the refurbishment on HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) for ScotRail, including computer generated images of their livery, can be read here:

http://www.railengineer.uk/2017/03/23/scotrails-new-hsts/

[ChrisB]

Only 2 cycle spaces available for non-end-2-end journeys might be a tad lacking?

[IndustryInsider]

It'll be the same on a 5-car IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train)!

[stuving]

It'll be the same on a 5-car IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train)!

The IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) (or SET^▸ (Super Express Train (now IET)) ... or SEP?) requirement was for one two-bike bay (shared use with oversize luggage) per unit. Hitachi's drawings, however, show two per five-car unit. But, as we know, these bits are lego-swappable at or after production, so that doesn't constrain what we'll end up with.

But the real point is surely about this new (I think) concept of additional space for bikes but only on end-to-end journeys. Scotrail may well be able to offer more bike spaces than GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), as these services at least are not perpetually short of space for passengers. But what proportion of bike-toting travellers go from end to end on these routes? Surely not the leisure visitors to some of the prettier bits (even if for some of us those bits are nothing like flat enough for cycling)?

[ChrisB]

I'm guessing that some Scotrail station platforms are too short to get both power cars on & thus only available at the ends of each journey where platforms are guaranteed long enough? Or is it simply to save time with the guard only needing to open up these areas at the start or end of the journey?

[LiskeardRich]

I'm guessing that some Scotrail station platforms are too short to get both power cars on & thus only available at the ends of each journey where platforms are guaranteed long enough? Or is it simply to save time with the guard only needing to open up these areas at the start or end of the journey?

My first thought was short platforms.

[IndustryInsider]

From what I've seen it's one bike compartment per 5-car IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train), and with regard to Scotrail's HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s it's probably a bit of both - they are pains in the arse to access (hence rarely being used on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s services - though of course you have six normal spaces on those), and I expect short platforms are a hinderance as well.

[Richard Fairhurst]

There's a lot of end-to-end cycle carriage on ScotRail, not least people returning from Land's End-John O'Groats rides.

Very worried if it's really only going to be two bike spaces on the five-coach GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) though. As stuving says, the plans back in 2012 showed four (=2 'bike and bulk rooms').

[IndustryInsider]

I agree.  I believe the other bulk room is a small catering store for the trolley and associated equipment and supplies.

[JayMac]

The first GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) set (2x Class 43, 6x Mk3) destined for Scotrail will be heading north on 31st August, via refurbishment work at Loughborough and Doncaster. That's according to owner Angel Trains, confirmed to RAIL magazine.

http://www.railmagazine.com/news/fleet/first-gwr-high-speed-train-off-lease-this-month

I wonder what that means for GWR HST^▸ (High Speed Train) fleet availability after 31st August. They're struggling at the moment. Will there be an IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) diagram on 1st September?

Thanks to bobm for the heads up on this story.

[Bmblbzzz]

If the bike spaces are to be shared with oversize luggage, it hardly matters how many there are. They will be full of (not necessarily oversize) suitcases even when there is lots of other luggage space available, just like on XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise))'s Voyagers. 

[TaplowGreen]

The first GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) set (2x Class 43, 6x Mk3) destined for Scotrail will be heading north on 31st August, via refurbishment work at Loughborough and Doncaster. That's according to owner Angel Trains, confirmed to RAIL magazine.

http://www.railmagazine.com/news/fleet/first-gwr-high-speed-train-off-lease-this-month

I wonder what that means for GWR HST^▸ (High Speed Train) fleet availability after 31st August. They're struggling at the moment. Will there be an IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) diagram on 1st September?

Thanks to bobm for the heads up on this story.

Probably likely to short form whatever's left over as they are doing with  a lot of the remaining Turbo services on LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley)?