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Author Topic: IETs into passenger service from 16 Oct 2017 and subsequent performance issues  (Read 544216 times)
martyjon
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« Reply #1230 on: December 21, 2018, 11:33:07 »

Yesterday I was on 1L36, boarding at KEM with an Advance 1st ticket and seat reservation. A 5-car unit was running the service instead of the usual 9-car. 1st was full and standing and, of course, the seat reservations weren't in place so I perched myself at the end of the carriage and prepared for an uncomfortable and expensive journey to London.

However...

At Swindon, 1L34 from Swansea was just pulling in on platform 3 as we waited at platform 1, and was scheduled to depart first. But I had an Advance ticket, only valid on the advertised service. I found the TM(resolve) just to check. He walked me across to platform 3, found the Swansea TM, cleared it with him and pointed me to a virtually empty first class carriage on the (10-car) 1L34.

Moral of the story - the planning and the operation may be wanting but thank you to the dedicated human beings who work for GWR (Great Western Railway), especially those who take the time to go the extra mile for the passengers. Five gold stars and a peaceful Christmas to you all!

 Smiley


Now put your claim in for a refund as you had to 'lump it' from Kemble to Swindon and with tongue in cheek keep mum about what happened at Swindon.
« Last Edit: December 21, 2018, 11:45:14 by martyjon » Logged
broadgage
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« Reply #1231 on: December 21, 2018, 11:49:38 »

Lots of short formations stacking up, 5 instead of 9/10, mainly affecting London to Bristol/Wales services, really poor on what will probably be the busiest Christmas getaway day.

Yes, very poor.
SOME of the short formations are now reinstated as full length, still a significant number of half length trains though.
Welcome to the future !
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A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
TaplowGreen
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« Reply #1232 on: December 21, 2018, 12:39:43 »

.....not IETs (Intercity Express Train) I know however the shortforming of Reading - Gatwick services is hardly ideal in the circumstances either. So much for joined up transport!
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TonyK
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« Reply #1233 on: December 21, 2018, 14:09:41 »

.....not IETs (Intercity Express Train) I know however the shortforming of Reading - Gatwick services is hardly ideal in the circumstances either. So much for joined up transport!

Indeed. A lot of people will want to travel home from Gatwick.
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Now, please!
eightonedee
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« Reply #1234 on: December 21, 2018, 21:42:09 »

Quote
.....not IETs (Intercity Express Train) I know however the shortforming of Reading - Gatwick services is hardly ideal in the circumstances either. So much for joined up transport!

Indeed. A lot of people will want to travel home from Gatwick.

Yup - there was a two car Turbo "doing Gatwicks" all day, even though it appears that three coach trains (including 166s) were covering the other North Downs services. It was my train home tonight (17-44 ex-Guildford, three minutes late at Guildford). It was one of the sets without the new luggage racks and lost time at each station as unfortunate returning passengers with their luggage getting off at each stop struggled past the luggage in the gangway of those remaining on the train, delaying the departure. It arrived 7 minutes late at Reading, arriving at narrow platform 4, so discharged the harassed passengers loaded with luggage into a crowd of other luggage laden passengers for the next service back to Gatwick. Platform 5 was empty, and no-one was waiting for the SWR» (South Western Railway - about) train on 6 - so there was a nice wide clear platform space much more convenient for them lying unused nearby. Such is the way a series of minor thoughtless decisions can make a journey an ordeal.

I missed my connection - and the next train for Goring (the 18-57 ex Reading), always delayed by "splitting" at Reading was seven minutes late leaving, eight late at Goring - with the missed connection, a total of 37 minutes late. Not a disaster, but sufficient to make me glad I don't have to do this again until 2 January.

Happy Christmas everyone!
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Kernowman
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« Reply #1235 on: December 22, 2018, 02:12:13 »

Ok, so I has my first IET (Intercity Express Train), well two of them, on the 18.03 PAD» (Paddington (London) - next trains) - PZ on the 20th Dec which I did throughout. I aimed to go with an open mind and here are my experiences/thoughts:
Reservations; many people travelling to Cornwall (myself included) were booked in the rear five coaches, a bit of a shame as apparently the rear set was coming off at Plymouth! This resulted in many people running between the two trains at stations such as Newbury and Taunton to get into the front set. This resulted in a very busy front unit and a quiet(ish) rear unit, a fairly predictable problem when you have two shorter trains coupled together (with no gangway connection) instead of one long train.  I myself didn't bother to go to the front unit until Plymouth was reached, there was plenty of time at Plymouth to do this as it seemed to take an age to uncouple the two units, in fact station dwell times generally were quiet long.
I'd heard about problems with reservations on IETs (surely automated reservations and coach numbers should be easy to do?) Anyway I hope that it is sorted out before any more IET's are introduced.
Catering: There was a trolley service, which didn't have much of a selection and in my opinion doesn't compare with the standard or range that a buffet provides. I've also noticed that even on a quiet(ish) train passengers, who are going to the toilet/going to their seat/trying to get off, tend to 'bunch up' behind the trolley as they are waiting to get past. Once in Cornwall there was no trolley service at all! - As an HST (High Speed Train) this service had a buffet open to around Redruth.
The acceleration was very good, although station dwell times tended to cancel this out and the train was generally about 5 minutes late.
I thought the leg room was pretty good.
I thought that the toilets were generally pretty good, but a word of advice, check that the water tap works before you use the soap, otherwise you could end up with a hand full of soap with no water or paper napkins to wash it off!
One final point about 5 car IETs in Cornwall is that, whilst they are adequate in West Cornwall, they get very full in East Cornwall.
That's all for now.
Merry Christmas,
KM

« Last Edit: December 22, 2018, 02:28:10 by Kernowman » Logged
IndustryInsider
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« Reply #1236 on: December 22, 2018, 11:58:48 »

Reservations; many people travelling to Cornwall (myself included) were booked in the rear five coaches, a bit of a shame as apparently the rear set was coming off at Plymouth! This resulted in many people running between the two trains at stations such as Newbury and Taunton to get into the front set. This resulted in a very busy front unit and a quiet(ish) rear unit, a fairly predictable problem when you have two shorter trains coupled together (with no gangway connection) instead of one long train. 

The reservation system obviously shouldn't book people in a section of a train that's not going to their destination.  Though I think that can happen if the sets are presented by Hitachi the 'wrong way round', as the system puts the reservations in the wrong half of the train.  The Train Manager (or Driver) can manually correct that, but perhaps didn't notice until it was too late?

Either that, or it was planned for all 10 to go to Penzance but some short notice operational problem caused 5 to be taken off at Plymouth.

Whichever was the reason, there is still a long way to go to get the reservation system working as it was specified by the DfT» (Department for Transport - about), though when it is working properly it is a very good system.

I took several trips as a passenger yesterday and (notwithstanding the ones that were running as short formations which I didn't sample fortunately) the extra capacity meant the trains seemed less crammed in that you might expect for the time of year, so the big capacity boost over a HST (High Speed Train) looks be paying dividends.  Indeed, I heard one woman say how pleasant it was on the IET (Intercity Express Train) as she'd been packed in like sardines on a journey from East Anglia and on the tube.

The continued unacceptable levels of shortforming need to be addressed soon though.
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« Reply #1237 on: December 23, 2018, 10:48:04 »

My daughter travelled Paddington to Bristol Parkway on Saturday afternoon.  She said the train was full but everyone she could see was seated.  The problem was the lack of luggage capacity.  She described it as 'we were all playing tetris with our cases'.
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stuving
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« Reply #1238 on: December 30, 2018, 19:30:31 »

From Rail magazine on Friday (though obviously some kind of GWR (Great Western Railway) press release):
Quote
Huge increase in capacity on GWR as final Class 800 enters traffic

More than 10,000 extra seats will be available to Great Western Railway passengers on January 2, compared with the same number last year.

This follows the delivery of the final Class 800 Intercity Express Train.

GWR says 658 new carriages have been introduced in the past 18 months, including 57 Class 800s as well as its Class 387 Electrostar fleet. A further 15 Class 802s are to be introduced during 2019.

GWR Managing Director Mark Hopwood said: “The new Intercity Express Trains have already helped us increase seats on the journeys they operate by almost a quarter, and in the past three months are proving 20% more reliable than the older trains they are replacing. And they’ve helped deliver some of the best on-train satisfaction scores for some time – including improvements in seat comfort and on-board information.

“From the New Year, thanks to the progression of Network Rail’s electrification programme, we will also be able to run electric trains to Newbury for the first time.”

An IET (Intercity Express Train) has 24% more seating per train than the High Speed Trains they are replacing.

Hitachi Rail Europe MD Karen Boswell said: “Thanks to the hard work of our teams across the country we’ve now delivered all the Intercity Express Trains for GWR’s mainline route, benefitting millions of journeys. From our train factory in the North East through to our dedicated maintenance teams in London, Bristol and Swansea, we are proud to be part of the Great Western family.”

Following completion of electrification to Newbury, Class 387s suburban commuter will start serving the town from January 2.

Network Rail Western Route MD Mark Langman said: “Passengers from London to the west and south west are now seeing the huge benefits of the biggest modernisation of the railway since it was built following years of upgrades and unprecedented investment.

“We have worked closely with GWR as the railway has been transformed in all regions that we cover.

“In 2019 the transformation will continue including in January where electric services will start at Bristol Parkway and Newbury for the first time.”
 
  •   For the FULL story, read RAIL 870, published on January 16, and available digitally on Android, iPad and Kindle from January 12.

Somehow, I suspect there are members who might feel inclined to quibble with some of what Mark Hopwood said there.
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Dispatch Box
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« Reply #1239 on: December 30, 2018, 20:53:00 »

From Rail magazine on Friday (though obviously some kind of GWR (Great Western Railway) press release):
Quote
Huge increase in capacity on GWR as final Class 800 enters traffic

More than 10,000 extra seats will be available to Great Western Railway passengers on January 2, compared with the same number last year.

This follows the delivery of the final Class 800 Intercity Express Train.

GWR says 658 new carriages have been introduced in the past 18 months, including 57 Class 800s as well as its Class 387 Electrostar fleet. A further 15 Class 802s are to be introduced during 2019.

GWR Managing Director Mark Hopwood said: “The new Intercity Express Trains have already helped us increase seats on the journeys they operate by almost a quarter, and in the past three months are proving 20% more reliable than the older trains they are replacing. And they’ve helped deliver some of the best on-train satisfaction scores for some time – including improvements in seat comfort and on-board information.

“From the New Year, thanks to the progression of Network Rail’s electrification programme, we will also be able to run electric trains to Newbury for the first time.”

An IET (Intercity Express Train) has 24% more seating per train than the High Speed Trains they are replacing.

Hitachi Rail Europe MD Karen Boswell said: “Thanks to the hard work of our teams across the country we’ve now delivered all the Intercity Express Trains for GWR’s mainline route, benefitting millions of journeys. From our train factory in the North East through to our dedicated maintenance teams in London, Bristol and Swansea, we are proud to be part of the Great Western family.”

Following completion of electrification to Newbury, Class 387s suburban commuter will start serving the town from January 2.

Network Rail Western Route MD Mark Langman said: “Passengers from London to the west and south west are now seeing the huge benefits of the biggest modernisation of the railway since it was built following years of upgrades and unprecedented investment.

“We have worked closely with GWR as the railway has been transformed in all regions that we cover.

“In 2019 the transformation will continue including in January where electric services will start at Bristol Parkway and Newbury for the first time.”
 
  •   For the FULL story, read RAIL 870, published on January 16, and available digitally on Android, iPad and Kindle from January 12.

Somehow, I suspect there are members who might feel inclined to quibble with some of what Mark Hopwood said there.


No could not seem to find anything wrong with it, as long as they deliver.
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FarWestJohn
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« Reply #1240 on: December 31, 2018, 19:16:42 »

I had my first trip on an 802 last Saturday 1310 (about 8 late) from Plymouth to Truro which was 2 X 5 and extremely busy. I would not have wanted to see that split and only 5 carry on it to Cornwall!! I was very impressed with station dwell times, 10 seconds for doors to open and 90 seconds on average to moving again. Pretty good with 26 metre coach with end doors and busy!!
I was in the 8th coach and over a bogie which sounded like it was working very hard and surprising considering the 70 mph line speed in Cornwall. There was also a loud whine every so often when the engine appeared to be driving hard. The reservation system was working and the LED indicators were the only thing to brighten up the interior.
I have been on 800s before on diesel and the 802 seemed no different.
Summary: Not bad but not a comfy long distance inter city trains. Just electro diesel multiple units with an interior designed by ??. I feel sorry for Hitachi because they manufacture superb trains when ordered by someone who knows what they are doing. Really pleased we are keeping some shortened HSTs (High Speed Train) and I think I will search them out in the future.
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sikejsudjek3
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« Reply #1241 on: December 31, 2018, 22:52:52 »

Improvement in seat comfort ? Who's he kidding ?
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1st fan
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« Reply #1242 on: January 06, 2019, 23:48:43 »


Summary: Not bad but not a comfy long distance inter city trains. Just electro diesel multiple units with an interior designed by ??. I feel sorry for Hitachi because they manufacture superb trains when ordered by someone who knows what they are doing. Really pleased we are keeping some shortened HSTs (High Speed Train) and I think I will search them out in the future.
The interiors were designed by DCA Design https://www.dca-design.com The seats are from Fainsa
www.compin.com/group/fainsa
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broadgage
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« Reply #1243 on: January 12, 2019, 23:58:39 »

According to various reports, the proposed/promised/planned new Hitachi nuclear power station at Wylfa is likely to be cancelled due to concerns about escalating costs and growing delays.

Whilst this appears of little relevance to the IET (Intercity Express Train) problems, it has been suggested that if "Hitachi cant even build a train that works, whom would trust them with a nuke ?"

Is the Hitachi brand becoming toxic?
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A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
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« Reply #1244 on: January 13, 2019, 00:23:29 »

Whilst this appears of little relevance to the IET (Intercity Express Train) problems, it has been suggested that if "Hitachi cant even build a train that works, whom would trust them with a nuke ?"

Who has suggested that, broadgage?
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