New Railway Parcels Service

[whole diary]

[stuving]

More info here: https://orion.railopsgroup.co.uk/

Is Orion (a subsidiary of Rail Operations Group) yet another separate contender - number four?

[SandTEngineer]

More info here: https://orion.railopsgroup.co.uk/

Is Orion (a subsidiary of Rail Operations Group) yet another separate contender - number four?

Yes, I believe so.

[stuving]

Not exactly parcels, but ...

You may have seen the news that a TGV was used today to transport 20 COVID-19 patients from Strasbourg to other places where hospitals still have ICU capacity (Le Mans, Angers, Nantes, La-Roche-sur-Yon). While described as a "first in Europe", obviously it was nothing of the kind - certainly if you look back as far as WW1; probably much more recently. In addition,SNCF have always run stripped-out carriages for those on stretchers and other wheeled sickbeds to Lourdes, and reportedly now have a TGV to do likewise.

This was in any case more of an improvisation that an adaptation. Four stretchers were lodged across the backs of four facing second-class seats in a lower saloon, and tied down with straps. Oxygen bottles and all the support machinery, including ventilators, were put on the floor or seats underneath.  The advantage compared to road or helicopter ambulances is mainly extra space for staff and ease of access to the patient - the only comparable method is the French army's medevac aircraft, an A330 with four IC beds in it, which was used for similar transfers a few days ago.

The value of the operation was related to way the outbreak was been so heavily concentrated in Alsace and nearby, with very few in the west so far. But everyone expects that to change quite soon, of course. Here, while it's not yet clear, it looks as if London will reach ICU saturation first.

[nickswift99]

The NRM has an interesting article about the last British ambulance train which ran until 1994. https://blog.railwaymuseum.org.uk/commander-of-last-british-ambulance-train-speaks-at-nrm-railways-and-warfare-conference/

[Surrey 455]

I came across this on Twitter yesterday from GB Railfreight

We've successfully trialled using former commuter trains for the express delivery of parcels Package

The trial showed how the service could play a role in helping with the logistical challenge of delivering vital supplies to UK hospitals.

The accompanying photos aren't very exciting, they show one of those high sided cages in a former London Midland train with the seats still in place!

[stuving]

Orion have had a converted train doing the rounds to have its picture took for several months. It looks very ... blue. From Orion's pages on the ROG site:

The First of Many
18 November 2020

Well here it is...the first of many.

Orion leading the way with specially converted multiple units for the High-Speed Logistics sector.

Here's 319373 on show in the Princess Royal Distribution Centre in north London.

This comes from Modern Railways back in August:

The train is the first of an initial fleet of three units that Orion, a sister company of empty stock mover Rail Operations Group, is planning to introduce into service early next year. The other two units are being converted into parcels Class 769s, with the addition of diesel engines at the Brush plant in Loughborough.

The plan is that the units will operate as eight-car trains shuttling between the port at London Gateway and Liverpool Street station in central London. The ‘319’ will run in tandem with a Class 769 sister unit, with the latter acting as a tractor unit on the unelectrified Gateway branch.

At Liverpool Street, the trains will use platforms 9 and 10, which have road access, with electric bikes and electric vans shuttling the parcels to city centre destinations to add to the operation’s green credentials

Oh dear.

[IndustryInsider]

An update on this interesting idea:

https://www.railjournal.com/freight/rail-operations-uk-to-launch-orion-logistics-service-in-april/

[paul7755]

An update on this interesting idea:

https://www.railjournal.com/freight/rail-operations-uk-to-launch-orion-logistics-service-in-april/

Much confused reporting there, I reckon “London to Liverpool” seems to be the originally reported London Gateway (shipping terminal) to Liverpool Street, reading between the lines.  Either the journalist has misinterpreted, or it’s been badly edited...

Paul