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Author Topic: Problems with IET trains from April 2021  (Read 93549 times)
didcotdean
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« Reply #480 on: August 27, 2021, 14:05:20 »

On the original plan the Oxford terminating fasts would have been Electrostars (not necessarily 387s at the beginning) with only the services continuing up the North Cotts being bimode IETs (Intercity Express Train). These have ended up with the twists and turns of time on the Heathrow Express.

GWR (Great Western Railway) managed to neutralise an amount of the early wrong-thinking of the fleet balance with the 802 order but they couldn't do it all.
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broadgage
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« Reply #481 on: August 27, 2021, 20:36:28 »

There's another factor for which Hitatchi cannot be blamed.

If the first phase of the GWM electrification had gone to plan, with wires to Oxford and Bristol Temple Meads, GW (Great Western) could have used all those colourful Electrostars that the other TOCs (Train Operating Company) have lent them to cover a larger proportion of IET (Intercity Express Train) services while (hopefully) they are being fixed.

Indeed, if we had had a sustained proper electrification campaign in the last 40 years any stock anywhere in the UK (United Kingdom) apart from 3rd rail only could have filled the gap.....

True, but I fail to see the relevance.
The IETs were ordered to fulfill certain specified needs, and have miserably failed to meet the contracted availability. The fact that electrification, if delivered in a timely fashion, could have reduced the need for IETs, is not really relevant.

I say again that our government need to say to Hitachi "You made them, you fix them" Or in more detail, make available for daily use the contracted number of trains. One means of achieving this would be supply extra or longer units so as to make up for the less than expected availability of the original build.
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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.
stuving
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« Reply #482 on: September 09, 2021, 18:39:03 »

The ORR» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about)'s interim report on the cracking problems has been published. Most of its content is about how the various bits of "the railway" coped with this, with safety the primary concern throughout. As such, the detailed technical descriptions of the cracking are background material. They are also incomplete, in the sense that the big question - how did Hitachi screw up so badly - is still being addressed. ORR will be concerned with that subject mainly in reviewing the processes involved in getting new trains accepted for use.

A lot of consultants have been involved in this, some of whom were also involved on the various train programmes. I was surprised to read this:
Quote
51. Hitachi and the TOC (Train Operating Company) engineers made use of independent technical advice, including The Welding Institute, Ricardo and Professor Rod Smith of Imperial College, London for Hitachi, SNC-L for LNER» (London North Eastern Railway - about) and First Group’s central engineering organisation that supports its individual TOCs. A factor in Hitachi’s selection of Ricardo was the absence of previous technical involvement with the introduction of AT300 rolling stock to service.

Ricardo worked for Hitachi to produce the safety case for IEP (Intercity Express Program / Project.). While this is essentially a (virtual) paperwork exercise, I think it still does count as "technical".

SNC-Lavalin, as LNER's main advisors for the safety of reintroducing the trains after the May withdrawal, seem to have been a bit more cautious than everyone else. As it happens Interfleet, now part of SNC-L, was the Notified Body that certified all the AT200 and AT300 fleets as meeting the relevant standard (EN126631:2010 Railway Applications – Structural Requirements of Railway Vehicle Bodies). Small, world, these days.

Of course these different functions are parts of much larger organisatons, so should be capaple of acting independently. And the evidence above does suggest that this has been the case.
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broadgage
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« Reply #483 on: September 11, 2021, 10:54:43 »

Indeed.  I can’t remember the last time I heard of a coupling failure.

Do you consider the project to have been a success then ?

Some elements have been a success, others not so.

Post #1653 in this thread http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=5508.1650 Suggests that coupling/uncoupling at Plymouth was causing time keeping issues and is therefore being avoided.
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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.
PhilWakely
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« Reply #484 on: September 17, 2021, 11:10:15 »

And the next one please?

Seats -> Catering -> Bicycles -> Surf Boards -> Cracks ............. now diesel pollution!
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Bob_Blakey
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« Reply #485 on: September 17, 2021, 14:21:28 »

SWTSMBO (She Who Thinks She Must Be Obeyed) was booked to travel on the 1558 WKF>KGX next Monday (20/09) but an email from LNER» (London North Eastern Railway - about) on Wednesday advised that the service had been cancelled because a number of Azuma (Brand name for Class 80x trains on LNER) units were being temporarily taken out of service for unspecified safety checks. Have they found the same issue as affected the GWR (Great Western Railway) IET (Intercity Express Train)'s or is this something different?

On the plus side the email carried a link via which any booking could be changed.
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broadgage
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« Reply #486 on: September 17, 2021, 15:50:40 »

And the next one please?

Seats -> Catering -> Bicycles -> Surf Boards -> Cracks ............. now diesel pollution!

Not certain that I would hold diesel pollution against them since the proper trains that we had before the IETs (Intercity Express Train) also burnt diesel fuel and produced pollution.
The other problems though ARE due to a poorly specified and badly built train.
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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 #487 on: September 17, 2021, 15:51:06 »

And the next one please?

Seats -> Catering -> Bicycles -> Surf Boards -> Cracks ............. now diesel pollution!

Blimey. That's not good...................I guess GWR (Great Western Railway) can say that by cancelling so many services due to staff shortages they are reducing pollution though?  Roll Eyes
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broadgage
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« Reply #488 on: September 17, 2021, 17:50:43 »

Indeed, the least polluting train is the one that stays in the depot. Or perhaps even better one that is not built.
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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.
stuving
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« Reply #489 on: September 17, 2021, 17:53:50 »

Indeed, the least polluting train is the one that stays in the depot. Or perhaps even better one that is not built.

Or, if you look at that Guardian article, a GWR (Great Western Railway) IET (Intercity Express Train)! Yesterday's DfT» (Department for Transport - about) news release described the RSSB (Rail Safety and Standards Board) report as "published" and provided a link to their site. I can't see it there, so all we have for now is press reports with limited content and headlines that don't even match that.
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Timmer
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« Reply #490 on: September 17, 2021, 17:57:32 »

An IET (Intercity Express Train) shouldn’t have been producing ANY pollution between London and Bristol Temple Meads had Chris Grayling not cancelled the final stretches of electrification between Chippenham/Parkway-Temple Meads. What a crazy decision that was.
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eightonedee
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« Reply #491 on: September 17, 2021, 19:39:25 »

There's a problem with the information as presented in the Guardian - no clue as to the measurement methodology was, the number of samples taken or similar.

Having said that, there does not seem to be any clear pattern. Second worse for NO2 and worse for particulates is the (surely) all electric Euston - Birmingham New Street. The reference to Voyagers toward the end is odd - as far as I am aware Avanti just have a few for the North Wales services. Yet the (as far as I am aware) almost identical Meridians on the Midland Main line seem to outperform the Avanti electrics. And Chiltern, an all diesel serive outperforms most of its rivals!  The GWR (Great Western Railway) particulate figures look good (all that ad-blue and the Dpfs doing their job well)?

Did they happen to take a measurement when the GWR IET (Intercity Express Train) opened its doors at Reading between idling Turbos and Voyagers?

Anyone know the answers?
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stuving
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« Reply #492 on: September 17, 2021, 20:07:21 »

Anyone know the answers?

No, but I've found where they were hiding. RSSB (Rail Safety and Standards Board) research report T1188 "CLEAR: Analysis of Air Quality On Board Trains" is published in the sense that, provided you sign in to their site, it can be downloaded. I think anyone can still register to get access.

As to what it says, well that's a bit complicated. The report has 122 pages and it will take a while to dig out the relevant bits. For one thing, it uses positive matrix factorisation, boxplots, and Kruskal-Wallis test to present the data.

Feel free to get stuck in!
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IndustryInsider
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« Reply #493 on: September 17, 2021, 22:11:55 »

Feel free to get stuck in!

After you, Stuving!  Wink
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To view my GWML (Great Western Main Line) Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/
plymothian
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« Reply #494 on: October 11, 2021, 17:54:36 »

There is another problem begining to occur with wrong side door releases.  When the driver initiates a correct side door release, there have been a couple of instances when a door on the wrong side has been released in addition.
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