First Great Western announces extra capacity across network

[whole diary]

[Western Enterprise]

07:18dep 07:43arr  Now: 5   Was: 3

Arrggh, but this used to be a 7 or 8 coach HST^▸ (High Speed Train), not so long ago.
I don't blame them for not advertising this fact, taking some away and giving less back doesn't sound too good.

[eightf48544]

Still complaints in Maidenhead Advertiser today re lack of seats from Maidenhead.

Quoted someone who has a first class season for ^3000 to London and can't get a seat.

I was paying over ^2000 for a Std classs season in 2005 from Taplow and that included the no trains on Sunday discount.

[johoare]

Some operators (I can't remember which) put posters up at stations that give the number of carriages on peak workings, and I believe may even give a prediction of how full they are likely to be to help passengers make an informed choice as to which service to catch. Very useful.

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) do it for summer Saturday afternoon services out of Weymouth, for example ...

So, a total of over 1600 seats each weekday morning from Maidenhead to Paddington, including two extra Standard Class carriages spread over the three HST^▸ (High Speed Train) operated services - just shows the scale of the capacity problem if regular commuters still perceive no difference!

But with a caution that it's not 1600 extra seats for people from Maidenhead.   If each train calls at 8 stations on its way into Paddington, that's an average of just 200 extra seats per station.  You list 29 services, so that becomes just 7 extra seats for Maidenhead passengers per train ... hardly surprising that it may feel like a drop in the ocean 

thanks Grahame.. A very good point :-)

[johoare]

07:18dep 07:43arr  Now: 5   Was: 3

Arrggh, but this used to be a 7 or 8 coach HST^▸ (High Speed Train), not so long ago.
I don't blame them for not advertising this fact, taking some away and giving less back doesn't sound too good.

Oh dear.. I'm not terribly surprised..

[IndustryInsider]

No problem.  I'll do an evening rush-hour one when I have time (probably Friday). 

Just to let you know that I will still do this soon.  Didn't have time Friday, and tonight's service is altered as only 2 of 4 Class 180s are about today (as well as a few other problems).

[Electric train]

16:27 ex Padd this evening 2 car 165 instead of a 3 car which normally gets full at Ealing Broadway this afternoon I think some folks were left behind at Ealing Broadway and Southall ..........  so plenty of capacity .......... not 

[johoare]

Indeed.. I travelled Reading to Maidenhead yesterday afternoon (Sunday).. The Paddington only HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) were full to the point of not letting people on and my three car turbo was overfull.. Now whilst I know that they do engineering works etc at weekends so can't run as many trains.. Surely that wouldn't stop them running more than 3 cars on a stopping train?? 

[IndustryInsider]

Here's the follow-up post to my morning comparison, showing the situation this evening from Paddington to Maidenhead compared with an evening early last December before any of the additional carriages and trains had arrived.  It includes all services timed to depart Paddington between 16:30 and 20:30.  As far as I know both evenings were free of disruption and short formations apart from those specifically mentioned.

Fast services (those that take 30 minutes or less):
17:18dep 17:38arr  Now: 5   Was: 3 
17:36dep 17:57arr  Now: 5   Was: 8   (Was a HST^▸ (High Speed Train), now a 5-Car Turbo, so standard class seating has actually increased)
17:50dep 18:09arr  Now: 8   Was: 8   (Now a HST with 5x Standard Class - same amount)
18:18dep 18:39arr  Now: 6   Was: 5
18:36dep 19:03arr  Now: 5   Was: 2   (Suspected short formation last December)   
19:06dep 19:26arr  Now: 3   Was: 3
19:18dep 19:39arr  Now: 5   Was: 3   (Now a Class 180, so actual seating remains roughly the same)
19:48dep 20:06arr  Now: 8   Was: 8   (Now a HST with 5x Standard Class - same amount)

Total number of seats has risen slightly, but not to the same extent as found in the morning peak.  The additional carriage on probably the most popular train, the 18:18 departure, will no doubt have been welcomed, though with 30 minutes until the next fast train after the 18:36, it's no wonder that the 19:06 3-Car Turbo is still very crowded.  All of the HSTs tonight were of the 5 Standard Class carriage types, but may also often be formed of the 6 Standard Class carriages type.

Slow services:
16:42dep 17:30arr  Now: 5   Was: 5
16:55dep 17:43arr  Now: 5   Was: 3
17:12dep 17:47arr  Now: 2   Was: 3  (Suspected short formation tonight)
17:15dep 18:05arr  Now: 5   Was: 5
17:25dep 18:10arr  Now: 5   Was: 3
17:42dep 18:13arr  Now: 3   Was: 3
17:45dep 18:26arr  Now: 6   Was: 6
17:57dep 18:43arr  Now: 5   Was: 5
18:12dep 18:48arr  Now: 3   Was: 5
18:15dep 18:57arr  Now: 6   Was: 6
18:25dep 19:10arr  Now: 5   Was: 5
18:45dep 19:21arr  Now: 5   Was: 3
18:57dep 19:43arr  Now: 5   Was: 5
19:12dep 19:52arr  Now: 5   Was: 3
19:27dep 20:09arr  Now: 5   Was: 3
19:42dep 20:29arr  Now: 3   Was: 2
19:57dep 20:34arr  Now: 3   Was: 3
20:12dep 20:55arr  Now: 3   Was: 3
20:27dep 21:04arr  Now: 3   Was: 2

On the slow trains that's an increase in the total number of carriages by 9 from 73 to 82.  That is with one suspected short formation tonight, so the actual number is probably in double figures.  It's worth pointing out that a few of these 'slow' trains only just take over the 30 minute mark, so could be described as semi-fast I suppose.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Many thanks for your obviously considerable work in producing that information, II. 

[johoare]

18:36dep 19:03arr  Now: 5   Was: 2   (Suspected short formation last December)   
19:06dep 19:26arr  Now: 3   Was: 3
19:18dep 19:39arr  Now: 5   Was: 3   (Now a Class 180, so actual seating remains roughly the same)

Thanks you so much for finding all the information out IndustryInsider...

Just a couple of comments..

The 18.36 has always been more than 3 carriages so your suspected short formation in December is true I'm sure

No idea why the 19.06 is still only 3 carriages.. It is a very busy/popular train at least as far as Maidenhead.

One of the reasons I was wondering about extra carriages was because I got the 19.18 recently and it was still 3 carriages so I guess a problem on that day...

[IndustryInsider]

Just a couple of comments..

The 18.36 has always been more than 3 carriages so your suspected short formation in December is true I'm sure

No idea why the 19.06 is still only 3 carriages.. It is a very busy/popular train at least as far as Maidenhead.

One of the reasons I was wondering about extra carriages was because I got the 19.18 recently and it was still 3 carriages so I guess a problem on that day...

I've since noticed that a Class 180 failed at Worcester yesterday afternoon (it spent the night at Worcester in fact), so that will also have impacted on the service.  The train it was due to form, the 17:18 PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)-OXF^» (Oxford - next trains) was formed by a 5-car Turbo instead, so it's quite possible that other trains were a little shorter than normal to provide those Turbo carriages - the 17:12 departure for example.  A Class 180 shortage would also have no doubt led to your 19:18 PAD-OXF being a 3-car Turbo when you travelled.

I'll take another look in the week and correct what was missing last night, for the most accurate picture.

[IndustryInsider]

Here is a full comparison of carriages provided at Paddington last December and this December.  All (Except Heathrow Express) AM Peak arrivals 06:30-10:30 are shown, as are PM Peak departures 16:30-20:30 together with the number of carriages provided on each service.

I deliberately chose a day with minimal disruption on both occasions and at the same time of year.  Since last December the HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) have all been extended to 2+8 sets, Class 180s have returned, and Class 150s have been deployed between Reading and Paddington.

The result, as you can see below, is around 30 extra carriages over each peak period compared with a year ago.  That doesn't actually translate to 30 extra carriages of extra seats, as a few of the trains that were 3-Car Turbos are now 5-Car Adelantes but still provide roughly the same number of seats.  Though to balance that out there are still a couple of 2+7 HST sets running around and there shouldn't be if everything was running as planned.

Last December there was a short formed trains in the evening peak which explains why the difference is 33 carriages - in reality it should be 30.  In total, I reckon around 2300-2500 extra seats are now being provided each peak for the times I've surveyed.

Here are the full details:

[Andy W]

This has been posted on the First Great Western website

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/About-Us/Media-centre/First-Great-Western-statement-on-overcrowding

Of course it is good news when additional seats are provided however:-

"From September 2012, the 06:30 service from Banbury to London Paddington has started from Oxford not Banbury, leaving Oxford at 07:00. It is now operated by a refreshed Class 180 train which provides an increased standard class seating capacity."

Does anyone know how many extra standard class seats are there in a 180 over a Turbo?

[IndustryInsider]

Does anyone know how many extra standard class seats are there in a 180 over a Turbo?

Yes, I saw that release and thought 'hmmmm' 

If they'd said 'extra seats' then that would just about have been a justifiable, although not exactly a massive increase, as total Class 180 seats (including tip-ups) is 284 against 275 in a 3-Car Class 166 (though a 3-car Class 165 has 286).  However in terms of standard class seating, a 180 has 242 seats (including tip-ups), which is less than a Class 166 (243), and much less than a Class 165 (270).

[grahame]

"From September 2012, the 06:30 service from Banbury to London Paddington has started from Oxford not Banbury, leaving Oxford at 07:00. It is now operated by a refreshed Class 180 train which provides an increased standard class seating capacity."

There probably is a greater seating capacity from Oxford ... simply because the train starts empty from there, rather than having a proportion of the seats already occupied by through passengers from Banbury.   Even the same old train would have offered more seats from Oxford if it had been altered to start from there, rather than coming through part-loaded from further north!