Shortage of rolling stock since September 2017 - ongoing problems, and subsequent discussion

[whole diary]

[NickB]

Fairly disastrous at Paddington this evening with the HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) 18.00 to Bristol cancelled and the 17.49 to Worcester stripped from a HST to a 3 car turbo. Ta been said already but for Friday peak this just isn't good enough.

[ChrisB]

1800 was quickly re-instated

[NickB]

It read as Cancelled on the concourse but I see that it has indeed been reinstated and is only 26mins late to Reading.
The downgraded 17.49 left passengers on the platform.

[Jason]

...the 17.49 to Worcester stripped from a HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) to a 3 car turbo.

My evening peak SMS has just pinged to say the same will apply today as well.

[devonexpress]

why on Earth would you launch any kind of marketing campaign now, rather than more logically after your new trains are running about and it's safe to open the door again?

Which is what we've been saying in other threads. It makes no sense except if you had booked the marketing agency long ago to launch the campaign at this time with the expectation that IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) would be operating by now. Even then these things can be postponed.

But this is GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), It took them over 2 years to rebrand from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to GWR. Wit that awful yellow branding and "Building a Greater West". They seem to think that promising loads of big exciting new things which are years away is one way of getting customers to keep quiet.

[Surrey 455]

But this is GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), It took them over 2 years to rebrand from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to GWR.

Hasn't finished yet. Still a lot of FGW branded trains about. I wonder what the split is between FGW and GWR.

[BBM]

Some Henley branch passengers are tweeting that they were left behind at TWY^▸ (Twyford station) this morning after the 0753 to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) (0706 from DID^▸ (Didcot Parkway)) was 3-car Turbo vice HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) and left 2 minutes early as it was too wedged for anyone else to board.

[johoare]

...the 17.49 to Worcester stripped from a HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) to a 3 car turbo.

My evening peak SMS has just pinged to say the same will apply today as well.

I was on the 17.42 electric train and saw the 17.49 3 car turbo come past. It looked very very full.. and not at all pleasant.

[Adelante_CCT]

Some Henley branch passengers are tweeting that they were left behind at TWY^▸ (Twyford station) this morning after the 0753 to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) (0706 from DID^▸ (Didcot Parkway)) was 3-car Turbo vice HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) and left 2 minutes early as it was too wedged for anyone else to board.

07:06 a 3 car turbo again this morning, looks to have left Twyford early again.

Also 2 days running the 07:34 from Didcot has been cancelled

Edit: 07:00 from Didcot also a 3 car vice 6 car

[NickB]

Bad news for Maidenhead travellers in particular this evening. The 17.49 HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) is running as a 5 car and the 18.18 is 3 cars.
That's a 6 car reduction overall on the two busiest services of the evening and 1.5hrs between fully formed fast services (17.36 to 19.05).

[grahame]

Bad news for Maidenhead travellers in particular this evening. The 17.49 HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) is running as a 5 car and the 18.18 is 3 cars.
That's a 6 car reduction overall on the two busiest services of the evening and 1.5hrs between fully formed fast services (17.36 to 19.05).

But then they do have extra capacity on the new electric trains ...

[NickB]

But then they do have extra capacity on the new electric trains ...

You mean those slow trains that stop everywhere? 😀
 Even the 18.42 that only stops at Slough takes 40mins.

[ChrisB]

So a seat for 40mins or a 20min stand....?

Capacity for everyone then

[NickB]

I'd take the 20min stand every time and the loading of direct services proves I'm not in the minority.
My round trip commute is 2.5hrs per day - if I take a slower train that extends by nearly an hour per day, 5hrs a week or 20hrs per month. That's not an acceptable sacrifice in my opinion.

My point still stands (no pun intended) that shortening all of the fast services over a 1.5hr peak time window is shoddy.

[Adelante_CCT]

For some reason all Heathrow Connects this morning are cancelled 'due to more repairs than usual', something wrong with the class 360s?