Weekend Stock

[whole diary]

[Btline]

When are the 180s going? Is it December?

Next JUNE is now being mentioned in certain circles!

What's the reason, are NXEC^▸ (National Express East Coast) keeping a tight grip on their HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))?

[willc]

Very straightforward. The HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) coming from NXEC^▸ (National Express East Coast) (although it's an EMT^» (East Midlands Trains - about) set) needs a refresh and as a one-off job rather than one in a long run it has to take its turn in the queue among all the other jobs going through Brush (power cars) and Bombardier (if they are going to do the coaches), so no great surprise if spring completion is slipping to summer.

And until the ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road, formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) unpicks all the applications to run extra trains on the ECML^▸ (East Coast Main Line), no-one can actually put down a firm claim for extra 180s, though Hull Trains is meant to have an option on the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) trio, so no great rush for them to go elsewhere, as any new services probably wouldn't get going until next May/June at the earliest.

And Turbos are far more likely to appear as substitutes for HSTs than Adelantes, for the simple reason there are so few booked Adelante turns anyway.

[IndustryInsider]

And Turbos are far more likely to appear as substitutes for HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) than Adelantes, for the simple reason there are so few booked Adelante turns anyway.

Not to mention their DOO^▸ (Driver-Only Operation (that is, trains which operate without carrying a guard)) ability in certain areas meaning they are more flexible when there's Train Manager shortages.