Refurb and depot progress

[whole diary]

[grahame]

High Speed Refurb

Currently 72 of 117 power cars and 24 of 53 train sets completed.  And speed of program is going up with a train set every week and 3 power cars every fortnight.

3 or 4 Adalantes will be retained for a few months after December to cover for the end of the program.

West Refurb

Budget increased in stages from 0.8m to 11m; "we realise how important it is to get the local trains right".

22 x 158s and 11 x 153s at Doncaster, 17 x 150 and 8 x 143 at Cardiff.

No change in seating plans in the units.  Tables remain where tables were.

Bristol depot

Routine servicing shed at Bristol St Philips Marsh now expected to be completed by May 2008, along with the cleaning pit.  {{this one seems to keep slipping}}

Source - Andrew Griffiths, Westbury, 9th October to WWRUG^» (West Wiltshire Rail Users Group - about) meeting

[vacman]

153 305 latest unit to be taken (by road!!) for refurbishment, the 153's are well overdue!

[Timmer]

153 305 latest unit to be taken (by road!!) for refurbishment, the 153's are well overdue!

Oh it really does annoy me when they do that, what a waste!

I dont think you will have anyone disagree with you on the dogboxes (153s) being overdue for refurb which are by far in the worst condition of the ex-Wessex fleet apart from a couple refurb'ed by Wessex towards the end of their franchise.

[vacman]

And FGW^▸ (First Great Western) were going to get rid of the two refubed 153's!

[martyjon]

West Refurb

Budget increased in stages from 0.8m to 11m; "we realise how important it is to get the local trains right".

Is the figure quoted correct, budget increased by nearly 1400%, another underquoted figure to secure the franchise maybe

[grahame]

It is correctly copied from the slide it was presented on, and he figures were read out too.   Whether it's the real sum ...  .... I expect it is pretty close to being such.