379001 - broken buttons and worn seats.

[Nym]

I think that's the idea, it is so much aggro to put a report in now so we dont bother, but I have to say I have only reported 2 small faults this year and both have been fixed (I keep a little black book ).

Our fleet is maintained to a very high standard (dont tell them I said that ) and it is very rare for a small fault to develop into something serious, they simple cannot afford a train to sit down outside Waterloo.

Compared with LM's maintenance of certain 321s that have a door fault at least once a week...

Small faults that are easy fixes on my old fleet would be done the very evening, or if inconveniencing a driver, then we'd have someone sent to repair it at terminus or in service if possible (rear cab for example).

The maintenance teams on my old fleet are keeping it to a similarly high standard, they do seem to care about their trains... (Older design than the Class 455, but similar.)

 

[edwin_m]

SWT have always had a pretty good reputation for rolling stock maintenance, other TOCs less so.

As regards the 379 etc, the buttons ought to be easily repairable/replaceable so there isn't really any excuse for multiple defective buttons on a train in service - unless perhaps replacements are currently unavailable? If one fails during the day then it doesn't sound like a reason to fail the train.

 

[Class377/5]

After riding on three 379 yesterday I have to say was surprised. Button missing, internal doors not opening (staff tried to force one open), seats vibrating at speed enough to make noise plus they are filthy externally!

Some are maintenance issues, but the seat issue is a design flaw. The 377/5 don't seem to suffer so bad from that.

 

[jon0844]

Thanks for re-opening this thread, as the problem of the buttons on the Class 379s has been getting worse. And the last post on here was over a year ago, so shows how long it has been!

I did a video on Saturday night showing just one half of one carriage, but it could have been ANY 379 and ANY carriage.

I Tweeted AGA again today, and sent the video link, and was told they'll pass it on to the fleet engineers - but they obviously know about the problem. How could they not?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlfFtXFdAsM

 

[samuelmorris]

Thanks for re-opening this thread, as the problem of the buttons on the Class 379s has been getting worse. And the last post on here was over a year ago, so shows how long it has been!

I did a video on Saturday night showing just one half of one carriage, but it could have been ANY 379 and ANY carriage.

I Tweeted AGA again today, and sent the video link, and was told they'll pass it on to the fleet engineers - but they obviously know about the problem. How could they not?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlfFtXFdAsM

That's disgusting. At 12-15 years of age and using them almost daily I've spotted maybe half a dozen external door buttons broken on 357s, and I can't recall ever seeing a single internal one missing. For the vast majority of buttons to be missing after 3 years on 379s is absurd, it's clearly just a defective design. Is there still any means to press the button when this has happened in each case? In the case of the 357s it's just the yellow plastic surround that's been missing, the silver button (including the arrows) is still there and works normally. It's not easy to tell from that video how many buttons are still in a usable state.

 

[Crossover]

Is there still any means to press the button when this has happened in each case? In the case of the 357s it's just the yellow plastic surround that's been missing, the silver button (including the arrows) is still there and works normally. It's not easy to tell from that video how many buttons are still in a usable state.

Going from my experience on LM 172's with the same problem, there is a little black button (which the big button in turn presses) in the middle of the illuminated area which can be pressed. Bugger to find though if you don't know what to look for!

 

[chris89]

Going from my experience on LM 172's with the same problem, there is a little black button (which the big button in turn presses) in the middle of the illuminated area which can be pressed. Bugger to find though if you don't know what to look for!

Last time i was on 172s (weekend before last) still spotted a number with missing interior buttons. One pair of doors both the open buttons were missing.

 

[jon0844]

Going from my experience on LM 172's with the same problem, there is a little black button (which the big button in turn presses) in the middle of the illuminated area which can be pressed. Bugger to find though if you don't know what to look for!

Yes, the black bit is very small and quite hard to press. If you were visually impaired (or drunk!) then good luck...

Some buttons have what they do written below, but not all. All you get are these odd yellow rings of light!

 

[Crossover]

Yes, the black bit is very small and quite hard to press. If you were visually impaired (or drunk!) then good luck...

Some buttons have what they do written below, but not all. All you get are these odd yellow rings of light!

Well that's part of the problem - a lot of trains have the button function written near the button. On these, toilet sink buttons excepted, the function, if I remember correctly, is denoted by the button itself, so when it drops off, it makes matters worse still!

 

[jon0844]

Even with the door open/close buttons - where it's written quite clearly below - it's quite hard to press the black bit. It's about 5mm in diameter.

I know people would say (and have) that it wouldn't be right to take a train out of service for having faulty/broken buttons - but when the problem has existed for over a year, you do begin to wonder if there should be some action taken against the TOC, which in turn can go to the ROSCO, which can go to Bombardier.

 

[CC 72100]

I know people would say (and have) that it wouldn't be right to take a train out of service for having faulty/broken buttons - but when the problem has existed for over a year, you do begin to wonder if there should be some action taken against the TOC, which in turn can go to the ROSCO, which can go to Bombardier.

I do hope you're not trying to say that Bombardier build quality is not of a high standard that we should expect?!

Must be honest, even the Bombardier stuff that I used in France vibrated more than anything Alstom-built of a similar age, just in case anyone thought it was a UK-only problem.

 

[TEW]

I don't know about anyone else but I haven't seen any missing buttons on the 377/6s yet, and they are a very similar design to the 379s. So it would appear that the issue can be fixed.

 

[jon0844]

I would hope Bombardier stopped using the buttons on any new trains they're building. To do so would be unbelievable incompetence!

But why aren't they replacing the others? I spotted them over a year ago, so it's not even a recent problem.

 

[SPADTrap]

It almost seems like there's someone going around intentionally breaking them! Some of the plastic remnants can be quite sharp too!

 

[jon0844]

It almost seems like there's someone going around intentionally breaking them! Some of the plastic remnants can be quite sharp too!

I wondered that, but the ones broken are clearly the ones used most. In other words, door open buttons, and the ones for the internal doors, soap, water etc.

So it's definitely a design fault.

 

[hassaanhc]

The buttons used on those look same as those that have been used on many trains for several years now, so should be a good design?
Either the buttons themselves are crap and other operators are very proactive in fixing buttons whereas AGA aren't, or there is vandalism going on and they are trying to limit replacements :?

 

[TEW]

The LM 172s seem to suffer the same problem quite badly. Lots of missing buttons on those.

 

[cmovcc]

I use these trains daily and am more surprised than not when there's actually a button there with the cover left on, it's been like it for close to 2 years.

I've also seen bombardier engineers with screwdrivers every day this week going into the cabs at LST, maybe they're prising buttons off in there too?

 

[fgwrich]

The buttons used on those look same as those that have been used on many trains for several years now, so should be a good design?
Either the buttons themselves are crap and other operators are very proactive in fixing buttons whereas AGA aren't, or there is vandalism going on and they are trying to limit replacements :?

I'm wondering whether the way the units are being assembled in Litchurch Lane may be a factor too - If you carefully assemble something then it'll last, if you just knock them together and bang them in then the object is bound to fall apart. And knowing Bombardiers build quality that may be a factor - as pointed out they seem to be the same buttons fitted to many other manufacturers rolling stock, so why do these problems solely seem to be on Bombardier built stock?

 

[Nym]

The buttons used on those look same as those that have been used on many trains for several years now, so should be a good design?
Either the buttons themselves are crap and other operators are very proactive in fixing buttons whereas AGA aren't, or there is vandalism going on and they are trying to limit replacements :?

EAO make the buttons and have recently (last few years) changed the design.

BT uses EAO buttons all over.

 

[387star]

AGA seem to care little for these trains filthy externally and some have no branding

 

[TEW]

The lack of branding would be because of a rebranding at the moment from 'Greater Anglia' to 'Abellio Greater Anglia'. All the old Greater Anglia logos are being replaced with Abellio Greater Anglia ones, albeit rather slowly.

 

[jon0844]

The branding certainly isn't vital, especially when it's simply adding Abellio to it.

I do think the trains should be washed more often, especially when they're operating airport express services (and given a Cambridge train to LST might return as a Stansted service, it means cleaning most or all of them!).

Internally, they need a litter clean regularly and the toilets should always have water. Obviously beyond that, if the animals than use them make a mess then there's only so much you can do.

 

[TEW]

You might go as far as to say the whole rebranding is a bit of a waste of money. It's not just adding Abellio to the trains either. The logo has been slightly redesigned and it's a whole new vinyl which is applied.

 

[jon0844]

I suspected it was an all-new vinyl, if only to keep things centred.

Come September, FCC trains are going to end up looking very interesting. At every franchise changeover, things look really messy for some time.

Some people will moan that they're not rebranded quick enough. Others will say rebranding is a waste of money.

 

[TEW]

I don't have a problem with rebranding. It's just that Greater Anglia undertook a rebranding project so soon after they'd first won the franchise and rolled out the initial brand. Even with new logos though the trains are still a tatty mix of base liveries.

 

[jon0844]

It's worse if you're just changing a logo part way through a franchise, as against the necessary (under the current system) change when a new operator takes control.

Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

 

[LoverOfTrains]

Class 379s have plastic buttons unlike classic 375s and 377s. The buttons on 379s come off if you press them around the outside of the button.

 

[jon0844]

I am slightly tempted to see how easy it is to make a button come off, but that would be totally inappropriate. And, anyway, it could take ages to find one that's still intact!

 

[samuelmorris]

Ah I see, so the inside bit is metal on most units is it? I can't honestly say I'd thought about that.