Govia get Thameslink Franchise

[387star]

I don't know what is going on over on that side but I don't understand the way some units have had the grey taken off, some haven't etc etc

The opportunity was taken to remove the grey band on units undergoing body panelling work

All units will eventually wear the new livery

A class 375 is in debranded jubilee livery and a class 465 is in a mistaken yellow door livery to add to confusion. Initially networkers returned with no stripe etc this was then added presumably they were developing the livery or got go ahead from the dft to relaunch the livery which was apparently specified. I believe earlier units had the stripe and panelling retrofitted with purple at southeastern depots rather than going back to wolverton etc but might be wrong

The networkers are nearly all uniform now and will be DDA compliant soon

Hopefully the electrostars will eventually be uniform but certainly not a priority although the faded wheelchair blue vinyls surely need looking at

The southern electric group site shows the history of the networker livery

 

[Stats]

The Strategic Rail Authority trademarked Thameslink, Thameslink City Flier and Thameslink Metro brand names. Can't tell you about current 'ownership' but can be pretty certain it ain't FirstGroup.

The Thameslink trademark and variations thereof are owned by the Secretary of State for Transport.

 

[Busaholic]

The Thameslink trademark and variations thereof are owned by the Secretary of State for Transport.

Thank you for confirming - was just about to post that that was the obvious conclusion, but in the rail industry the b****in' obvious ain't necessarily so.

 

[The Box Photter]

319009 looks clinically smart from the outside.

Same ghastly interior though, even down to the "Eddie Pond 87" murals at the end of each coach and the awful seating arrangement.

Strikes me as a metaphor for the whole franchise system ... you can roll a turd in glitter, but inside its still a turd.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

The Thameslink trademark and variations thereof are owned by the Secretary of State for Transport.

Yes - "Southern " is owned by TfL...

 

[21C101]

319009 looks clinically smart from the outside.

Same ghastly interior though, even down to the "Eddie Pond 87" murals at the end of each coach and the awful seating arrangement.

Strikes me as a metaphor for the whole franchise system ... you can roll a turd in glitter, but inside its still a turd.

Most pax I speak to much prefer the mostly facing 319s to the 377 seats, let alone the horrors that await with the 700's.

The only time it gets difficult is when someone larger than an elf decides to plank themselves in the midsdle of 3, however most of the time people prefer to stand than play elbows so it is mostly unused.
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Yes - "Southern " is owned by TfL...

Eh? How the blood and custard did that happen?

Who owns Great Western then, Tyne and Wear Metro?

 

[The Box Photter]

The 3 + 2 seating is used to full capacity on southbound peak time trains from Harpenden, I can assure you!

Its more of a problem when the seat-and-a-halfers have already occupied the window and aisle seat. Even the tiniest of prima-ballerinas would struggle to fit in the middle seat.

I actually prefer the airline style seats specifically so you don't have to play "who's foot goes where" or find that your knee has become uncomfortably intimate with the inner-thigh of the suited gentleman opposite. The distance between some of the facing seats in the 319s is not sufficient, especially when the person opposite wants to use their laptop and put their £5 coffee on the floor between their feet whilst the train lurches over the crossover from slow to fast line.

 

[bicbasher]

Charles Horton, the Govia Thameslink chairman was interviewed on BBC South East news this evening as part of a report about potential fare rises on the Brighton mainline.

http://youtu.be/atHPjI4P6bQ

 

[AM9]

The 3 + 2 seating is used to full capacity on southbound peak time trains from Harpenden, I can assure you!

Its more of a problem when the seat-and-a-halfers have already occupied the window and aisle seat. Even the tiniest of prima-ballerinas would struggle to fit in the middle seat.

One way to deal with those is to put some keys in a trouser pocket and then proceed to take up tas much of your seat as you can. After a few tens of seconds, the 'seat and a halfers' suddenly find that it's more comfortable to sit upright. If they've put their coat/case/newspaper on the seat beside them, and wont move it when asked politely, sit on it.

 

[Busaholic]

One way to deal with those is to put some keys in a trouser pocket and then proceed to take up tas much of your seat as you can. After a few tens of seconds, the 'seat and a halfers' suddenly find that it's more comfortable to sit upright. If they've put their coat/case/newspaper on the seat beside them, and wont move it when asked politely, sit on it.

You might sit on their puppies.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Yes - "Southern " is owned by TfL...

We really are not sure about that -

 

[MLR]

What are the chances of thameslink or great northern trainee driver jobs in the next few years?

Will the telephone interview be dropped now first no longer run it.. Presumably replaced with a customer service questionnaire
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FCC still have a youtube account

Can't see them dropping the telephone interview in the short term, but the chances of extra driver vacancies are excellent I would suggest.

 

[infobleep]

You might sit on their puppies.

I was once on the 7.17 from Guildford [comes up from Portsmouth] . Usually I'd change at Woking for the next service to London as you will then get a seat. It's a unofficial connection but possible.

However on this particular day a lady had her dog on the seat next to her. No one else was prepared to say anything of course.

So I just said something like do you mind if I sit there. Her reply was something like 'Well my dog is not feeling well. You don't mind'. My reply "Well actually I do as I have ankylosing spondylitis". Cue dog moved onto lady's lap and myself not having to change trains at Woking that day. ☺

I doubt the lady even knew what ankylosing spondylitis was - it's a type of arthritis. Perhaps I could have made anything up but I didn't have to.

 

[physics34]

The opportunity was taken to remove the grey band on units undergoing body panelling work

All units will eventually wear the new livery

A class 375 is in debranded jubilee livery and a class 465 is in a mistaken yellow door livery to add to confusion. Initially networkers returned with no stripe etc this was then added presumably they were developing the livery or got go ahead from the dft to relaunch the livery which was apparently specified. I believe earlier units had the stripe and panelling retrofitted with purple at southeastern depots rather than going back to wolverton etc but might be wrong

The networkers are nearly all uniform now and will be DDA compliant soon

Hopefully the electrostars will eventually be uniform but certainly not a priority although the faded wheelchair blue vinyls surely need looking at

The southern electric group site shows the history of the networker livery

ok,ta

 

[CyrusWuff]

The Strategic Rail Authority trademarked Thameslink, Thameslink City Flier and Thameslink Metro brand names. Can't tell you about current 'ownership' but can be pretty certain it ain't FirstGroup.

Unsurprisingly, where former BR brands are being used, the relevant TMs are currently held by the SoS for Transport and licensed to the TOC.

 

[jon0844]

Was losing the TL name that big a deal to travellers since 2006? It was still used on timetables and posters anyway!

 

[Saint66]

A local press story on it: http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/11476078.New_rail_operator_takes_over/?ref=var_0

Shame that the picture is of the Abbey line!

 

[jon0844]

Just travelled from Hatfield today and there is now a hi-vis'd man on platform 1 doing manual announcements as trains come in.

Is that a new thing under GTR and what's up with using the existing Atos system? He said it has the new recordings, and the screens were working fine.

Always a good thing to have more visible staff, so I'm not complaining.

 

[petersi]

Just travelled from Hatfield today and there is now a hi-vis'd man on platform 1 doing manual announcements as trains come in.

Is that a new thing under GTR and what's up with using the existing Atos system? He said it has the new recordings, and the screens were working fine.

Always a good thing to have more visible staff, so I'm not complaining.

There was unfortunately an incident at welwyn garden city. This closed the lines so may be due to the disruption

 

[physics34]

A local press story on it: http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/11476078.New_rail_operator_takes_over/?ref=var_0

Shame that the picture is of the Abbey line!

youve got to laugh at how rubbish the media is in this country....

There was a SWT trains livered 700 coming out of waterloo in a newspaper yesterday!

 

[Class377/5]

youve got to laugh at how rubbish the media is in this country....

There was a SWT trains livered 700 coming out of waterloo in a newspaper yesterday!

The BBC is just as bad stating all FCC services are now Thameslink trains making it the best franchise! Er only a few issues with that!

 

[jon0844]

youve got to laugh at how rubbish the media is in this country....

There was a SWT trains livered 700 coming out of waterloo in a newspaper yesterday!

It can be hard to find a suitable photo to support a story and in many cases it doesn't matter if it's not trying to pass itself off as an actual photo relating to the story.

But if you have people being photographed to support a new franchise, you'd expect them to be at the right station.

Presumably the photo was taken on another occasion for another story, but that's pretty poor. It would have been far better to have just had a photo of the person(s) in the story in another location.

 

[Saint66]

It can be hard to find a suitable photo to support a story and in many cases it doesn't matter if it's not trying to pass itself off as an actual photo relating to the story.

But if you have people being photographed to support a new franchise, you'd expect them to be at the right station.

Presumably the photo was taken on another occasion for another story, but that's pretty poor. It would have been far better to have just had a photo of the person(s) in the story in another location.

One of those in the picture is a local councillor, who isn't even mentioned in the article. I'm not sure if the woman is anyone important either. I think it might be a photo they took a couple of weeks ago after the Abbey line had all it's foliage cut down... Causing great outrage in the area...

 

[physics34]

The BBC is just as bad stating all FCC services are now Thameslink trains making it the best franchise! Er only a few issues with that!

Ha ha, sounds like the BBC. Usual bad reporting.

Someone at East Croydon announced a train as "First Capital Connect", but i'll let them off as i suppose it was just a slip.

 

[user15681]

The BBC Regional news last night seemed to announce a new Milton Keynes to Victoria service when Southern join the franchise

 

[Class377/5]

Ha ha, sounds like the BBC. Usual bad reporting.

Someone at East Croydon announced a train as "First Capital Connect", but i'll let them off as i suppose it was just a slip.

To be fair after so many years it becomes second nature!

 

[swt_passenger]

The Thameslink/Great Northern 'news' includes this statement:

The Thameslink and Great Northern routes connect important regional centres north and south of London such as Peterborough, Cambridge, Bedford, Luton, Brighton, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Hardly surprising some of the media have got confused, and used photos of Waterloo...

 

[EM2]

youve got to laugh at how rubbish the media is in this country....

There was a SWT trains livered 700 coming out of waterloo in a newspaper yesterday!

It wasn't the story that SWT will be getting 700s in the future, was it? You know, this story:
http://www.railexpress.co.uk/news/swt-orders-150-new-desiro-carriages

Stagecoach's South West Trains franchise will receive a significant boost in capacity with the delivery of 30 new 10-car trains that will provide for more than 24,000 extra peak-time passengers.

Plans for a £210 million fleet of new trains to benefit passengers on the UK's busiest commuter rail franchise moved forward on September 3 as South West Trains announced its intention to award the contract to manufacturer Siemens and leasing company Angel Trains.

The 30 new five-carriage Desiro City trains will boost capacity on services at South West Trains, providing for more than 18,000 extra peak-time passengers every day travelling into London Waterloo, the country's busiest station. The train order will also allow for a further 6,000 daily peak-time passengers once infrastructure upgrades are completed on the mainline and Hounslow loop.

The first of the 150 new carriages will begin arriving in 2017 and all will be in service by early 2018.

 

[AM9]

One of those in the picture is a local councillor, who isn't even mentioned in the article. I'm not sure if the woman is anyone important either. I think it might be a photo they took a couple of weeks ago after the Abbey line had all it's foliage cut down... Causing great outrage in the area...

Sandy Walkington is our local councillor. He should make a fuss to the Review.

 

[philjo]

That photo appeared in the issue of Rail that arrived in the post yesterday - it was illustrating a story about SWT ordering some new trains.