Post #850 (Rhydgaled) reminds me of a letter to Santa
All of it, or a specific part? Because that wasn't my wish list of everything I would like to see for the new franchise; for example I didn't mention my desire for Caernarfon-Bangor reopening (which I've read was included in an ATW bid for the 2003 franchise before no-growth was stipulated). No, post #850 was meerly me looking at what stock is available and trying to meet the following requirements:
- Getting rid of as many 150s as possible as soon as electrification is completed (which I estimated at 2023 due to the funding window warning) (a longer lease would probably be demanded by the ROSCO for any sets that are made fully accessible)
- Replacement of Pacers and 153s with fully-accessible units by 2020
- Increased fleet size to permit the promissed Halton curve service in December 2018
- Increased fleet size to permit summer strengthening on the Pembroke Dock line in 2019 following the withdrawal of the GWR service in December 2018
- Additional rolling stock for capacity relief on long-distance services in 2020
- Restoration of an express Pembroke Dock service to/from Cardiff in summer 2020 or 2021, following the withdrawal of the GWR service in December 2018
The Pacers and 153s amount to 38 units leaving the franchise, the Halton curve service requires four additional units and Pembroke Dock summer strengthening a maximum of six additional units. There's also a number of 150s to keep longer-term which would need two taken out of traffic for PRM work. That adds up to a requirement for 50 units to join the fleet. Up to 1/Jan/2020 post #850 suggests adding only 42 units to the fleet*, so were it not for the fact 319s are 4-car and can replace a pair of Pacers I would actually be proposing too few units. How is that unrealistic?
If you think my suggested approach for achieving the above is unrealistic, is there a realistic approach you can suggest or is the only solution to close half the railway and buy a fleet of shiny new buses?
* 8x class 172, 14x class 156 and 20x class 319
I actually think even refurbed 155s would be an improvement for the Conwy Valley and the HOWL. Though 156s would probably be ideal for both routes. When using the HOWL, I always try to get a 153 operated service where possible because I find them less draughty, and are fairly pleasant if you manage to get a table seat by the window. The 'before and after' refurbishment of the 158s show that the WG/ATW can turn around the most tired of stock if they want to, with a really high quality refurb.
155s with one row of seats (airline-style) for each window would be a huge improvement on 150s for HOWL and Conwy Valley. I normally aim for the 153 myself if travelling on a service that is 153+150 but the interiors of both types are pretty dire for a long journey at present. A 'table seat by the window' isn't really possible on a 153 though, because the windows aren't big enough so at least one side of the table has a window pillar obstructing the view.
Swansea to Cardiff will hopefully follow the rest of GWML so 2019 CP6 start as long as UK/Wales government don't mess up the existing agreement.
I think the ValleyLines were a CP5 scheme at one point too, so if they're ready to start on Swansea at the start of CP6 why not the ValleyLines too? If they did the ValleyLines first and left Swansea until later more services would be able to benifit (given that Bristol electrification has been defered, the Swansea-Bristol EMU would not yet be possible).
Maesteg/Ebbw/Barry are not planned to be electrified. I think they should be but somebody is obsessed with trams.:roll:
Core Valleys - If it's heavy rail I think NR wouldn't start until late 2023 towards the end of CP6. If it's light rail it might well happen sooner but if you don't like 150/2s on the HOWL you will love the ride on a tram on the 25 miles from Rhymney.
Not even starting work until 2023?!?!?!? That is one serious delay; very disapointing if true and the Welsh Government will be regretting shouting so loudly about the metro if work is such a long way off starting. When the ValleyLines electrification was given the go-ahead, Maesteg, Ebbw Vale and the Vale Of Glamorgan were all very much part of the plan
BBC link. If anything, there are more likely to get their wires than the core ValleyLines, given the threat of trams (no trams north of Taff's Well and Caerphilly please Welsh Government, the longer runs need proper trains).
Still 22 185's seem the right number......
But if you want all 22 units you have to wait until March 2020; the timescale doesn't work for class 185s as replacments for PRM reasons (unless short-term derrogations are used to bridge the gap, as I suggest doing to wait for mark 4s).
156s were used sometimes in fNW days and were pretty good for it - fresh air and massive windows.
150/2s are I suppose OK, being basically the same with doors at thirds, but the seating is too high-density, and I think scope to rearrange may be limited by under-seat equipment.
150/1s are useless for scenic lines - no seat has a good window view.
As far as passengers are concerned, there is no significant difference between 150/1s and 150/2s other than the Unit End Gangways on the 150/2s is there? So decent window views are equally tricky to provide on any of them, and having doors at thirds (particularly the metro-sliding type used on 150s) makes it difficult to provide decent legroom and window views without ending up with very few seats (my rough calculation the other day found that a comfortable class 150 with an accessible toilet and decent window views would have 70-80 seats, about the same as a 153 (but that's not comparing like-with-like, because a 153 has a small toilet for able-bodied users only and no legroom currently).
