New South Western franchise: Awarded to First/MTR

[absolutelymilk]

Allegedly the new EMUs for SWR will be designated Class 701 (at least according to an article on Wikipedia...).

Is there any confirmation this is correct?

It's sourced to the website AB Rail, which doesn't provide a source of its own so I think we can take it with some scepticism!

 

[fgwrich]

Apologies if already mentioned, but for anyone interested / concerned etc, Phil still remains along with Celia with both announcers announcing South Western Railway. Freebees still going down nicely.

 

[507021]

It's sourced to the website AB Rail, which doesn't provide a source of its own so I think we can take it with some scepticism!

Thanks, considering as I (still) haven't seen any mention of "Class 701" anywhere else I'm still sceptical. Taking the recent class number allocations for Bombardier Aventra orders (710, 720) into consideration, I wouldn't be surprised if these were designated Class 730.

I guess we'll find out sooner or later, though.

 

[MCR247]

Thanks, considering as I (still) haven't seen any mention of "Class 701" anywhere else I'm still sceptical. Taking the recent class number allocations for Bombardier Aventra orders (710, 720) into consideration, I wouldn't be surprised if these were designated Class 730.

I guess we'll find out sooner or later, though.

SWR like (well at least SWT did) four digit unit numbers though, so maybe Class xx1 makes sense

 

[Fiyero]

Just seen my first branding on station (Southampton Central). Not a great first message!

 

[Wookiee]

Is the upgrade work likely to finish on time, particularly after the derailment shenanigans?

 

[Malcolmffc]

Is the upgrade work likely to finish on time, particularly after the derailment shenanigans?

The reduced timetable on Thursday is to make up for time lost due to the derailment. Assuming no further mishaps it appears to be on course to be finished on time.

 

[Sprinter153]

Just seen my first branding on station (Southampton Central). Not a great first message!

Good grief. Shouldn't it be "75% fewer trains"?

 

[Wookiee]

The reduced timetable on Thursday is to make up for time lost due to the derailment. Assuming no further mishaps it appears to be on course to be finished on time.

Ah, didn't realise that - thought the reduced timetable was pre-planned. Thanks.

 

[southern442]

It's sourced to the website AB Rail, which doesn't provide a source of its own so I think we can take it with some scepticism!

Wikipedia previously said that the 717's would be called 701's.

 

[Harbouring]

Apologies if already mentioned, but for anyone interested / concerned etc, Phil still remains along with Celia with both announcers announcing South Western Railway. Freebees still going down nicely.

A minor linguistic and pedantic point but I'm not fond of the pronunciation of London Waterloo with the upward inflection. The stresses are all wrong.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I find the new SWR timetables really weird, they're black. Ive never seen a black train timetable before!

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

And they say "Worplesdoan" about ten times!

 

[greaterwest]

I like the industrial style design, and the black reminds me of London Midland.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Have any more units had the new logo applied yet or is it just that one 455 that has got the new logo?

 

[embers25]

Has anyone else noticed that the new 159 wifi disconnects when the trains add additional coaches or split at Salisbury? Also why are all fast trains diverting via Staines except the Exeter ones. Is it to get them on to the right platforms at Waterloo? Also my train is 10 coaches instead of the usual 9 which means it's too long for all stations except Basingstoke and Woking!
One thing that is poor is that the PIS on board still says SWT not SWR which surely is a fairly easy change to make? Then again, as is becoming increasingly common, the 0510 from Exeter was not showing on Pinhoe, Whimple and Feniton at all with the first train on the station boards being the 0641.

 

[Melancholia]

One thing that is poor is that the PIS on board still says SWT not SWR which surely is a fairly easy change to make?

I still see some Class 165s running around with First Great Western on the PIS screens, and the rebranding happened in September 2015!

 

[Goldfish62]

Good grief. Shouldn't it be "75% fewer trains"?

That's what SWT were stating all along for Friday. SWR are merely using the same message.

 

[Goldfish62]

Has anyone else noticed that the new 159 wifi disconnects when the trains add additional coaches or split at Salisbury? Also why are all fast trains diverting via Staines except the Exeter ones. Is it to get them on to the right platforms at Waterloo? Also my train is 10 coaches instead of the usual 9 which means it's too long for all stations except Basingstoke and Woking!
One thing that is poor is that the PIS on board still says SWT not SWR which surely is a fairly easy change to make? Then again, as is becoming increasingly common, the 0510 from Exeter was not showing on Pinhoe, Whimple and Feniton at all with the first train on the station boards being the 0641.

On the Forum SWR stated that it would change on 29 August.

 

[Goldfish62]

Guard on my train this morning was in a time warp. Stated it continually as a South West Trains service, including thanking us for travelling with South West Trains.

 

[Monty]

Guard on my train this morning was in a time warp. Stated it continually as a South West Trains service, including thanking us for travelling with South West Trains.

 

[Kite159]

Has anyone else noticed that the new 159 wifi disconnects when the trains add additional coaches or split at Salisbury? Also why are all fast trains diverting via Staines except the Exeter ones. Is it to get them on to the right platforms at Waterloo? Also my train is 10 coaches instead of the usual 9 which means it's too long for all stations except Basingstoke and Woking!
One thing that is poor is that the PIS on board still says SWT not SWR which surely is a fairly easy change to make? Then again, as is becoming increasingly common, the 0510 from Exeter was not showing on Pinhoe, Whimple and Feniton at all with the first train on the station boards being the 0641.

Salisbury depot has to locate a computer which can still read floppy disks to update the PIS to being SWR rather than SWT (JOKE)

159s used to have additional speed restrictions going via Staines so it probably makes more sense to keep them onto the main-line than to crawl through some of the stations.

 

[3141]

Also my train is 10 coaches instead of the usual 9 which means it's too long for all stations except Basingstoke and Woking!

My local station is Overton, and the stopping markers there include one for 10-coach trains

 

[Kite159]

My local station is Overton, and the stopping markers there include one for 10-coach trains

When I've done the 10-coach service, the doors on the rearmost 159 are not released as the local stations on the route can only hold 9 [not sure about Andover]

[I think the return working the rearmost 158 is locked out of use]

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Salisbury depot has to locate a computer which can still read floppy disks to update the PIS to being SWR rather than SWT

That is old! I've not had a floppy disc driver on any of my last 3 PCs, probably around 2005 ish that I last had a PC with a floppy drive. Do they not have the option of using USB sticks to update the PIS?

If need be they'll have to send someone down to the nearest branch of Maplins to see if they have any external floppy drives that can plug into a computer via USB.

Can the PIS computer be upgraded (hardware) at all?

 

[WelshBluebird]

BBC Radio were still referring to South West Trains when talking about the continuing work at Waterloo this morning.

Salisbury depot has to locate a computer which can still read floppy disks to update the PIS to being SWR rather than SWT

Please say that is a joke? (Though I am thinking it probably isn't!).

 

[mallard]

Neither floppy disk drives (either internal or USB) nor the disks themselves are hard to source. A 30 second search on Amazon or Maplin's websites shows that.

If Salisbury don't have the necessary hardware easily available in their depot, it's due to pure incompetence and clearly shows how little train companies care about (providing information to) passengers.

 

[greaterwest]

On the Forum SWR stated that it would change on 29 August.

Which would make sense, as that's the day the service is supposed to go back to normal. They'll remove the special announcements for the changes to the timetable (diversions via Staines, additional stops on Portsmouth/Basingstoke services, etc)

 

[embers25]

When I've done the 10-coach service, the doors on the rearmost 159 are not released as the local stations on the route can only hold 9 [not sure about Andover]

[I think the return working the rearmost 158 is locked out of use]

I was also surprised that Andover only allowed 9 and the very rear of coach 10 was indeed just out.

 

[Kite159]

BBC Radio were still referring to South West Trains when talking about the continuing work at Waterloo this morning.



Please say that is a joke? (Though I am thinking it probably isn't!).

It's a joke (hence the laughing smiley at the end), based on the age of the original 159s