New South Western franchise: Awarded to First/MTR

[GodAtum]

I hate the new livery as 1st class is not marked clearly (previously with yellow dots above the windows).

 

[AlterEgo]

I hate the new livery as 1st class is not marked clearly (previously with yellow dots above the windows).

The previous livery had light blue dots above the windows, not yellow.

 

[emil]

superalbs

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/trai...09/05/advanced

Ely to Bournemouth tomorrow, is it possibly Class 442s?

Yep, hauled by a ROG 47.

Here are 2 pictures taken at Poole of unit 2416 enroute to Bournemouth depot

 

[bb21]

1-4 out of action again at Waterloo, track circuit failure...

39% PPM yesterday, 57% so far today with the Portsmouth Direct completely up the spout.

Everything to divert via Eastleigh and now signalling just collapsed at Micheldever.

You will need all the luck you get to get home tonight.

 

[nlogax]

I hate the new livery as 1st class is not marked clearly (previously with yellow dots above the windows).

Maybe I'm mistaken but I'm pretty sure SWT haven't had a yellow first class -anything- since the NSE / Stagecoach transition liveries on 442s, 159s and slammers.

 

[Joe Paxton]

I hate the new livery as 1st class is not marked clearly (previously with yellow dots above the windows).

The true First class passenger simply innately knows which way to go...

(Sorry, couldn't resist!)

 

[freerj]

39% PPM yesterday, 57% so far today with the Portsmouth Direct completely up the spout.

Everything to divert via Eastleigh and now signalling just collapsed at Micheldever.

You will need all the luck you get to get home tonight.

What a baptism of fire for South Western Railway. Every day since franchise changeover has been a complete nightmare. I'm assuming they have just been unlucky but given their plans for faster services (and I assume running more trains) in comparison to the plans presumably proposed by South West Trains is the network actually up to delivering a reliable service at the capacity South Western Railway want to run at ?? Have they bitten off more than the network can chew and will the promised travel journey improvement changes never be implemented ?

 

[Goldfish62]

Maybe I'm mistaken but I'm pretty sure SWT haven't had a yellow first class -anything- since the NSE / Stagecoach transition liveries on 442s, 159s and slammers.

Correct. And there have never been any stripes or dots above the windows on the 158/159s or 458s.

 

[Goldfish62]

TBH I can't really blame you if you (and others) were moaning.On my last trip I left Waterloo 77 minutes late for my trip to Reading.Terminated at Wokingham.(Yesterday)

(and I still couldn't make the blasted time up due to following slower trains)

I do feel sorry for you staff with the constant disruption. The guard of the 1805 to Reading yesterday was out of breath on the PA as he made his announcement, having run from a late running inward train the other side of the station.

 

[Goldfish62]

What a baptism of fire for South Western Railway. Every day since franchise changeover has been a complete nightmare. I'm assuming they have just been unlucky but given their plans for faster services (and I assume running more trains) in comparison to the plans presumably proposed by South West Trains is the network actually up to delivering a reliable service at the capacity South Western Railway want to run at ?? Have they bitten off more than the network can chew and will the promised travel journey improvement changes never be implemented ?

I'm sure this has already been stated many times before, but the extra trains and cuts in journey times were mandated in the ITT - Stagecoach would have proposed exactly the same because they had to.

The train service frequencies and journey time cuts were based on the recommendations in the NR Wessex Route Strategy, so blame NR, not SWR, if it doesn't work!

 

[3141]

. However Joe Public certainly does care when it appears that such activity has a potentially negative impact or effect on incident recovery. Those that don't see that ought to rapidly rejoin the real world.

That assumes that Joe Public realises that other platforms could have been used to alleviate the problems if they hadn't been used for the launch. But the same people who don't care who's running the franchise, and barely notice who it is, probably won't be aware of the launch, or if they are, won't wonder whether using the former International platforms for train services could have helped service recovery.

 

[MartinB1]

I'm sure this has already been stated many times before, but the extra trains and cuts in journey times were mandated in the ITT - Stagecoach would have proposed exactly the same because they had to.

The train service frequencies and journey time cuts were based on the recommendations in the NR Wessex Route Strategy, so blame NR, not SWR, if it doesn't work!

I would agree. I personally feel at the moment the infrastructure is no where near robust enough to be able to support the extra and faster services. One of the proposed methods to reduce journey times is to cut some of the padding that currently exists to offset other delays. Even with this padding if there is a problem on the network, it often causes a massive knock on effect on everything else. So how is cutting the padding AND introducing more services going to work?!? Surely the track/points/signalling needs to be made a lot more reliable, and to avoid this franchise ending in tears NR will need to invest some serious money into ensuring that the at least weekly points failure at Waterloo (for example) hardly ever happens.


Sent from my SM-A510F using Tapatalk

 

[sjoh]

What exactly might cause a set of points to 'fail'?
If it's a mechanical issue, then surely in order to fix it when it's failed, the mechanics of the points themselves are repaired?
If it's electrical, surely the same? If it's electronic, then what's the flaw in the system that's causing it?
In scenarios 1 and 2, the same set of points should rarely fail repeatedly. In scenario 3, what needs to be done

The pointwork at say, Liverpool Street, hasn't been renewed for a considerable time (afaik), and seems relatively robust. I'm just curious to know a little more technically what exactly the issues are.

 

[Goldfish62]

Out of interest, does delay repay now include acts not within the railways control such as fatalities, trespass, extreme weather? I've read most things I've been given but not seen it mentioned.

Yes, it's for all delays as per national standard.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Are the points and their motors for platforms 1-4 at Waterloo new ones or the old ones just been repositioned?

 

[infobleep]

Another signalling fault today around Liphook. Fairly recent one but three trains already delayed by it. Another was delayed prior to that due to a train fault but they cancelled a few stops to made up some of the time.

Perhaps they will do the some for these trains or maybe because they are all roughly delayed by the same amount they won't see the need.

I got a copy of the Metro yesterday and there was no report on the previous days disruption. Would they have likely had a report if South Western Railway hadn't had a front and back page advert?

 

[theageofthetra]

Another signalling fault today around Liphook. Fairly recent one but three trains already delayed by it. Another was delayed prior to that due to a train fault but they cancelled a few stops to made up some of the time.

Perhaps they will do the some for these trains or maybe because they are all roughly delayed by the same amount they won't see the need.

I got a copy of the Metro yesterday and there was no report on the previous days disruption. Would they have likely had a report if South Western Railway hadn't had a front and back page advert?

It's free for a reason. Best avoided.

 

[GodAtum]

Correct. And there have never been any stripes or dots above the windows on the 158/159s or 458s.

Yes i meant blue dots on the 450s and 444s. I believe the new livery only has a small, pathetic "1" sticker!

 

[pompeyfan]

Yes i meant blue dots on the 450s and 444s. I believe the new livery only has a small, pathetic "1" sticker!

From what I understand, the dark blue half of each driving motor carriage will indicate location of 1st.

 

[adamello]

From what I understand, the dark blue half of each driving motor carriage will indicate location of 1st.

The First Class end appears to have a grey stripe running along the top (where you would expect to find the yellow stripe)

as seen in Spark's Post

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=3115576&postcount=3066

 

[JaJaWa]

First Class (yellow) is marked far more clearly on MTR’s new livery here

 

[Harbouring]

From what I understand, the dark blue half of each driving motor carriage will indicate location of 1st.

Which makes sense if the first class is moved on the 450's as previously discussed

 

[pompeyfan]

Which makes sense if the first class is moved on the 450's as previously discussed

The exception to that would eventually be 158/159s unless they have their 1st reduced/moved.

 

[swt_passenger]

Are the points and their motors for platforms 1-4 at Waterloo new ones or the old ones just been repositioned?

Very little was repositioned. Most of the new throat S&C for P1-P6 was delivered as prefabricated units having been test assembled at Hoo Junction.

It all looked fairly obviously brand new when the webcams were available online, wouldn't you have agreed?

 

[swt_passenger]

Which makes sense if the first class is moved on the 450's as previously discussed

But the 444 has about ⅔ of a first class coach at only one end, which therefore doesn't go along with using the dark section of the livery to denote first. The Aventras will be standard class only, but 'artists impressions' apparently show the same livery design as this single 444.

 

[GodAtum]

The First Class end appears to have a grey stripe running along the top (where you would expect to find the yellow stripe)

as seen in Spark's Post

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=3115576&postcount=3066

Thanks, if 1st class is at an end on both the 450s and 444s this should be ok.

 

[radamfi]

Was the advert in Metro shown in areas of the country far from the SWR operating area? Three Bridges station had it - anywhere further afield?

 

[Harbouring]

But the 444 has about ⅔ of a first class coach at only one end, which therefore doesn't go along with using the dark section of the livery to denote first. The Aventras will be standard class only, but 'artists impressions' apparently show the same livery design as this single 444.

Ah yes of course. Couldn't see the wood from the trees.

How clearly does first class need to be marked anyway, it's not like it's an 11 car pendolino and also you'd struggle to see the previous first class markings at any long distance

 

[Bletchleyite]

How clearly does first class need to be marked anyway

Your question is the wrong way round. What is gained by *not* marking it clearly with the standard yellow stripe?

 

[pompeyfan]

But the 444 has about ⅔ of a first class coach at only one end, which therefore doesn't go along with using the dark section of the livery to denote first. The Aventras will be standard class only, but 'artists impressions' apparently show the same livery design as this single 444.

The current rumours are that 1st on a 444 will be split with provision at both ends of the unit so that units don't have to be the right way round.