The worst train today?

[Irascible]

I'm surprised no one else has mentioned metro/light rail stock yet, as I didn't discount it.

Possibly because you... er, generally... don't spend as much time on them, so you tend to view one as a moving pavement. I wouldn't want to do Canary Wharf to Reading in a DLR unit, but to Bank was ok ( and given the view out of the old units, sometimes kinda fun ).

Although now of course you're more likely to have a spartan bus of some description imposed upon you, with the relative scarcity of accessible high spec coaches

Buses are getting a bit scarce at times too...

 

[AM9]

The latter has less polluting engines, but the former is quicker off the mark (769s are hellishly sluggish) and might actually get there without breaking down.

The engines are not only cleaner, but much quieter, smoother and given the 7-8 tonne weight of each genset and its fuel, mean that the ride in the DTSOs is much smoother.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The engines are not only cleaner, but much quieter, smoother and given the 7-8 tonne weight of each genset and its fuel, mean that the ride in the DTSOs is much smoother.

But fundamentally they're unreliable. And (like say the Class 180 or 230) it can have as nice a passenger experience etc as it likes, but if it isn't reliable it's bad, because in the end I'd rather a Pacer that reliably shows up on time than a long train of declassified Mk2 First Opens that's late or cancelled every other day.

 

[matacaster]

My suggestions
153
150

 

[Ashley Hill]

IETs

 

[fgwrich]

GWRs 165 / 166.

 

[Bletchleyite]

720. Worst seating layout the network has seen in my living memory.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

150, 313, 315, 319, 769

 

[AgeoftheTrain7]

I would agree with the 153s, particularly on long distance routes. 156s aren't much good either, and they have a habit of being put on some longer regional routes by EMR.

 

[NorwichRailFan]

156/153's (especialy the ex Greater Anglia ones, those ones were falling apart by the end. I was on one once in heavy rain and all the windows were leaking)

 

[warwickshire]

720 by far. Absolute disgrace. Seating shocking. Hardly getting down the train is possible. Seats very hard. When 321s gone. One class and region. Never to venture on. Money well spent elsewhere.
Gwr adventure as they call it. Ie IET also not much better either.

 

[ld0595]

156s aren't much good either, and they have a habit of being put on some longer regional routes by EMR.

And 6+ hour journeys from Glasgow to Mallaig!

The Scotrail examples have had a decent refurbishment but they're not very suitable for journeys of that length.

 

[Efini92]

Anything built by CAF

 

[QSK19]

My 5, in order from worst to least worst:

153
360 (until they are fully sorted)
156 (particularly the /9 as per post #7)
321
700 (though that’s admittedly a sentimental opinion due to the sheer uncertainty of what would happen with redundancy hanging over our heads whilst working at Bombardier after we lost TL to Siemens - I utterly despise the 700s since they remind me of that awful time)

 

[brad465]

If Underground stock is allowed, the Bakerloo line's 1972 stock by far. If not, then I'd say 376 for EMUs and 153 for DMUs.

 

[LOL The Irony]

All BR Mk3 stock still in service. Especially the 150s and 319/769s.

 

[cambsy]

LOL The Irony, I would not put BR Mk3 stock as bad, as the HST Castle sets etc, are still great trains to travel, more the old generation BR units, like the 150-153-156, 455-313 et all. Although dont tend to travel on these units etc, my worse class in service would be:

150-153-156 BR era DMU’s
319-455-456-313-315 BR Era EMU’s,

I dont like the above, because they are noisy-rattly, or not inviting to travel on, feel like anti social behaviour more likely take place on them, just general ambience of them, The modern stuff is all fine by me, and nice to travel on, but if old stock etc is kept in good condition, and decent ambience, then i prefer older stuff, like 37’s and MK3’s etc. Modern stuff just doesnt have the character of the decent older stock etc.

 

[LOL The Irony]

LOL The Irony, I would not put BR Mk3 stock as bad, as the HST Castle sets etc, are still great trains to travel, more the old generation BR units, like the 150-153-156, 455-313 et all. Although dont tend to travel on these units etc, my worse class in service would be:

Castle sets are formed of Mk3s, which are a carriage, not a class. It's amazing how a carriage so highly regarded produced some utter turds. Also 153s are related to pacers and the 156 is related to the Mk4, none are related to the Mk3.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Castle sets are formed of Mk3s, which are a carriage, not a class. It's amazing how a carriage so highly regarded produced some utter turds. Also 153s are related to pacers and the 156 is related to the Mk4, none are related to the Mk3.

If by "related" you mean "built by the same organisation or in the same factory" fair enough. But apart from that, those classes have very little in common. The 156 is "related" to the mk4 in the same way that the 378 is "related" to the APT-E.

 

[Fokx]

Class 319.

Great for capacity but awful for bike users, toilets per capacity, poor heating, windows popping open on the move, slamming inter-carriage carriage and cab doors and an extremely poor knee to knee and elbow to elbow seating layout.

 

[cactustwirly]

Has to be 345s by miles.
As rough riding as a pacer, and horrifically uncomfortable seats

 

[Bletchleyite]

Class 319.

Great for capacity but awful for bike users, toilets per capacity, poor heating, windows popping open on the move, slamming inter-carriage carriage and cab doors and an extremely poor knee to knee and elbow to elbow seating layout.

Tried a 720 yet? Makes 319s look palatial.

And 319/2s are wonderful, if a bit dated - superb legroom and the best 1st in the South East commuter area bar a Pendolino from MKC.

 

[fwsmVor]

The GWR 166s and 165s; they're worn-out, horrifically noisy inside and out, some are still running around in FGW livery and almost all still have the FGW interior even though they have no planned replacement, and 3+2 is bad even on the Severn Beach but on Cardiff-Portsmouth it's downright insulting.

 

[Starmill]

Tried a 720 yet? Makes 319s look palatial.

And 319/2s are wonderful, if a bit dated - superb legroom and the best 1st in the South East commuter area bar a Pendolino from MKC.

The First Class in SWR 158 and 195 units is also very good.

 

[prod_pep]

150, 153, 319, 321 (excluding the slightly better Renatus units), 322, 700, 769.

There really is no accounting for taste. I rather like the 720s: a bit rattly perhaps, but a vast improvement on the 317s, etc. The 319/2s are marginally better than the other variants but very far from palatial in comparison; horrible units.

 

[ZL exile]

458, 745,755 and Mk 4’s, all due to dislike of the seating. The strange thing is, the Mk 4’s were much nicer before the awful mallard refurb carried out at Doncaster

 

[43096]

458, 745,755 and Mk 4’s, all due to dislike of the seating. The strange thing is, the Mk 4’s were much nicer before the awful mallard refurb carried out at Doncaster

1. 458s have far superior seating to many other designs (better than 450s for example).
2. 745s and 755s have the best seats of any designs in the last five years.
3. The original Mark 4s weren't great for comfort: the Mallard refurbishment improved them (and the Virgin refresh further improved them).
4. The Mallard refurbishment on the Mark 4s wasn't carried out at Doncaster.

 

[miklcct]

GWR class 802

The layout is the worst among all the trains I have travelled on.

 

[Bletchleyite]

458, 745,755 and Mk 4’s, all due to dislike of the seating. The strange thing is, the Mk 4’s were much nicer before the awful mallard refurb carried out at Doncaster

The single piece Mallard seats were awful (the base sloped the wrong way and so tried to tip you off forwards) but VTEC replaced the cushions with two piece ones without that problem, since that I've found them fine.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Jul 2022 ==

GWR class 802

The layout is the worst among all the trains I have travelled on.

In what way? Excellent legroom for one. Window alignment is iffy, but that's pretty universal these days.

 

[brad465]

In what way? Excellent legroom for one. Window alignment is iffy, but that's pretty universal these days.

The issue I have in this area with Hitachi trains (and Pendolinos as well), is the window blind design, where I often like to look out the window, but if someone sat infront/behind wants the blind down for reading/laptop use/etc., one of us has to make sacrifices. Sometimes what might be deemed progress isn't, I think on trains the peak here was curtains.