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Class 730 LNR & WMR Delivery/test Updates

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Liam L

Liam L

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Liam L said:
001 - Old Dalby / Derby (Unknown)
002 - Old Dalby
003 - Old Dalby
004 - Old Dalby
005 - Oxley
006 - Old Dalby
007 - Old Dalby
008 - Oxley
009 - Oxley
010 - Oxley
011 - Oxley
012 - Oxley
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001 returned to Oxley yesterday
 
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Jturner98

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Sorry if I missed something but is there a specific reason why the 3 car units are potentially replacing the 319s? Why can’t they just hang on and let the 5 car version do it? Or are the 319s due a major overhaul so they need to be gone soon?
 
TT-ONR-NRN

TT-ONR-NRN

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Jturner98 said:
1 Sorry if I missed something but is there a specific reason why the 3 car units are potentially replacing the 319s? 2 Why can’t they just hang on and let the 5 car version do it? Or are the 319s due a major overhaul so they need to be gone soon?
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1) They’re not, they’re replacing the 323s
2) They are

The West Midlands seem to like introducing gangways into already well established train products. Their 172s were the first Turbostars to have gangways, their 196s will be the first Civitys to have gangways, and their 730s will be the first Aventras to have gangways. All useful of course :D
 
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Bletchleyite

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TT-ONR-NRN said:
1) They’re not, they’re replacing the 323s
2) They are

The West Midlands seem to like introducing gangways into already well established train products. Their 172s were the first Turbostars to have gangways, their 196s will be the first Civitys to have gangways, and their 730s will be the first Aventras to have gangways. All useful of course :D
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There has been a suggestion that 9 car WMR spec 730 formations will first enter service on the south WCML to allow the utterly knackered 319s to go in the bin. Some of them for instance have no heating at all, and the nature of the fault allegedly makes repair uneconomic. I have not seen it confirmed by anything official but I don't think I would rule it out. It may be from a false assumption based on the appearance of 3/6/9 Car Stop signs on the south WCML which I think we read above are there because staff training will occur there due to more spare paths than around Birmingham itself.

Even if they don't, the first entry into service of the 5 car sets are I'd think likely to see off the 319s. They really are in a state.
 
Razorblades

Razorblades

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Spirit555 said:
Been reliably told Bescot has been shelved and possibly Oxley now being looked at.

Mark
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Abridged story, probably been shared before on here.

The original plan was Duddeston; this was cancelled during early works (site clearance) back in 2017/18 as the project was hopelessly lacking in sufficient time based on delivery dates for the new fleet (as it turned out, they needn't have worried!).

Attention switched to Bescot, despite the possibility that Washwood Heath concrete sleeper facility was also to transfer to Bescot because of HS2 early works.

Alstom takes over Bombardier and already has Oxley Traincare Centre in its portfolio; this would therefore become the natural nucleus of a new fleet maintenance strategy.
 
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RobShipway

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Bletchleyite said:
There has been a suggestion that 9 car WMR spec 730 formations will first enter service on the south WCML to allow the utterly knackered 319s to go in the bin. Some of them for instance have no heating at all, and the nature of the fault allegedly makes repair uneconomic. I have not seen it confirmed by anything official but I don't think I would rule it out. It may be from a false assumption based on the appearance of 3/6/9 Car Stop signs on the south WCML which I think we read above are there because staff training will occur there due to more spare paths than around Birmingham itself.

Even if they don't, the first entry into service of the 5 car sets are I'd think likely to see off the 319s. They really are in a state.
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I thought the 5 car class 730, where to get rid of the class 350/2's? Or is it that they will get rid of the 350/2's and 319s?
 
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Bletchleyite

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Liam L said:
They was meant to get rid of both I believe
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Yes. Once all are delivered the WCML fleet will be 5 car 730 and 350/1, /3 and /4. The 319s are a priority because they are falling to bits, and another winter of commuter trains with no heating won't be looked on kindly if it can be avoided.
 
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Wyrleybart

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Bletchleyite said:
Yes. Once all are delivered the WCML fleet will be 5 car 730 and 350/1, /3 and /4. The 319s are a priority because they are falling to bits, and another winter of commuter trains with no heating won't be looked on kindly if it can be avoided.
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In the meantime Northern are expecting the ex WMR class 323s to replace erm..... 319s !!!!
Presume the Northern 319s have heating which works a little more effectively, or maybe not.
Stuff Northerners lets look after the WCML(south) commuters even though the LNR 319s only work the peaks.

Couldn't make it up.
 
D365

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Wyrleybart said:
In the meantime Northern are expecting the ex WMR class 323s to replace erm..... 319s !!!!
Presume the Northern 319s have heating which works a little more effectively, or maybe not.
Stuff Northerners lets look after the WCML(south) commuters even though the LNR 319s only work the peaks.

Couldn't make it up.
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What a strange comment. Porterbrook owns all 319s and 323s, so it's up to them to arrange the intricacies of the fleet cascade.
 
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Peter Sarf

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Wyrleybart said:
In the meantime Northern are expecting the ex WMR class 323s to replace erm..... 319s !!!!
Presume the Northern 319s have heating which works a little more effectively, or maybe not.
Stuff Northerners lets look after the WCML(south) commuters even though the LNR 319s only work the peaks.

Couldn't make it up.
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Well it is quite possible that the 319s on the Southern WCML did not get as much money lavished on them on transfer as the 319s and 769s that Northern were getting. Quite likely Northern got the pick of the 319s in better condition as, iirc, Northern were planning to keep theirs long term. So maybe the Southern WCML effectively got the raw end of the deal. My take is that the 319s for the Southern WCML were only ever planned to be a temporary thing.
D365 said:
What a strange comment. Porterbrook owns all 319s and 323s, so it's up to them to arrange the intricacies of the fleet cascade.
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I expect, as you say, Porterbrook have their plans and in my opinion it will boil down to what units are in the best condition. Lets face it these interesting side issues are only because Bombardier could not satisfy their orders for varying reasons (Covid, over-stretcing and quality). Which is now a problem inherited by Alstom and no doubt exacerbated by the usual tribulations of a change of ownership. I think Northern did well getting CAF multiple units rather than queuing up for Bombardier 730s.

In the meantime the railways await further deliveries-of, testing-of and training-on the 730s. Furthermore the light seems to be visible at the end of the class 730 tunnel.
 
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Silverlinky

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Same path for a second move on Thursday this week.

The 319's go off lease at the end of the year. Yes they are knackered and yes they are unreliable, but they are going off lease and that is the primary reason why the 730's are replacing them on an interim measure.
 
778

778

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Bletchleyite said:
Trings and MKCs will generally be 3+2 seated 730s, yes. 350s on the Crewes and some of the Brums. 2+2 seated 730s for the Liverpool-Brum and potentially some of the Euston-Brums.

Or maybe they will show up at random knowing the TOC's ability to diagram, though maybe we should open a book on when the first occurrence of a 730 and 350 turning up at Northampton expecting to be coupled will be.

Does a 120m train fit Snorbens? I reckon that will stay 350.
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Does this mean that when the 730s enter service there will be no more standing on LNR services form Euston? There should be enough seats for everyone even at the busiest times. Also will any of the remaining 350s be used on Trings and MKCs, or will they only be used on the faster services?
 
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Silverlinky

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778 said:
Does this mean that when the 730s enter service there will be no more standing on LNR services form Euston? There should be enough seats for everyone even at the busiest times. Also will any of the remaining 350s be used on Trings and MKCs, or will they only be used on the faster services?
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Surely whether or not there is standing depends on the passengers, if they all turn up for the same two or three trains then there may still be standing!

There is a timetable recast for December 2022, the 730's won't come on stream until late 2023 or even early 2024, and there is talk that they will all be 2+2 seating rather than some being 3+2.

What traction is used on what will depend on what the timetable looks like in 2024.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==

730/0's should be out and about on guard training trains between Bletchley and Rugby in the week commencing 5th September, and then from 12th September night time gauging, PTI testing and signal sighting between Northampton and London for three weeks.
 
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