Must be, I could've sworn some 3Bs were altered to HST trailers for someone - seemingly not.
Iirc while the general dimensions are smaller, the legroom is better?
Indeed. Used to sign em and the small cab was far preferable to anyone not morbidly obese. Especially for taller drivers. Seems a bit of an Aslef own goal there, an d same with the HSTs. As a driver, give me a HST cab over almost anything else any day. I do wonder if some of these union representatives actually drive the traction they blacklist.....
Doesn’t come as a surprise though, it’s been considered highly likely for some time, as discussed in a number of other threads.
They should arrange an Aberdeen to Penzance farewell tour!
Ex-Avanti 221s?
Yes. Two of them are now allocated to EMR to try to stave off any issues associated with 180s going in May. Not sure how many more are going to be freed up, have their tilt taken off / decommissioned and made ready for XC. If they have a Shop, and XC don't use them, one assumes they would even need captive diagrams to take into account specific seat layout.
If XC are being asked to make savings by cutting HSTs, why would EMR be taking on additional stock? What are the 'issues associated with 180s going' that don't have equivalents on XC?
I know some people rumoured this, but you make it sound like this is a firm decision. Do you have either inside knowledge or a public source confirming this?
I think asking for a source, especially public, is a bit much. Unless someone at EMR wants to become the next Isabel Oakeshott, which I doubt.
This really frustrates me, as Bristol is not much good for connectivity to the greater south west. Taunton would allow changes onto GWR intercity trains on to Plymouth and Cornwall, yet Bristol still requires using a stopper to head south. Taunton would be far more sensible although I guess would require an additional unit.
Pretty sure you are right. The sooner we can have an election to get these Tory cowboys gone the better!
An ideal world would mean you had a half-hourly Exeter to Birmingham, with the hourly Plymouth. I suppose resourcing and the government's marvellous work on "Trains have nobody using them" puts paid to that.
Indeed. Xc services are rammed between at least Plymouth and Birmingham. The Gov need to stop spinning this yarn that no one is travelling and just be honest that its first class and season tickets that are reduced (neither of which are massively affected on XC yet it seems XC will be taking the blow).
Politically that makes no sense, when the Conservatives are defending lots of "red wall" seats won at the last election. Why would they want to support routes between the East Midlands and North to London, but not those across the country from those areas to the Midlands and Southwest?
The Tories have pretty much accepted that the red wall seats are a lost cause for them. The 'blue wall' is at risk, that's where the Tories will be concentrating their efforts. In other words, trying to make it a 1997 style defeat for them at the next election rather than a Lib Dem 2015 style near total elimination from parliament.
Not entirely. They aren’t likely to be defending anything in that respect - whereas the seats on the way into London like Wellingborough are the only ones they can probably consider safe.
I cannot see the sense in cutting the Plymouth to Aberdeen services, even if the HST's are gone in October. Surely, if XC are getting the Advanti class 221 units as everyone suspects, then they could use either two of those paired or 221+220 at least once a day in each direction?
There has been no announcement or indication that XC are getting any additional units.
The sense is that XC don't need to run a train which leaves Edinburgh for Aberdeen in amongst a regular service provided by Scotrail. In any case, it has already been cut.
Well, if we assume LNER has too many units, and XC doesn’t have enough, you could make the case for Newquay, Penzance, Aberdeen and Glasgow being chopped from the network. Ask for LNER to make up a small amount of the shortfall, perhaps. That’s about all I can think at this stage.
Problem is, what happens if LNER needs those units at a later date? Although, it would make sense for some of the LNER class 800 units to move to XC. But I suspect that it is the class 801 that LNER has too many?
I don't think the suggestion was that any LNER 800s should move to XC, but that LNER should provide the services to Glasgow and Aberdeen *beyond Edinburgh* instead of XC.
Yes, the last HSTs in normal service will be with ScotRail.