11 car Pendo

[xtradj]

any idea when they come into full service and on which routes?

 

[ainsworth74]

The 11-car sets should enter service at the start of the new WCML franchise in March/April 2012. The routes I believe will be pretty much everything apart from Birmingham - Scotland. There has been work backwards and forwards between VT and the DfT to get the 11-car units running early under VT but it seems likely that VT aren't going to get permission to run the lengthened sets early. However I think an agreement has been reached which will allow them to run 390054 as a 9-car unit once testing is completed.

 

[Simon11]

From what I believe, Virgin aren't running the 11 car pendo, because the DTF won't pay them to cover the risk of having the extra set with 11 cars.

I also would have thought that Birmingham to Scotland would have been the most likely to recieve the 11 car pendos as they are the most overcrowed, then glasgow and liverpool routes, with Birmingham the least

 

[mumrar]

From what I believe, Virgin aren't running the 11 car pendo, because the DTF won't pay them to cover the risk of having the extra set with 11 cars.

I also would have thought that Birmingham to Scotland would have been the most likely to recieve the 11 car pendos as they are the most overcrowed, then glasgow and liverpool routes, with Birmingham the least

That's quite a big change, from a 5-car Super Voyager to an 11-car Pendolino.

 

[Pumbaa]

I also would have thought that Birmingham to Scotland would have been the most likely to recieve the 11 car pendos as they are the most overcrowed, then glasgow and liverpool routes, with Birmingham the least

Brum to Scotland routes aren't seeing them, feel free to sift through the route strategy available on ORR. Key workings to Glasgow, most Liverpools, key Manchester workings and crammed peak Birmingham workings are where they are most likely to end up.

 

[rail-britain]

I also would have thought that Birmingham to Scotland would have been the most likely to recieve the 11 car pendos as they are the most overcrowed, then glasgow and liverpool routes, with Birmingham the least

Initially the 11 coach sets will have 2 coaches removed, this will apply during the current franchise

During the next franchise the 11 coach sets will operate on the existing routes as per the Class 390 units already operate on
The four new trains will allow the Glasgow service to become a fully hourly service and the Liverpool service to increase to a partially half hourly service

The Voyagers will remain between Scotland and Birmingham, however this is likely to change during the next franchise
The West Coast franchise will retain a greater number of Voyagers for use on non-electrified routes, the remainder to be transferred to other franchises

 

[Crossover]

Initially the 11 coach sets will have 2 coaches removed, this will apply during the current franchise

If my thoughts are correct, I believe that 054 will be given to VT, in standard 9 car guise, because of a muck up on DfT's part whereby the franchise agreement still says VT are entitled to 53 Pendo sets (whereby one wasn't deducted on the write off of the set involved at Grayrigg/Lambrigg...so essentially a technicality?)

There had been talk of East Coast gaining a set for testing on the ECML but I'm not sure this is still going to happen.

AFAIK, the other 11 car sets will then come into operation when the new franchise is taken up.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Then there's the problem of platform extensions for the 11-car sets.
NR have started work at Warrington, for instance, but I can't see them being ready any time soon. If the rule is to have full platform lengths before they can call, service entry might be delayed till next year anyway. There are something like 18 stations affected.

 

[rail-britain]

There had been talk of East Coast gaining a set for testing on the ECML but I'm not sure this is still going to happen

This proposal by East Coast Trains was refused by DfT and eventually dumped by East Coast Trains
Strangely it appears the proposal originally came from DfT, suggesting someone within DfT also with connections within East Coast Trains made this in error