Presumably for training to meet this 2 year target, there will be a lot of overtime offered? (and some cancelled trains where no staff is available?).I wonder when this two year period (for all 75 trains to be in service) starts from :
or some other unspecified (potentially future) date?
- January 2024;
- September 2024;
Like every other new trains introduction, surely? No reason for SWR to be any different (apart from the inevitability of them making a mess of it).
Well it's obviously not a future date.I wonder when this two year period (for all 75 trains to be in service) starts from :
or some other unspecified (potentially future) date?
- January 2024;
- September 2024;
There doesn't actually seem to be any way of searching and viewing actual requests and responses, or if there is it looks like it's made (deliberately?) as difficult as possible.
Seen it whizzing by me. Having been around the windor all day it felt like several Arterios were out which was nice. 701025 I assume was still testing but 701043 and I believe 37 and 17 were about.
Parts of it did. Ran 10 out of passenger 15 services, I'm including the Windsor - Staines service at the end as 1 of the 15. First three cancelled due to train crew and one return trip in the evening due to a train crew rostering problem (TI).
There probably is enough trained but not enough available.
It amounts to the same thing though as far as passengers are concerned. If SWR can't reliably deliver the service yet they need to scale back the rollout and get more people trained. Frustrating as that is for all involved a train is better than no train.
There are only enough trained people to run the diagrams if all of them are available. But there are not enough people trained to reliably run all the diagrams.
Possibly a two edged sword here.
Precisely, yes. No driver to bring a set on/off a depot might result in reactive cancellations, even if there are train crew to work those services themselves.
Evening Windsor diagram is cancelled. 701017 on the evening Shepperton
That`s a shame. Just a shame.
Although these statements are all rational, it does make me wonder how Greater Anglia, not known for the brightest of management (but lovely staff), achieved the change to 745/720 operation without any of this disaster.
Look at GWR. They were introducing new 800/802 and 387s, plus training existing staff on relocated Turbos, 158s and newly shortened HSTs all at the same time in 2017/18 and seemed to manage OK.
Thats rather condescending as they managed to roll out the 720's without fuss and push themselves to the top of the leader board over train performance and reliability.
I am not sure but perhaps Greater Anglia had a less stretched workforce. It is stunning how much overtime the likes of TPE and Avanti were relying on. But also GA were pragmatic. The only variation aiui to their order was to change the ten car 720s to five car 720s to match the 89 five car 720s they had already ordered. Also the timing of Covid might have left GA with spare staff to train on 720s.
SWRs introduction of 701s is stunning in its tortuous
Its worthy of Transport Select Committee investigation to expose where the shortcomings have been to avoid a reoccurrence but everyone from the Dft to the manufacture are quite happy to sweep it under the carpet whilst the taxpayer picks up the bill and the passengers suffer.
Very little training was possible in the early stages of COVID because social distancing rules meant you clould not have two people in the cab.
Although not relevant (and shouldn't be used as excuse) for last 3 years.
So things are going backwards. Extraordinary.
Next up all the trains will be recalled because of a undiscovered fault and disappear for another 4 years
