Out of Plymouth on Friday, just one double set between 0827 and 1427. This wealth of new ex avanti sets is certainly waiting to make its presence felt.... it is frustrating XC still seem to obsess about providing the majority of seats into and out of Birmingham in the rush hour. Controversial opinion perhaps, but is it the end of the world if a commuter has to stand between Tamworth and Birmingham? Surely that's preferable to standees from Exeter to Birmngham???
A number were doubles from later in the journey, such as Bristol. I fail to see a huge issue with that. You tend to constantly maintain a view that Exeter and Plymouth need the longest of GWR and XC’s formations, and they don’t.
1V58 is now diagrammed as a single voyager Sun-Thur, Friday and Saturday is a double set.
1V52 EDB-PNZ (now the only direct XC service to PNZ from further north than Bristol) today was 4 coaches and was very full by Cheltenham Spa, pretty sure a few were left behind there (or opted not to join the sauna and wait for a later train!). I left the train at Bristol Temple Meads where there was quite the crowd waiting to join as well...
I’ve definitely caught it in midweek and it’s been fairly busy. Seems like a massive step backwards to cut capacity on that service.
Services will be booked single or double sets so should remain fairly consistent. Obviously if one fails then a double may become a single for example.
Indeed. Looking at Derby to Bristol for example, the number of double sets is the same today as it was last Monday just the services which they appear on has changed which I think part of it is down to the change in the Penzance extensions.
www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk
I don’t believe the supporting overhaul programme ever started on time. So if it has now started late, at the intended 3 units in hand, the 12 extra must only be a net 9 extra? The emphasis on reinstating services on the Reading Newcastle corridor in that PR announcement seems to have ended up as a token gesture, only one service being extended from York to Newcastle and return. They haven’t achieved the service increases their track access application bid for. I suppose some more services might be reinstated in December.Don't forget Cross Country formally announced all 12 extra (ex Avanti) units would be in service by this month (ok, still 11 days left) and would be 36,000 extra seats per week
Bigger fleet, more seats: CrossCountry reveals plans to transform customer experience by May 2025 | CrossCountry
Train operator announces massive expansion to long-distance fleet, transforming journeys with around 25% more seats available than today.
So have they actually delivered 36,000 extra seats per week ?
The initial draft timetable for December which we saw before it was removed showed, for example, approximately twice as many XC trains Northbound via Doncaster to York/Newcastle, pretty much restoring what was once the full service - but I suspect this was purely from the point of view of making the big ECML timetable recast work when and if those services are eventually fully reinstated, rather than any solid indication as to which, if any, extra services will actually run.
Or have more coaches.
The toilets are wonderfully inefficient on Voyagers and must shorter the "seated sections" by at least a coach over a 5 car unit.
Yes and on the EMR units, you can have two wardrobe sized ones in the same space
Not dense enough if you ask many XC passengers who regularly stand through most of the day. Nobody knew around 1999 when they were ordered that rail use would explode as it did since. Their class 47 and HST predecessors had more coaches but the frequencies were roughly half. The idea was shorter, more frequent trains were preferable to longer and less frequent. Now you need both.
It is a little disappointing that the refurbishment doesn’t include such step to do this. Or, HST style with one cupboard toilet and one large luggage rack.
Allegedly Virgin originally planned for there to be three classes of accommodation on the Voyagers, therefore you needed an accessible toilet for every class. The 222s being later, had the opportunity to learn from some of the mistakes of the 220/221.
Well, quite. I seem to recall the Standard end coach was to have been a 3+2 layout "Virgin Value" class, and that this was the reason for the seat pitch (even as 2+2) being slightly tighter in that vehicle. Anyone who's ever been in a 720 (similar width) knows that's a bad idea!
Given the renewed publicity the idea of 'standing seats' on airplanes has been getting over the past 24 hours (and already adopted in some of the new Chinese-built Czech trains) we should probably be glad that Branson's nonsense wasn't allowed to go any further or who knows where we'd be by now!Well, quite. I seem to recall the Standard end coach was to have been a 3+2 layout "Virgin Value" class, and that this was the reason for the seat pitch (even as 2+2) being slightly tighter in that vehicle. Anyone who's ever been in a 720 (similar width) knows that's a bad idea!
It can’t be that difficult considering they’re about to knock the shops out of the Virgin West Coast examples. And replaced them with a large overblown air conditioned luggage rack and bicycle space.
This can be done without needing to make major structural changes. I believe removing the original disabled toilet module was looked t but it was installed before the roof as one unit and therefore difficult to remove.
They aren't air conditioned like the saloons are - the vestibule door is between the shop and the passenger seats. This is why there are forces air vents for the person working in the shop.
Initially they did allow for growth, that's why the end coaches are A and F, so they could build and add intermediate vehicles, making them upto 6car. But they never got the extra vehicles.
One of the best things they learnt, was a floor stud, so you could open the door when carrying stuff back from the buffet. Then they closed the buffet.
In fact at one time, wasn't there a train of thought than an electric carriage could be inserted, making them bimode?
